His Toxic Addiction
Chapter 33: [BONUS - ] Thank you asshole.

Chapter 33: [BONUS Chapter] Thank you asshole.

"Taken," Richard agreed.

"So why did you cover up your face that way?" he asked curiously. As if a nose mask wasn’t enough, his little trouble of a cousin also added a face cap and an additional hoodie to her face as if to hide all of it.

"How would I not when you invited me over to a high-class restaurant with the knowledge that lots of paparazzi are always lurking around the corner and searching for a false topic to speak on?"

"Hmm, so you are still scared of the paps?" he asked with amusement as an idea found its way into his sanity. He knows the story behind 10 years old Arissa’s trauma for the paparazzi and to his benefit, the story is worth laughing about.

"What?" Arissa asked seeing the evil expression on his face. And oh boy! nothing good comes out of that smirk of his.

And her slight panic increased when he brought out his phone, "What are you thinking Richard?"

"I want to tweet about your coming back and current address," he answered with an innocent expression as he flashed her a warm smile as if telling her to trust him.

"You dare not!" Arissa hissed at him.

Richard’s fingers working on his phone paused as he looked up at her, "There is a redemption dear cousin," he said sounding genuine, "Just tell me an honest thank you," he conditioned her as he turned his phone screen to her with a smile as he showed her the message he was about tweeting on even with a tag on her name.

Arissa rolled her eyes at his petty request. She almost let out a mocking laugh but swallowed it all in when she saw his thumb an inch away from the tweet button.

She glared at him as she sucked in a breath, "Thank you, asshole," she said half-heartedly looking at this blackmailing sucker before her.

Richard’s smile froze hearing the ending name added, "Can’t you be nice with your tongue for once?" he asked as if in pain, "Since the thank you wasn’t sincere, I guess I just tweet this then,"

"Thank you," Arissa let out almost like a curse.

Richard smiled widely hearing how forced her ’thank you’ was and then, he cleared all of his write-up on her name and just immediately, a waiter came forward with Arissa’s request.

But surprisingly, it wasn’t the first waiter but a different one that looked too reserved to try flirting with someone.

"You scared the poor waiter away," Richard reprimanded her with a smile on his lips.

Arissa rolled her eyes at him and took in a sip of her coffee, "You were the one who called me love before her," Arissa laid out as she looked around but the waiter was nowhere in sight.

"She would be crying somewhere right now,"

"Didn’t think too highly of yourself," Arissa dashed at him.

"So you are married now," he asked for confirmation as he waved the topic of the waiter off.

Arissa bit her lower lip inner gum as she looked at him, "I had to," she gave him a curt answer rubbing her forehead with her right palm.

"You know, I never knew the chemistry was real," he stated again as his hand reached for her hair and just like in the past, he twirled her brown locks between his fingers, "So you spent your wedding night in a club?"

He asked and Arissa could feel a tint of amusement in his voice as her brows lifted.

"I spent my wedding night at the hospital," she corrected.

On the day she signed the marriage contract, she remembered sleeping at the hospital with Adele and nowhere so, why was he asking about a club?

Richard’s brows lifted before he let out a soft smile, "You do not need to be shy about going to a club, dear cousin," he teased as he rubbed the fact that she had also been to where she hated on her face, "Is your husband, not Nicklaus Wyatt?" he asked seeing the confusion on her face.

"He is,"

"Look at these," Richard took his hand off her hair as he showed her the previous club photos that Jocelyn also showed her.

"Oh no. That was the night before my wedding," she explained looking at the pictures with a rush of emotions beneath her abdomen.

And, she can’t tell if the emotions are good or bad.

"Was it love at first sight?" Richard asked.

"No," Arissa snapped with irritation.

Arissa pouted as she took another sip of her coffee, "It was a coincidence. He was only a one-night stand,"

Huh?

"Did you just say that your now husband was on a one-night stand?" Richard asked with amusement as he let out an intrigued chuckle.

Arissa frowned again and hit his shoulder forcefully.

"Ouch!" he complained, "You need to keep those hands of yours away from hitting someone,"

"And you need to keep those mouths of yours from saying shits," she retreated.

"I wasn’t saying. I was asking," he defended himself with a smirk and Arissa could only frown at the fact that he just made her look stupid again as usual whenever bickering as this occurs.

"I came here for something different," Arissa’s mood switched to serious again.

"You are no fun to be with," Richard said with a grief tune as if someone just died.

"I know," Arissa said dryly and the seriousness in her tune made Richard seat up.

"Is there a problem?" Richard asked studying her expression and her tune.

Arissa shrugged her shoulders and said a no with her head, "Do you know where your father was buried at?"

Richard frowned as he leaned in at the table, "Why such a question Arissa?" his tune also became serious, "Just like every other member of the family, I have no idea about that,"

Arissa closed her eyes for a split second.

Her parents are playing games with them all right now. It’s suspicions that no one knows where her father’s older brother was buried - not even his wife and from her search, he died the night he was supposed to take over the company and that was long ago when she was barely one but on the other hand, she suddenly wants to know his cemetery as her parent’s treatment to Adele and the fact that Adele was stolen just opened her eyes to the reality that with her father, all evils things were possible.

"Why were you asking?" Richard asked as he stretched his hand out and held her fisted ones on the table.

Arissa smiled up at him as she pushed away theories to the back of her mind. She would analyze all when she get home and not before Richard, "I’m good. It’s just some kind of home craving. And one to think of it, I have been away for a long time,"

Richard did not get the point she was heading to but even at that, he smiled assuredly at her and massaged her fist, "I just hope nothing amusing is going through that stubborn head of yours, dear cousin,"