2024-10-28 14:54:23Liam gave a wry smile. It seemed that he wasn’t very welcome in the Stevens family. However, to fulfill the promise his grandfather had made, he still had to marry Mia, unless both his grandfather and David agreed to cancel the marriage.
Liam knocked on the door, and a sharp voice came from inside. "Who is it?" The door opened, and a middle-aged woman frowned as she looked at Liam. "Hello, I’m Mia’s fiancé, Liam Moran," Liam greeted politely. The middle-aged woman looked at him with disgust. "Mia doesn’t have a fiancé. Get out of here!" Liam frowned. Just as he was about to speak, he heard David’s voice from inside the house. "Stop this nonsense! Is Liam here? Let him in!" Reluctantly, the middle-aged woman opened the door and allowed Liam to enter. "Well, well, isn’t this Mia’s fiancé? I thought you wouldn’t dare come to our family gathering. For a country bumpkin like you, this must be your first time at such an occasion, right?" Yona said sarcastically as she saw Liam walk in.Liam glanced around the hall, which was already set with a lavish spread of food, including seafood and other luxurious dishes.
The middle-aged woman shot Liam a harsh glare and turned to David angrily. "Dad, Mia can’t marry this stranger from the countryside. There are plenty of suitable men in the city for Yona..." It turns out, this woman is Mia's mother, Melissa! Mia stood to the side, looking awkward. She didn’t want Liam to come to her family gathering at all, but he had still shamelessly followed. Mia quickly walked over and whispered, "Didn’t I tell you not to come?" Liam shrugged. "But Mr. David invited me. How could I not come?" Mia was about to say something else when Yona spoke with a mocking tone, "Mia, what are you whispering to your fiancé?" Mia replied flatly, "What does it have to do with you?"“My daughter cannot marry him!” Melissa Stevens stormed in, her face flushed with indignation.
Her gaze landed on Liam, and her lips curled in disdain as she took in his modest shirt and scuffed shoes.
“Is this some kind of joke? My beautiful Mia with this... this nobody?” Melissa said, her voice rising as she pointed at Liam.
She turned toward Lord David, standing composed behind her, and snapped, “Father, have you lost your mind?”
Lord David’s expression remained calm, though his tone carried a weight of authority as he replied.
“Melissa, enough.”
The tense exchange was interrupted by the arrival of Yona, Mia’s elder sister, who entered hand in hand with her husband, Carl.
Yona’s sharp eyes scanned the room, lingering on Liam before her lips curled into a sly smile.
“Grandpa wants Mia to marry him for real? That’s... I thought he was joking.”
Yona said, her tone neutral but her eyes gleaming with malice.
Melissa whirled toward Yona, her frustration mounting. “Do you hear this nonsense? Your sister marrying that?”
Yona tilted her head thoughtfully.
“If Grandpa believes this is best for Mia and the family, I won’t oppose it.”
"After all, Grandpa just slapped me for...my future brother-in-law, he must have his idea."
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
So, the old lord had made the final decision? He even slapped Yona, just to show his support to this poor guy?
Melissa’s anger flared further, her voice trembling with frustration as she shouted, “This is ridiculous! What will people think of this family?”
Yona stepped closer to her, she smiled evilly.
Even though she failed to frame Mia for being indecent, but marrying a poor guy like Liam? It was even better for her!
After all, her husband Carl was way better than Liam.
In this way, David Lord would definitely reconsider who would inherit the Stevens family!
“Liam may be poor, but we should respect grandpa's decision, right?”
She smiled hypocritically.
Mia looked at her sister warily, sensing ulterior motives behind Yona’s unexpected support.
Melissa, however, was unmoved, declaring loudly, “This marriage will not happen! Mia deserves someone worthy of our name.”
Lord David raised his hand to silence her, his voice turning firm. “This decision is final, Melissa. Liam is my choice.”
Yona smiled evilly, satisfied that the arrangement would harm Mia’s position in the family.
Feigning concern, Yona said, “But shouldn’t Liam have brought a gift to show his sincerity?”
Her husband, Carl, chimed in smugly, “I gave Grandpa a rare Chinese red emerald worth a fortune. Surely Liam has something to offer?”
Mia lowered her head in quiet embarrassment, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on her shoulders.
"Grandpa, it all happened in a sudden..." Mia tried to explain for Liam.
But Liam smiled faintly interrupting Mia's words.
“My apologies, Lord Stevens,” he said evenly.
“I wasn’t prepared to meet your family so soon, but I hope this will suffice.”
“This card has a credit limit of one hundred million dollars. Please accept it as a gift to the family.”
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Unmasked
AriaAfter that call with Jack, I didn't waste any time getting ready. I quickly jumped out of my bed, hurried to my wardrobe, and threw on the quickest outfit I could put together, then jumped out of the room and made my way to meet Jack. At this point, I was more than anxious to find out who the mole in my company was, and I didn’t want to waste a chance to catch him or her… whoever they were.I'd called a cab to take me there. Luke had emphasized that I try to remain discreet, and showing up to my company in my five-hundred-thousand-dollar custom car was just going to give me away. I needed to keep my head low at least until we caught this culprit.The whole ride there, my mind was constantly filled with thoughts, and I just wanted this to be over. I wanted to be able to just enjoy the mundane things in life without looking over my shoulder or worrying too much about what my next move would be. That was a life I'd grown to now despise, but still, it wasn't so easy to just get out o
The Face Behind the Mask
AriaThe moment Zion walked out and left me standing there alone, it felt like the air got sucked out of the room. You know when someone leaves, and the silence feels louder than their actual presence? That’s what it was like. I just stood there, completely shocked, staring at the empty doorway, thinking, ‘Wow, that’s it then? He doesn’t even want to hear me anymore?’And honestly, it hurt. I wanted to run after him, grab his arm, shake him, and make him listen to me. Maybe if I could bring him into the fold like Luke suggested, things between us would be less tense. But I didn’t. He was gone, and it was clear that Luke didn’t even want to hear anything other than what he thought. Chasing him wasn’t going to fix anything.The only thing I knew for sure in that moment was this: Luke wasn’t the enemy. Whoever’s behind this was smart, and they were now framing both of us. And if I didn’t move fast, they were going to win.So what did I do? I pulled out my phone and called Luke. My hands
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AriaBy the time I got home, I was running on thin fumes. My body ached, and my head was pounding, and the weight of my discovery still fell heavy on my chest. Finding out about that hidden account still echoed in my chest like a warning bell I couldn’t silence. The thought of it made my skin tremble. I didn’t know how or who? How could they breach my company walls so easily? The more I didn’t want to think about it, the more I ended up doing just that. And so as I stepped out of the car, I was already fuming in anger and just wanted to get to my room, have a nice shower, and just rest my head.I slammed the door shut harder than I meant to, kicked off my shoes, and dropped my bag on the floor. All I wanted was to curl up and shut the world out for a few hours. Listen to some songs, stare at some pictures, and try to unravel my mind from the pressures of the day.But that’s when I saw him. Zion. He was standing by the shelf, with a folder in his hand, like he had been waiting for me.
Lines Crossed
ZionIt had been about three days now since I last saw Aria. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t. Every time I thought about her face, the warmth I used to feel twisted into something sharp, and frankly, it terrified me to think of her that way.But the evidence was too much. From the late-night calls to the hidden meetings and those strange files tied to her company. I wanted to believe she couldn’t do something like that to me, but the truth? I wasn’t sure anymore.So I did the only thing I could and stayed away. I know that might seem like cowardice, but I couldn’t, didn’t want to deal with this now. And so I buried myself in work, the gym, anywhere that kept my mind busy. But it didn’t matter. No matter how far I went, she was still there, taking up room in my head, and it was tearing me apart.But then that’s when Ellen showed up. She didn’t call first or text. She just appeared outside my apartment like she knew exactly what was going on. I swear it’s like
Strange Trails
AriaZion’s eyes met mine through the café window, and in that single glance, everything between us shifted. His disappointment was unmistakable, and I just sat there, unable to move, while he turned away and blended into the crowd outside.I wanted to run after him, to grab his arm and make him listen, but Luke’s voice broke through before I could move.“Don’t go,” he said quietly. His tone carried certainty, as though he already knew what would happen if I tried.I pulled my bag close to me. “I have to, Luke,” I said, and was about to turn away when he replied again. “You don’t have to,” he replied. “Give him time.”But I couldn’t. I knew things would escalate if I sat still, so I pushed back my chair and walked out of the café, the door chiming behind me. “Zion!” I called when I saw him ahead in the hallway. He stopped for a moment, but didn’t turn immediately. When he finally faced me, his expression was calm, too calm, and that terrified me more than his anger.“You looked like
An Old Flame Returns
AriaLooking back, meeting Luke again had not gone the way I expected. I had convinced myself that it would remain simple, strictly business, and nothing more. We had agreed to meet again after that day, and he was supposed to present me with his strategy on how he was going to find out who my identity thief was.Yet the moment I sat across from him in that small café, with my notes spread between us and the faint smell of roasted coffee in the air, the past began creeping back into my thoughts.Luke had spoken calmly, shown me important information on his notes, and explained his strategies in the same collected tone I remembered from years ago. I had nodded along, scribbling down words in my notebook, but the truth was, for a long moment, my mind had not been on his plans at all. It had been of the questions I had carried in silence for far too long.Eventually, without meaning to, the words had escaped my lips.“Why did you betray me, Luke?”The sound of my own voice had startled m
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