Chapter 11
Caleb blinked, thrown off. “Wait, who’s your lawyer?”
“Owen Shaw,” Aria said, cool as ever.
The room went quiet, four jaws practically hitting the floor.
Logan let out a low, “Well,” grinning with relief. “Owen? You’re in good hands, girl. Guy’s a beast.”
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Zoe’s face clouded, her emotions a tangled mess. She hesitated, then blurted, “Aria, how’d you even score Owen? Word is he’s tight with the lawyer Liam hired. Could be playing for their team.”
Aria gave a half–shrug. “Mr. Hayes put me in touch.”
Zoe muttered under her breath, “Why not just tell us? We’re your family, not some outsider.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened, ready to jump in, but Aria cut him off fast. “What, you want me to ditch Owen and let you pick someone else?”
The air turned thick. Zoe bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with hurt. She’d only wanted to help, but with Aria, it always seemed to go sideways.
‘At least I’ve got Silvia–sweet, ride–or–die Silvia–who’s always got my back,‘ she thought.
The thought hit Zoe like a slap. She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms, grounding her.
If Aria had been raised by her, she’d be as sweet and open as Silvia. But those small–town folks had made her so closed–off, so cold. If only Zoe hadn’t lost her back then.
Logan, who knew his wife’s heart after years together, sighed softly. He stepped close, slipping an arm around her shoulders, his voice a quiet comfort.
Aria watched them for a long moment, her face unreadable, then turned and walked out, not sparing a backward glance.
Caleb’s gaze shifted to Silvía, his voice steady but firm. “Silvia, you didn’t ask for this mess, and neither did Aria. We missed twenty years of her life, and we owe her big. That might mean you’re not the center of attention for a while.”
Silvia’s eyes glistened, but she nodded, her voice soft. “I get it, Caleb. I’ve been in her place all this time. Whatever it takes to make things right, I’m all in.”
Zoe reached out, gently tousling Silvia’s hair. “Caleb, take it easy. You’re scaring her.”
Caleb’s expression softened, a flicker of frustration in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say more, but a quick look from his dad made him hold back, lips pressing shut.
Aria was zipping down the highway when Grace’s name flashed on her phone. With a groan, she yanked the wheel, pulling a sharp U–turn toward Cole Group’s headquarters.
At the front desk, the receptionist’s eyes went wide as saucers when she spotted Aria. She clutched her coworker’s arm, whispering, “No way, Ms. Saxon’s back!”
The rumor mill at Cole Group had been churning for weeks, everyone gossiping about their boss strutting back into town alongside the Gibson family
heiress.
The coworker’s face twisted with indignation. “Ms. Saxon’s been grinding nonstop for this company, and Mr. Cole still has the guts to-”
“Zip it!” the receptionist hissed, slapping a hand over her friend’s mouth. “You wanna get fired? Someone dissed Mr. Cole yesterday and got canned by Mr. Marshall
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15:08 Mon, 26 May⚫ MT
Chapter 11
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Aria hadn’t even made it to her office door when Grace Webb, her secretary, and the executive assistant ambushed her, lugging a mountain of files. “Ms. Saxon, these have been stacking up”
Aria threw up a hand, cutting them off. “Not my problem anymore, guys. I’m here to quit.”
She breezed into her office, fired up her laptop, and banged out a resignation letter in record time. Then she started tossing her stuff into a cardboard box.
Outside, the assistant’s jaw practically hit the carpet, his files tumbling into a chaotic heap.
Grace, though, didn’t even flinch. She knew Aria’s vibe: when she decided something, it was game over.
Box in hand, Aria stepped out and nearly crashed into a posse heading her way.
Leading the pack was a smug, middle–aged guy with a smirk that screamed trouble. “Well, well, if it ain’t Ms. Saxon. Where you headed with all that baggage, darling?”
Andrew Marshall. Liam’s sleazy uncle. He’d waltzed into Cole Group as Technical Director after blowing back into the country.
Aria had fought tooth and nail against his hire–sure, he could tinker with tech, but he was way out of his depth for a gig that big. Only Daniel’s blind loyalty had handed him the keys.
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