2026-03-17 03:56:32
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Arya's expression grew serious as he heard the question. He crouched down to her level and began explaining carefully. "Let me tell you properly. Aruna is not the mother who gave birth to Ara — she is Daddy's younger sister. But because Aruna has taken care of Ara since you were very small and has always loved you, it's perfectly fine to call her mama, as a mother who raised you in place of your birth mother." "But Auntie Eve is different. She has no connection to Ara, so she cannot be called mama. As for Ara's birth mother, the one who actually gave birth to you — her name is Lana Wijaya." "Lana Wijaya?" Kiara's eyes went wide with sudden recognition. "Isn't that the person Daddy mentioned when we first met?" "That's right." Arya smiled and nodded, genuinely glad she remembered. "Lana Wijaya. That is Ara's birth mother." "So Ara has a mother?" "Of course Ara has a mother!" Aruna chimed in. "If you didn't have a mother, how would you have been born?" Kiara smiled at that, and n
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"What are you looking at?" Evelyn could guess what Arya was thinking, but she had no intention of explaining herself. She crossed her arms with obvious irritation. "Are you going to refuse this too? Do you think I'm plotting something? If that's what you think, you're giving yourself far too much credit. I'm helping you as a business partner. Is there something wrong with that?" Arya considered it for a moment, then shook his head and let the thought go. He turned to Aruna. "Accept what she's offering." "But, brother" "It's fine. This woman is a little annoying, but she isn't a bad person. You can trust her." "Did you just call me annoying?" Evelyn turned on him immediately, her expression making very clear what she thought of that description. She didn't wait for a response. She reached into one of the bags she had set aside earlier and held it out to Aruna. "Don't listen to your brother. He says whatever comes to mind. My name is Evelyn Vale, but you can call me Sister Eve.
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"Pfft..." Aruna and Karina both turned away at the same moment, shoulders shaking, each making a valiant and unsuccessful attempt to disguise their laughter as a cough. But Kiara wasn't finished. She spotted Karina and added, without hesitation, "You too! The quiet skinny auntie!" "Hahaha!" The delivery crew outside broke first, and from there the laughter spread freely across the courtyard, warm and uncontained, the awkwardness of a moment ago dissolving entirely into something cheerful. Kiara had a particular gift for that. Even Arya couldn't hold back a wide smile, looking down at the small person in his arms. But the most surprising response came from Evelyn. She didn't get angry. Where the first meeting had produced an eruption, this time she smiled, genuinely and warmly, her eyes crinkling at the corners, completely unbothered by what she had just been called. She clapped her hands lightly and looked at Kiara with the focused warmth of someone who had decided to win this
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They stepped out of the restaurant after a lunch that had gone nothing like anyone had planned, and Elena pulled her daughter aside before they reached the car, keeping her voice low but urgent. Her eyes drifted briefly toward Arya, who was standing a short distance away, and then came back to Evelyn. "Eve, I won't be looking for anyone else. I'm satisfied with your choice. But when are the two of you getting married? You know I've been waiting a long time for a grandchild." "Married?" Evelyn stared at her mother, then stole a quick, bewildered glance at Arya. "I" "Why are you hesitating?" Elena pressed, reading the look on her daughter's face. "He's your choice, isn't he? You're clearly happy with him. Don't tell me you have no plans to marry, because then I would not approve. Isn't Arya exactly the right person for you?" "Never mind work and all the rest of it. Look at his connection to Mayor Thomas alone. A man like that
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Elena went silent. She stared at Arya with an expression that had emptied itself of everything it had been holding a moment before. His words were still moving through her, and as they did, she began to look back at the years behind her with different eyes. She looked across the table at Evelyn, who sat there quietly, visibly hurting in a way she rarely allowed herself to show, and Elena realized with a slow, uncomfortable clarity that she couldn't remember the last time she had asked her daughter how she was doing. Not about work, not about marriage prospects, not about grandchildren. Just how she was. Evelyn had built her business. Had become someone formidable. Had taken care of everything after her father died, including her mother, without complaint. And what had Elena done in return? Asked when she was getting married. Asked when there would be grandchildren. Decided what she needed and presented it as love. She had never once stopped to ask whether Evelyn was happy. "How
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"I don't approve," Elena said immediately, turning to Evelyn. "I have thought carefully about what is best for you. I have selected only the finest candidates. And I do not approve of this man." "Why not, Mother?" Evelyn asked, glancing toward Adrian. "Do you think Arya isn't good enough for me?" "Isn't it obvious?" Adrian answered before Elena could, looking at Arya with undisguised contempt. "The question isn't whether he's good enough for you. The question is whether he's even worthy of knowing you. Just look at him." He let his gaze move over Arya slowly, making no effort to be discreet about it. "An ordinary t-shirt. Jeans. No accessories, nothing distinguishing him in any way. A man who probably couldn't afford a single dish in this restaurant — can someone like that really be your boyfriend? On a monthly income of a few million at best, does he even qualify as a man?" "Do you think I care about any of that?" Evelyn said flatly. "With everything I have, do you honestly thi
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