Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Arya didn’t know what came over her–maybe it was pure defiance—but she found herself snapping, “What, so you’re allowed to pine for your first love, but I can’t have a past?”
She had planned to tell Finn the truth. That the little girl he’d been searching for all these years was her.
But now? Now she didn’t feel like saying a damn thing.
She thought, ‘Let him search! Let him spend his life chasing ghosts! Serves him right.‘
The moment the words left her mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Finn’s perfectly sculpted face, sharp as a blade, hardened even more, the cold seeping from his eyes like a storm gathering strength.
But Arya didn’t look away. ‘I am not scared. If it comes down to a battle of will, I’m not going to be the one backing down.‘
“What did you just say?” Finn’s voice was low, cool, almost dispassionate.
But she could hear the frost beneath it, coiled like a snake ready to strike.
“I said “Arya started, but a voice interrupted from the hallway.
“Sir… Mr. Barnett is here,” Robert said nervously, clearly regretting every step that brought him to that doorway.
He could feel it too–that this wasn’t the time to be interrupting anything.
Not with the air in the room thick enough to slice through.
He wondered if they were quarreling.
Without a word, Finn tore his gaze from Arya and turned, walking out the door with long, steady strides, leaving behind a chill and a silence that pressed down on her chest.
It felt like punching a pillow. No resistance, no reaction–just that lingering frustration sinking deep in her gut.
Finn’s tall frame descended the staircase to find Colin seated like a patriarch, inspecting his territory.
“You’re here early,” Finn said coolly, settling across from the older man, face unreadable, voice flat.
Colin’s weathered face cracked into what was meant to be a warm smile. “Finn, I heard you visited your mother yesterday. How is she doing?”
Finn tilted his head slightly, his gaze cold and detached. “Since when do you care?”
Colin’s smile faltered, but he recovered quickly. “I know your mother and you had a hard time these past years. That’s on me-‘
“I’m not interested in watching you play the victim. Get to the point,” Finn cut him off, ice in his tone.
Colin’s expression stiffened.
He thought, ‘He doesn’t respect me at all. Fine, No more niceties.‘
“I’ll be blunt,” he said, his tone sharpening.
came to ask you to end things with Arya. You can marry any woman you want, just not her”
He absolutely wouldn’t allow such a woman to enter the Barnett family, not when she dared to make his eldest grandson, Malcolm, kneel before her
13:18 Fri, 13 Jun W
Chapter 36
Arya had just stepped onto the landing when she heard that.
Her footsteps stopped cold.
She stared down at the scene unfolding below, her eyes instinctively locking on Finn.
She didn’t know why, but she needed to hear what he’d say.
Finn leaned back slightly, then let out a humorless laugh. “So love is just a transaction to you? Something to pick up and toss aside whenever it suits you?”
Colin’s eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Finn meant.
Still, he pressed on. “Finn, I didn’t know your mother had given birth to you. If I had, I would never have let her raise you on her own-
Not a hint of guilt. Not even a flicker of remorse.
Finn’s eyes turned colder. “What was she to you then, huh?”
Colin hesitated, then sighed. “I made mistakes. But you know as well as I do, back then, with my background and status, I couldn’t just-”
“Stop dressing up your betrayal in excuses,” Finn snapped. “I’m not you. I don’t abandon people I care about. I chose Arya–and I won’t turn my back on
her.”
Then, without so much as a glance at the older man, he barked, “Robert. Show him out.”
Arya stayed frozen in place. Something in her chest unclenched.
She thought, ‘Okay… maybe he’s not a complete bastard.‘
Colin turned pale with fury. “You’ll regret this one day, Finn,” he spat before storming out.
Finn didn’t respond.
As he turned to head back inside, his eyes unexpectedly met Arya’s–still standing at the top of the stairs, still in his oversized white shirt.
The soft cotton barely covered the tops of her thighs. Her long legs caught light, slender and smooth, a dangerous mix of innocence and allure.
Her legs were slender and fair, and her figure had a perfect proportion. Especially when viewed from this angle, she was like an alluring siren, making him feel inexplicable dryness in his throat.
Finn’s eyes gradually narrowed.
He realized that ever since he met this girl, she seemed to be able to stir his emotions easily.
Robert noticed it too. And more importantly, he noticed the shirt. His boss’s shirt.
He was surprised.
He thought, ‘Mr. Barnett is famously particular about his clothes. For him to let her wear it…‘
Robert’s eyebrows inched upward–until a cold, deadly voice snapped him back to earth.
Finn said, “Stare one more second and I’ll carve your eyes out.”
Robert practically bowed himself out of the room,, dragging the other guards with him. “Yeah. I need to go.”
Now the massive living room was quiet. Just the two of them, standing in silence.
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13:18 Fri, 13 Jun W
Chapter 36
Arya took a breath, then slowly descended the stairs.
When she finally reached him, she looked up. “Finn,” she said softly. “I need to talk to you.”
She was done playing games. It was time to tell him the truth.
Finn didn’t move. He just stared at her, his eyes dark, unreadable. “Who told you it was okay to come down dressed like that?”
There was a new edge in his voice. Jealousy, maybe. Possessiveness. He didn’t like the idea of anyone else seeing her like this.
A part of him wanted to lock her away.
Arya stepped closer, lips curving in a sly smile. “Didn’t you help me get dressed?”
They were close now. Too close.
Her scent wrapped around him like smoke–light, sweet, addictive. Something stirred in his chest. His pulse kicked up.
