Chapter 15
“Damn straight,” Liam snapped. “She’s not fit to carry the Cole name.”
Fury churned in his veins as he stormed upstairs to the master bedroom. “Everything Aria’s touched–toss it. The bed too. Get a new one, pronto.”
“On it, sir!” the staff replied, scrambling to comply.
Downstairs in the living room, Mary’s phone pinged with a notification. 65 grand, deposited. Her pulse jumped.
She slipped into the garden, glancing around to ensure no one was watching, then dialed a number with trembling fingers.
70%
20)
Up in the bedroom, the purge was in full swing. Lucy, one of the maids, yanked open a drawer and froze as a gleam of silver caught her eye. “Uh, sir? This drawer’s packed with jewelry. What’s the plan?”
“Dump it,” Liam said, his tone cold as steel.
“Gotcha,” Lucy replied, shooting a quick, greedy look at another maid.
Their eyes sparkled with temptation as they gathered the dazzling pieces, but they barely made it to the door before Liam’s voice cut through.
“Hold up.” He glanced at the haul–designer brands, top–dollar stuff. “Leave it. You two, out.”
The maids‘ faces fell, but they set the jewelry down and scurried off. “Yes, sir.”
Liam tugged the drawer open wider, a bitter smirk curling his lips. “She sure knew how to blow my money.”
The Cole family’s money. No way was he letting it go that easily.
His gaze drifted to the window, where Mary was pruning the flowerbeds.
A chill crept up his spine. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
Across town, Aria was mid–stride on her treadmill when her phone lit up. Without checking the caller ID, she tapped accept.
“Aria, I misjudged you,” Liam’s voice roared through the line. “Going after my uncle is one thing, but beating up Mary? A sixty–year–old woman?”
Aria slowed to a stop, her brow furrowing. “You on something, or what?” Her voice was rough from the workout, a sultry rasp that slipped through the phone like a spark.
Liam’s grip on the phone tightened, his heart stuttering. “What the hell are you doing?”
She stepped off the treadmill, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from her neck. “If you’re not calling to make peace, don’t bother. I don’t need your crap ruining my vibe.”
Her tone was steadier now, but still carried a breathy edge.
To Liam, it sounded like something else entirely—like she’d just tumbled out of bed after a very different kind of cardio.
Liam stiffened, his eyes blazing with fury. “Aria, we’re not even divorced yet, and you’re already shacking up with some other dude?”
Aria froze mid–wipe, her gaze sliding to the phone glowing on the table. She let out a low, mocking laugh. “Who I’m with ain’t your business, Liam.”
She was nothing like the woman he’d pictured two years back. Since she’d slapped him with divorce papers, the real Aria had come into focus. That soft, sweet girl he thought be married? A total mirage.
15:08 Mon, 26 May MT.
Chapter 15
Liam dragged in a sharp breath. “Never thought you’d sink this low. Guess I dodged a-
Click.
70%
20
She hung up without a second thought.
Liam’s face flushed hot with shame as he stared at his phone, his jaw tight and his expression stormy. “Aria Saxon,” he hissed under his breath.
Scrambling to save face, he snapped a quick photo of her scattered jewelry and fired off a text: [You think I’m begging to talk? Come get your damn junk.]
The message sank like a stone, no response.
Eventually, Liam cooled off. They were practically done anyway. ‘Why waste my energy on her? If she wants to wreck her life, that is her call.‘
Fresh from a hot shower, Aria felt like she’d washed the whole mess away. She grabbed her phone and tapped open an app with a slick black maple leaf logo.
A quick swipe, and the screen jumped to a chat window. Unread messages flooded in, a jumbled frenzy, followed by a video call lighting up her screen.
2/2
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