Chapter 40
The secretary sighed internally before responding. “He’s been traveling back and forth. He’s been going to a town, and then to the village where Miss Aria grew up.”
Logan froze, narrowing his eyes. “Jamelan?”
The secretary nodded and replied simply. “Yes.”
“Alright, you can go now,” Logan said.
“Understood, Mr. Saxon,” the secretary replied respectfully.
With that, the secretary left, and the office fell silent.
Logan held his pen, mind racing.
He wondered, ‘What is Caleb doing in Aria’s hometown?”
He grabbed his phone and quickly typed a message: [Aria, are you awake?]
A few minutes later, Aria emerged from the bathroom and finished blowing her hair. She grabbed her phone, reading his message. [Not yet, what’s up?]
Logan responded immediately: [Has your brother been in touch with you. lately?]
Aria quickly replied: [No.]
Logan typed again: [If he does, could you let me know?]
Aria replied: [Okay.]
or
Logan had always been the heir apparent, raised to respond to others with formality–long, detailed messages from employees asking for things, of just a simple acknowledgment.
But now, in this small exchange, he understood exactly what those
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employees felt.
After a quick scroll, he opened a chat with one of his managers and found a cute nod sticker. He saved it and sent it to Aria.
Aria read it, stared at the screen for a moment, unsure how to reply.
After a few seconds, she sent back a similar sticker.
A second later, a little cat emoji appeared.
Aria chose to remain silent.
Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out.
Aria put her phone down to close the window, but just as she did, the doorbell rang, coinciding with the loud rumble of thunder.
Tonight was definitely not going to be peaceful.
She walked toward the living room, opened the security monitor, and saw Silvia standing at the door. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
When Aria opened the door, Silvia’s bloodshot eyes met hers.
The awkward smile on her face didn’t hide her obvious distress. Her
throat choked, and her lips trembled slightly. “Aria.”
“It’s late. What are you doing?” Aria asked, not accusatory, just concerned.
Silvia sniffed and, without warning, tears started flowing.
Another loud crack of thunder made her flinch, her red eyes still locked
on Aria.
She squeezed her dress in her hands. “They came looking for me,” Silvia said before lowering her head.
Aria’s expression remained unchanged. “Dominic and Alice?”
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Chapter 40
“Yes,” Silvia replied.
Aria let out a quiet laugh, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. “Did they come to ask you for money?”
Silvia’s eyes shot up, startled. “You know?”
“It isn’t hard to figure out. They wouldn’t come to me, so they went to you,” Aria said matter–of–factly.
“Why wouldn’t they come to you?” Silvia asked, looking confused.
“Maybe… because they’re afraid I’ll kill them,” Aria said casually.
The coldness in her voice left Silvia wide–eyed, unsure if Aria was joking
or serious.
“You feed one wolf, they’ll keep coming back for more,” Aria said, her tone eerily calm. “I’d suggest you tell your parents.”
As she spoke, she glanced over at the balcony. “It’s about to rain. Aren’t you going home?”
The way she said “your parents” instead of “our parents” made it clear: she was distancing herself.
The sound of raindrops started falling heavily from the balcony.
The rain was coming down in sheets.
Silvia bit her lip, frustration and guilt flooding her. “Austin’s gambling debts… they’re holding him hostage. They need 1.5 million dollars to bail him out. I’ve given them everything I can.
“But now… they want me to buy a house in the city with Austin’s name on it, and pay him 150 thousand dollars a month for living expenses… They’ve known about the baby mix–up for fifteen years, Aria. I’m so sorry.”
Aria didn’t flinch. She was calm.
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Silvia blinked in confusion. “Aren’t you shocked?”
“I’ve known for a long time,” Aria replied calmly, her voice flat.
AD
