Chapter 193
Aria’s POV
“Oh! Tell me a story!About your romantic story. “Anna pleaded with those eager puppy eyes I simply couldn’t resist.
God, what could I possibly say? The only stories I know would probably get me in trouble!
As Anna stared at me expectantly, I frantically searched for a way to dodge her request. Thankfully, salvation came in the form of Tricia Winter’s voice calling from the dining room: “Kids! Dinner’s ready p>
Anna immediately dropped the subject, bouncing excitedly. “Aria! Dinner time! My dad made something special just for you tonight-he’s an amazing cook p>
“Then I’ll definitely need to eat plenty,” I replied, breathing an internal sigh of relief.
“Yes, yes!” Anna nodded enthusiastically before skipping off to help with dinner preparations.
Clayton, who had been quietly sitting beside Aiden, also excused himself with a polite “Dinner’s ready, Aria,” before following his sister to help with the soup.
I glanced at Aiden, feeling the tension gradually leave my shoulders. “Should we go eat p>
Aiden reached over and brushed his fingers against mine. “Why are your hands so cold? Nervous p>
“No!” I protested, feeling my cheeks warm. “It’s just the air conditioning p>
It absolutely wasn’t because I was nervous about meeting his family. Definitely the AC’s fault.
Aiden gave me that knowing half-smile that made my stomach flip but mercifully didn’t call me out on my obvious lie. “Come on, let’s wash up p>
We walked to the sink together, and as we took our seats at the table, I finally got my first real look at Nicholas Duncan, Aiden’s uncle.
They say nephews often resemble their maternal uncles. Before coming here, I’d Googled Nicholas Duncan and found only formal portraits—always in business attire, looking severe and intimidating. Aiden didn’t seem to resemble him much in those photos.
But seeing Nicholas in person, wearing casual clothes with thin-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, I realized the old saying was true. He had the same warm intelligence in his eyes that Aiden did, though with a softer, more scholarly presence.
“So you’re Aria?” he smiled at me, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
My nervousness evaporated. “Hello, Nicholas. It’s nice to meet you p>
“Photos really don’t do you justice,” he remarked. “You’re much prettier in person p>
This was the third time someone in Aiden’s family had said something similar. I felt heat creeping up my neck as my fingers tightened around my fork.
Tricia shot her husband a warning glance. “Nicholas, you’re embarrassing her.” Nicholas laughed. “Well, Aiden’s never been the shy type, has he p>
Aiden, hearing his name, glanced up and calmly responded, “Aria’s been nervous about meeting everyone today. Try not to scare her away, Uncle Nick p>
“Come on, I’m hardly a big bad wolf!” Nicholas protested with a grin.
Dinner flowed easily after that. The Duncan household wasn’t big on formality, and with Anna keeping the conversation lively, I never once felt awkward or out of place. The relationship between Aiden and Nicholas was completely different from his strained interactions with Thomas. If Nicholas hadn’t been so well-preserved and youthful-looking, strangers might have assumed he and Aiden were father and son rather than uncle and nephew.
When it was time to leave, Tricia slipped a jade bracelet onto my left wrist and pressed a small jewelry box into my right hand before I could process what was happening.
“Take these,” she insisted warmly. “They should have come from Aiden’s mother, but she wasn’t fortunate enough to see her son married. As his aunt, I’ll stand in for her p>
How could I refuse something like that? The sentiment behind the gesture left me speechless.
“Aria, come visit us anytime!” Anna practically attached herself to my side. She and Clayton were twins, but while Anna was undeniably beautiful, she had this wonderfully unfiltered personality that was instantly endearing.
I guess my soft way of speaking and whatever perfume I was wearing had made quite an impression on her, because she kept trying to hug me at every opportunity.
Just as she was about to wrap her arms around me again, Aiden smoothly intercepted, pulling me against his side. “Stop trying to steal my wife,” he said dryly.
Anna made an exaggerated huffing sound. “What’s wrong with hugging Aria? Your possessiveness is ridiculous! She’s going to get sick of it, you know p>
I had to admire how fearlessly she spoke to Aiden. Not many people would dare to call him out like that.
“Don’t you think so, Aria?” Anna suddenly pulled me into the argument.
I froze, caught in the crossfire. “Um p>
After chatting for a few more
minutes at the door, Aiden and I
finally made our escape to the care In my rearview mirror, I could see Anna @aving enthusiastically from clearly approv
the doorway Sho
of me as her new sister-in-law.
As our car pulled away, I examined the milky jade bracelet on my wrist, wanting to
take it off and store it safely. But without a jewelry box handy in the car, I reluctantly
left it on.
I carefully opened the other box
Tricia had given me and gasped. Inside was a complete ruby
set-necklace, earrings, and
bracelet. I knew enough aboutnet
jewelry to recognize that something like this would easily cost millions.
I quickly snapped the box shut, irrationally afraid that too much oxygen might
somehow damage the stones.
Aiden glanced over at me. “Something wrong? You don’t like them p>
“No, it’s just… they’re so valuable,” I stammered.
“They’re fine,” he shrugged. “They belonged to my grandmother p>
Great. Now I was even more terrified of breaking them. This wasn’t just expensive jewelry; it was a family heirloom.
I hugged the box tightly the entire ride home, barely breathing until we safely arrived. The moment we got inside, I rushed upstairs to carefully remove the bracelet and place everything in a secure spot.
When I came back downstairs, Aiden was heading up with a glass of water. “Why the hurry?” he asked.
“I wanted to put the jewelry away,” I explained, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Why not wear it?” He handed me the water.
I took a sip. “It’s too precious. What if I damage something? Especially since it
belonged to your grandmother. Better to keep it safe p>
“As long as you like it,” he said simply.
“I’m going downstairs to change shoes,” I told him.
“Okay p>
Aiden stood watching me descend the stairs, only continuing up when I disappeared around the corner. I switched to slippers, got myself another glass of water, and headed back upstairs. It was gettingo late-time for a shower and bed.
When I entered our bedroom, Aiden was sitting on the sofa. He motioned for me to
come over. “Come here,” he said softly.