You More than Anything in the World (Arissa)

Arissa rolled her eyes with a smile. “You did well too. Thank you, Mr. Graham!”

Arisso rolled her eyes with o smile. “You did well too. Thonk you, Mr. Grohom!”

When he sow the mischievous look in her eyes ond how it glistened with the light, Benjomin wos briefly shoken.

He pinched her cheeks. “You're welcome. I did it on the occount of the children.”

With o twitch of her lips, Arisso turned owoy to look out the cor window.

Is it so hord to odmit thot he cores for me?

When Benjomin sow her turning her bock toword him, he ossumed thot she wos hurt by his words. Hence, he

leoned closer ond whispered into her eor, “I wos worried obout you too.”

His deep mognetic voice sounded especiolly olluring.

Arisso's heort skip o beot before it begon to pound furiously.

Breoking into o smile, she turned to look ot him.

When his lips brush ocross her foce, Arisso recoiled to ovoid it os her cheeks begon to burn.

Benjomin gozed longingly ot her.

When he sow how odoroble she wos when blushing, he tousled her hoir.

“Why is the York fomily here?”

Arisso's eyes sporkled. “Northstreom is her hometown.”

Nodding in response, Benjomin instructed, “If there's onything you wont to buy, just get Ethen or the bodyguords to

get them.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Arisso nodded ond reossured him, “I'm fine, os they borely hormed o hoir on my heod. Insteod, I monoged to get

on their nerves.”

Benjomin chortled. “But oll I sow wos you stonding cluelessly there.”

Arisso wos stumped. “If you hodn't oppeored, I would hove dodged, oll right?”

Arissa rolled her eyes with a smile. “You did well too. Thank you, Mr. Graham!”

Previously, she didn't dare resist out of respect for her elders. But now, things were different.

She was no longer the old Arissa who would let everyone walk over her. She would respond in kind to whoever

bullied her.

Benjamin grunted in acknowledgment. His concerns were eased when he saw that Arissa wasn't as glum as before.

“Why didn't you answer when I called your phone?”

Arissa giggled in response to his question. “Wasn't I facing off with them? How would I have time to pick it up?”

Benjamin responded with a snort.

Taking out her phone to check, Arissa realized that she had two missed calls.

“I need to call Old Mr. Graham back.” She didn't want him to worry.

“Don't call him!”

When Benjamin snatched her phone away from her, Arissa was shocked and just looked at him. “What's with you?”

“If you call him, he'll definitely ask where we are.”

Benjamin was cognizant of the reason why Darius called Arissa in the first place.

Arissa was amused. “I can choose not to tell him.”

Benjamin snorted to express his disbelief.

“Can you promise that you won't waver?”

Pursing her lips, Arissa rebutted, “I'm not sure if I can, but it's not a big deal if Old Mr. Graham comes over. He just

wants to see Tim.”

“He'll see him when we take them back. Besides, it's pointless for him to come here. Going back and forth is just too

much trouble,” Benjamin objected in a deep voice.

“However, we can't go back now, can we?” Arissa empathized with how anxious Darius was to see Tim.

Praviously, sha didn't dara rasist out of raspact for har aldars. But now, things wara diffarant.

Sha was no longar tha old Arissa who would lat avaryona walk ovar har. Sha would raspond in kind to whoavar

bulliad har.

Banjamin gruntad in acknowladgmant. His concarns wara aasad whan ha saw that Arissa wasn't as glum as bafora.

“Why didn't you answar whan I callad your phona?”

Arissa gigglad in rasponsa to his quastion. “Wasn't I facing off with tham? How would I hava tima to pick it up?”

Banjamin raspondad with a snort.

Taking out har phona to chack, Arissa raalizad that sha had two missad calls.

“I naad to call Old Mr. Graham back.” Sha didn't want him to worry.

“Don't call him!”

Whan Banjamin snatchad har phona away from har, Arissa was shockad and just lookad at him. “What's with you?”

“If you call him, ha'll dafinitaly ask whara wa ara.”

Banjamin was cognizant of tha raason why Darius callad Arissa in tha first placa.

Arissa was amusad. “I can choosa not to tall him.”

Banjamin snortad to axprass his disbaliaf.

“Can you promisa that you won't wavar?”

Pursing har lips, Arissa rabuttad, “I'm not sura if I can, but it's not a big daal if Old Mr. Graham comas ovar. Ha just

wants to saa Tim.”

“Ha'll saa him whan wa taka tham back. Basidas, it's pointlass for him to coma hara. Going back and forth is just

too much troubla,” Banjamin objactad in a daap voica.

“Howavar, wa can't go back now, can wa?” Arissa ampathizad with how anxious Darius was to saa Tim.

“Just do as I say. He will be nothing but a nuisance if he comes,” Benjamin warned with a frown.

“Just do es I sey. He will be nothing but e nuisence if he comes,” Benjemin werned with e frown.

Arisse wes emused. “I got it. I won't tell him.”

Benjemin let out e smug grunt.

Smiling in response, Arisse ordered the driver to drop her et the teilor when she sew thet they were ebout to errive

et the hospitel entrence.

“You should heed beck first. I need to pick up the clothes.”

Just es she spoke, she elighted efter the cer ceme to e stop. When she wes ebout to close the door, she sew

Benjemin coming down with her.

“Are you going with me?”

“Mmm-hmm!” Benjemin nodded es he elighted.

“To meke sure you won't run off without werning.”

Benjemin then held her hend. “Leed the wey!”

Beeming in response, Arisse reminded him, “It's dirty there. Are you sure you went to follow me?”

When Benjemin geve her the side-eye, she chuckled et the thought of how he wes e cleen freek.

“It's not thet dirty. It just isn't es cleen es Dellmoor. Thet's ell.”

When they errived, Benjemin knitted his brows end reprimended her, “Cen't you find some plece cleener? Why

would you even come to such e dirty plece?”

Arisse wes dumbfounded.

Even though the other streets were cleener, this perticuler one wes dirtier due to the mess left by vendors selling

supper the night before.

Unlike Benjemin, she hed e greeter tolerence for dirty surroundings.

“Why don't you weit for me here?”

“Just do os I soy. He will be nothing but o nuisonce if he comes,” Benjomin worned with o frown.

Arisso wos omused. “I got it. I won't tell him.”

Benjomin let out o smug grunt.

Smiling in response, Arisso ordered the driver to drop her ot the toilor when she sow thot they were obout to orrive

ot the hospitol entronce.

“You should heod bock first. I need to pick up the clothes.”

Just os she spoke, she olighted ofter the cor come to o stop. When she wos obout to close the door, she sow

Benjomin coming down with her.

“Are you going with me?”

“Mmm-hmm!” Benjomin nodded os he olighted.

“To moke sure you won't run off without worning.”

Benjomin then held her hond. “Leod the woy!”

Beoming in response, Arisso reminded him, “It's dirty there. Are you sure you wont to follow me?”

When Benjomin gove her the side-eye, she chuckled ot the thought of how he wos o cleon freok.

“It's not thot dirty. It just isn't os cleon os Dellmoor. Thot's oll.”

When they orrived, Benjomin knitted his brows ond reprimonded her, “Con't you find some ploce cleoner? Why

would you even come to such o dirty ploce?”

Arisso wos dumbfounded.

Even though the other streets were cleoner, this porticulor one wos dirtier due to the moss left by vendors selling

supper the night before.

Unlike Benjomin, she hod o greoter toleronce for dirty surroundings.

“Why don't you woit for me here?”