Chapter 115
Aiden’s POV
I rushed home as soon as I heard Thomas had shown up at my house. The entire drive, my mind filled with worst-case scenarios-my uncle was never one for subtlety, especially when it came to matters he considered “family business p>
When I arrived, I found exactly what I’d feared-Thomas sitting across from Aria, clearly in the middle of one of his infamous intimidation routines. I stood at the entrance, taking in the scene before me.
What surprised me, though, was Aria’s expression. Instead of looking frightened or upset, there was a gleam of excitement in her eyes. The tension that had been building in my chest during the drive home finally eased.
With measured steps, I walked over and gently pulled her behind me, positioning myself between her and my uncle’s piercing glare.
“What brings you here?” I asked Thomas, keeping my voice deliberately neutral.
Behind me, I felt Aria rise onto her tiptoes, her hand resting lightly on my arm as she whispered into my ear, “Thank God you’re back. I might’ve given your uncle a heart attack if you hadn’t shown up p>
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmured back, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Our interaction didn’t go unnoticed. Thomas’s face darkened to an alarming shade as he watched our exchange.
“Do you even recognize me as your uncle anymore?” he demanded, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.
I met his gaze steadily. “Do you recognize me as your nephew p>
“Ungrateful brat!” Thomas spat out.
I could see the familiar signs—his face flushing, eyes darting around for something to throw. It was his typical response when things didn’t go his way. As his hand reached toward one of Aunt Katherine’s antique figurines on the coffee table, I felt something cold settle in my chest.
“This house belonged to Aunt Katherine,” I said quietly, but with steel in my voice. “Everything in it belonged to her, now to me and my wife. You have no right to touch any of it p>
I paused, letting my words sink in. “Aunt Katherine wouldn’t have wanted you here
in the first place. If you have something to discuss, contact me directly. There’s no need to approach my wife p>
Then I added, just to twist the knife a little deeper, “She only answers to me anyway p>
“That’s right!” Aria chimed in from behind me, nodding enthusiastically. “I only listen to him p>
I fought back the urge to smile at her theatrical agreement.
“You-you-you two!” Thomas sputtered, shaking with rage. His assistant rushed to his side, patting his back and murmuring, “Please calm down, Mr. Carter. Take a deep breath p>
The assistant then turned to me with a reproachful look. “Mr. Carter, he is still your uncle. Aunt Katherine wouldn’t have approved of you treating family this way over an outsider p>
His words struck a nerve. Katherine had been more than an aunt to me-she’d been my savior after my parents died. The mere suggestion that he knew what she would have wanted made my blood boil.
“You have no right to speak in my home,” I snapped. “If my parents were alive today, or if Aunt Katherine were still here, they wouldn’t allow you to harass my wife like this p>
“Fine! Fine! FINE!” Thomas roared, his cane thumping against the hardwood floor. “Starting tomorrow, you can consider yourself removed from the position of CEO. I no longer have a nephew p>
I kept my expression impassive, though inside I was calculating just how much damage he could actually do. “I believe that decision isn’t solely yours to make p>
“I’ll call a shareholders’ meeting first thing tomorrow! Let’s see how long you last in that position without my support!” Thomas gestured wildly to his assistant. “We’re leaving p>
As they stormed out, I watched Thomas’s unsteady grip on his cane, the slight tremor in his hand. For a moment, I wondered if I’d gone too far.
Aria must have been thinking the same thing. She tugged gently at my sleeve, concern evident in her voice. “Were we too harsh? His hands were shaking p>
Looking down at her worried expression, I felt something warm stir in my chest. Even after how Thomas had treated her, she still worried about his wellbeing. It was… unexpected.
“Don’t worry,” I assured her, though the coldness in my voice didn’t quite match my words. “He’s perfectly healthy p>
She studied my face for a moment, and I could almost see the questions forming behind her eyes. I knew what she was wondering how did things get so bad between me and my uncle?
The answer was simple: Katherine.
After my parents died in the accident
when I was twelve, I was completely lost. I’d always been closer to my mother than my father, and losing them both at once left me fellow. My grandmother was already elderly and in declining health, and was drowning in grief.
It was Aunt Katherine who saved me. She wasn’t even blood-she was Thomas’s first wife-but she brought me into her home, gave me structure when everything was falling apart She taught me piano to channel my grief, stayed up with me during the nightmares, and
somehow made me feel like I could survive the unbearable loss.
For five years, she was my rock. And then Thomas destroyed everything.
His affair with Grace, his current
wife, wasn’t just a betrayal of
Katherine it was public, humiliating, and prolonged. Katherine found out the same way everyone else did. photos in a tabloid. The stress triggered a massive hemorrhage from the condition she’d been managing for years. By the time I got to the hospital, she was already gone.
Thomas married Grace less than six months later. I moved in with my grandmother
the same day he announced their engagement.
“Do you have something you want to ask me?” I finally said, my voice softer than
before.
She shook her head lightly. “If you want to tell me, you will,” she said simply.
For some reason, that eased something tight inside me. My mood lifted, the heaviness I’d been carrying since walking into this house loosening just a little.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rubbed my temples, feeling the dull throb there.
“Do you have a headache?” she asked, her voice full of quiet concern.
After my parents died in the accident when I was twelve, I was completely lost. I’d always been closer to my mother than my father, and losing them both at once left me hellow. My grandmother was already elderly and in declining health, and I was drowning in grief.
It was Aunt Katherine who saved me. She wasn’t even blood-she was Thomas’s first wife-but she brought me into her home, gave me structure when everything was falling apart. She taught me prano
channel my grief, stayed up with me
during the nightmares, and
somehow made me feel like I could survive the unbearable loss.
For five years, she was my rock. And then Thomas destroyed everything.
His affair with Grace, his current
wife, wasn’t just a betrayal of Katherine it was public, humiliating, and prolonged. Katherine found out the same way everyone else did.
photos in a tabloid. The stress triggered a massive hemorrhage from the condition she’d been managing for years. By the time I got to the hospital, she was already gone.
Thomas married Grace less than six months later. I moved in with my grandmother
the same day he announced their engagement.
“Do you have something you want to ask me?” I finally said, my voice softer than
before.
She shook her head lightly. “If you want to tell me, you will,” she said simply.
For some reason, that eased something tight inside me. My mood lifted, the heaviness I’d been carrying since walking into this house loosening just a little.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rubbed my temples, feeling the dull throb there.
“Do you have a headache?” she asked, her voice full of quiet concern.
After my parents died in the accident when I was twelve, I was completely lost. I’d always been closer to my mother than my father and los them both at once left me hellow. My grandmother was already elderly and in declining health, and I was drowning in grief.
It was Aunt Katherine who saved
me. She wasn’t even blood-she was Thomas’s first wife-but she brought
me into her home, gave me
structure when everything was
UT
falling apart. She taught me piano
channel my grief, stayed up with me during the nightmares, and somehow made me feel like I could survive the unbearable loss.
For five years, she was my rock. And then Thomas destroyed everything.
His affair with e Grace, his current
wife, wasn’t just a betrayal of Katherine it was public, humiliating, and prolonged. Katherine found out the same way everyone else did.
photos in a tabloid. The stress triggered a massive hemorrhage from the condition she’d been managing for years. By the time I got to the hospital, she was already gone.
Thomas married Grace less than six months later. I moved in with my grandmother
the same day he announced their engagement.
you have something you want to ask me?” I finally said, my voice softer than
“Do
before.
She shook her head lightly. “If you want to tell me, you will,” she said simply. For some reason, that eased something tight inside me. My mood lifted, the
heaviness I’d been carrying since walking into this house loosening just a little.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rubbed my temples, feeling the dull throb there.
“Do you have a headache?” she asked, her voice full of quiet concern.
After my parents died in the accident when I was twelve, I was completely
to my
lost. I’d always been closer mother than my father, and losing
them both of once left me hellow. at My grandmother was already elderly and in declining health, and I was
drowning in grief.
It was Aunt Katherine who saved
me. She wasn’t even blood-she was Thomas’s first wife-but she brought
was
me into her home, gave me structure when everything falling apart. She taught me prano to
channel my grief, stayed up with me
during the nightmares, and somehow made me feel like I could
survive the unbearable loss.
For five years, she was my rock. And then Thomas destroyed everything.
His affair with Grace, his current
wife, wasn’t just a betrayal of Katherine it was public, humiliating, and prolonged. Katherine found out the same way everyone else did.
photos in a tabloid. The stress triggered a massive hemorrhage from the condition she’d been
ham for years. By the time
got to the hospital, she was already
gone.
Thomas married Grace less than six months later. I moved in with my grandmother
the same day he announced their engagement.
“Do you have something you want to ask me?” I finally said, my voice softer than
before.
She shook her head lightly. “If you want to tell me, you will,” she said simply.
For some reason, that eased something tight inside me. My mood lifted, the heaviness I’d been carrying since walking into this house loosening just a little.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rubbed my temples, feeling the
dull throb there.
“Do you have a headache?” she asked, her voice full of quiet concern.