Chapter 116
Aria’s POV
After Thomas stormed out, a weird tension hung over the entire mansion. Even Lucy was smart enough to hide in the kitchen instead of asking about lunch plans.
I looked at Aiden, noticing the tight set of his jaw. Part of me wanted to tell him that despite everything, Thomas was still his uncle, his blood.
Did they really need to push things this far? But I stopped myself. This was his family matter, not mine to meddle in.
When he caught me staring, he asked, “Do you have any questions p>
Instead of voicing my curiosity, I gave him a gentle smile. “If you want to tell me, you will p>
He seemed to appreciate my restraint, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
I glanced at him sitting silently on the sofa, staring into nothing. “Aren’t you busy today?” I asked, testing the waters.
“I’m not busy,” he admitted.
That’s when I noticed him rubbing his temples in small circles. Poor guy.Family conflict have clearly left him under immense pressure p>
“Headache?” I asked softly.
Aiden looked up at me. “Yes p>
“Want me to massage it for you?” I offered, partly because I genuinely wanted to help and partly because I needed something to do besides sit in this awkward silence.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice unexpectedly soft.
I moved behind the sofa and began gently kneading his temples. The tension in the room eased a bit, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as I felt his muscles start to relax beneath my fingertips.
We both sat in comfortable silence for a while, my fingers working against his temples. Suddenly, a voice called out, making both of us jump slightly.
“Hello? Anyone home p>
Claire Bennett was peeking her head into the living room. When she spotted us on the sofa―me massaging Aiden’s temples like we were some lovey-dovey couple— her expression shifted subtly.
I immediately pulled my hands back, feeling incredibly awkward about her sudden appearance. What was Aiden’s ex-fiancée doing here?
Aiden’s eyes went ice cold at the interruption. “What brings you here, Miss Bennett p>
“You’re not also here to ask me to divorce my husband, are you?” I blurted out. Honestly, after Thomas, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole world was forming a line outside to tell me I wasn’t good enough for the mighty Aiden Carter.
When I said “husband,” Aiden glanced up at me over his shoulder.
It wasn’t the first time I’d called him that for our little performance, but something
about his gaze made my cheeks flush hot. Why was I blushing like an idiot? He was actually my husband in the real sense now.
Claire quickly shook her head. “No, no, you misunderstand, Miss Jones p>
“It’s Mrs. Carter,” Aiden corrected her, irritation clear in his voice.
Claire’s brow furrowed slightly, but she adjusted. “Mrs. Carter, I wanted to invite you to my birthday celebration this weekend p>
I stared at her suspiciously. “Invite me there to humiliate me p>
I mean, isn’t that how these things always play out? Rich girl invites the new wife to
a party just to tear her down in front of everyone? I’ve seen enough movies to know how this goes.
Aiden clearly shared my suspicion. “Miss Bennett, with all your friends, I don’t see why you’d need to specifically invite my wife. Besides, she’s quite busy lately p>
“Yes, extremely busy,” I agreed, despite having absolutely nothing on my schedule besides moping around this enormous house.
Claire realized our misunderstanding and rushed to explain. “It’s not like that at all! You saved my life, Mrs. Carter. I’m eternally grateful to you. I want nothing more than to have my rescuer beside me when I cut my birthday cake p>
She turned to Aiden with a serious expression. “Mr. Carter, I promise if your wife experiences even the slightest discomfort at my event, I, Claire Bennett, will p>
She trailed off, and I couldn’t help asking, “Will what p>
I was genuinely curious how far she’d take this.
Claire bit her lip before declaring, “I’ll run naked around the city center p>
I just stared at her. That was… extreme. Like, locked-up-in-mental-institution extreme.
“If you don’t believe me, you can record me saying it as proof,” she added earnestly.
Before I could respond, Aiden had already placed his phone on the table. “Go ahead p>
Was this normal behavior in the circles of the ultra-wealthy? Making outrageous promises that could potentially ruin your life? God, rich people are weird.
Claire actually recorded her promise, then excitedly placed the invitation on our coffee table. “Mrs. Carter, I truly have no ill intentions toward you! Honestly p>
Maybe it was my imagination, but something about the way she looked at me seemed… off.
Could it be what Eleanor had suggested? Or that Claire was actually interested in me romantically, not Aiden?
While I was lost in thought, Claire
had already turned to leave. I wanted to tell her wasn’t interested in attending, but she was already out of sight, rushing through the entrance hall heard the front doo close carefully behind her
With Claire gone, I didn’t feel like massaging Aiden’s temples anymore. I picked up
the invitation from the table and examined it.
I had to admit, it was beautifully crafted. My name was even handwritten—a thoughtful touch. Though I noticed she’d written “Miss Aria Jones” instead of my married name.
After looking it over, I handed it to Aiden. “What do you think? Should I go p>
“Do you want to go?” He took the invitation, frowning slightly when he saw my maiden name written on it “Claire invites
saw my Socialites to
her birthday every year. If you want to see what the fuss is about, go ahead p>
I could tell he’d prefer if I skipped it entirely. His jaw was doing that tight clenchy thing again.
But I was focused on something else. “Aiden.” I propped my chin on my hand and looked at him intently. “Did you notice anything strange about the way Claire looked at me p>
“I wasn’t paying attention,” he replied, though something in his tone suggested otherwise.
I pressed my lips together, feeling awkward but needing to tell him. “That time she claims I ‘saved’ her? She actually jumped into the water deliberately, forcing me to pull her out thought she was trying to set me up somehow, but instead she’s been telling everyone I’m her hero p>
Aiden made a sound of acknowledgment. “You think she has ulterior motives for this invitation p>
I shook my head. “She just promised—on record—to run naked around downtown if anything bad happens to me. No one would go that far for a setup, right p>
That would be national news! She’d get arrested for public indecency and probably spend a few days in jail. The cost of tricking me would be way too high.
Aiden studied my face, his expression unreadable. “So what are you suggesting p>
“Just… is it possible that she’s interested in me rather than you?” My face felt hot as I rushed to add, “Don’t worry, I’m not into women! I swear p>
As soon as the words left my mouth, Aiden’s expression darkened considerably. Like, thundercloud-about-to-unleash-hell dark.
“I’m talking nonsense!” I backpedaled quickly. This was his former fiancée after all. My comment was probably hurtful.
Aiden composed his features and looked at me seriously. “Stay away from her from now on p>
I nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. I’ll keep at least ten feet between us at all times.” I’d make it twenty if I could.
Aiden looked down at the invitation in his hand like it was contaminated. “So, shall I throw this out p>
“Yes, please!” At that moment, my husband’s feelings were definitely more important than some weird birthday invitation.
Besides, the last thing I needed was more drama in my life. I already had enough to last several lifetimes.