Arwen squinted her eyes at Aiden, pursing her lips.
"You are not getting it for her?" she echoed, her voice flat. "Although I have co to trust you, husband, know that I am not deaf. I clearly heard you —your conversation over the call, and what you told Emyr."
She leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes further. Then, taking his chin between his fingers, she tugged him forward just as he had done earlier while searching his gaze.
"If it's not for Ms. Martin, don't lie and tell it's for , either."
Aiden smirked —then, without warning, leaned in and pecked her lips swiftly.
His action was so fast that for a mont it took her off guard.
"You —" she blinked, montarily stunned.
"Any jewellery," he said smoothly, cutting her off, "or any gift, becos intimate only when it's chosen with thought —with care. If there is no effort behind it, it's nothing more than a transaction."
Arwen blinked again, her irritation faltering slightly under the weight of his gaze.
"So this—"
"...isn't a gift," he helped her finish, his eyes converting the obvious. "If it had been a gift, I would be choosing it personally, by myself —not by asking Emyr to arrange it."
She couldn't refute or retort because what he said was true.
What makes anything personal is the person itself —his effort and his thought.
Clearing her throat, Arwen let go of his chin and pulled away to straighten her posture. "So … it's not a gift but a transaction."
Aiden nodded. "Not a gift because my gifts are all reserved for my legally wedded wife."
Her breath hitched, and a soft blush crept up her cheek, but she kept her composure. Acting immune to his sweet words, she simply asked, "Then why make such a transaction. Was it important? Needed?"
He paused for a second before nodding. "Yes, it was needed. I owe her."
"You owe her?" she asked, her brows furrowing at his words.
***
anwhile, in New York —
After hanging up the call with Aiden, Selene could no longer contain her rage.
With a furious scream, she hurled her phone across the room, shattering it against the floor. A second later, a delicate porcelain vase followed, crashing into the wall and splintering into a thousand jagged pieces.
Breathing hard, she collapsed onto the edge of her bed, her hands clawing at the sheets, crushing the fabric in her fists. Her teeth ground together as her chest rose and fell with frustration.
The noise brought the housekeeper rushing in.
"Miss!" the older woman cried out, eyes wide in alarm. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
But Selene didn't respond. She stared ahead, her gaze blank yet burning with bitter fury.
"Aiden …" she muttered under her breath, her voice laced with pain and disbelief. "Why? Why have you started acting like this with ?"
Her fingers tightened around the sheets.
"Haven't I always been the one closest to you? The one who stayed? The one who knew you the best?"
Her voice cracked, trembling now as emotion spilled over.
"Then why are you pulling away from ? Why are you getting close to her? Why?"
The aged brows of the housekeeper furrowed. She had been around Selene since she was young and had seen her grow —more like a nanny to her.
She wasn't here when Selene returned to New York. But she didn't take long to arrive to take care of her.
"Miss Selene, please calm down. If not, you will only hurt yourself," she said softly, reaching to caress her.
But before her hand could even touch her, Selene's eyes snapped up at her, red with tears. "Carla, I am already hurting and that too very badly," she reached her wrinkled hand and clenched it tightly in hers.
The old woman almost winced, but her gaze remained fixed on Selene.
"These little shards of glass can't hurt as much as Aiden's distant behaviour is hurting , Carla. He is distancing himself from him," she cried, hugging the old woman by the waist. "What should I do? I simply couldn't bear it. I could bear seeing him getting close to so woman who's not ."
Carla looked troubled. She didn't know how to pacify her. Caressing her hair like she had always done, she slowly said, cautiously, "Miss Selene, perhaps you should lie down. I will bring you sothing warm to drink and —
"No!" Selene snapped, eyes blazing as she pushed the woman a few steps farther from her with force. "I don't want to lie. I don't want anything that's not him. I just want one thing, one person, and that's Aiden. That too before soone snatches him from ."
The old woman shook her head. "No one is snatching him away from you, Miss. No one can take what's ant for you."
"But she is taking him away," Selene said imdiately, her eyes brimming with new tears. "You haven't heard him just now, Carla. He was talking so softly to her. But the mont he took the phone, he turned distant from . She is taking him away from ."
"But Miss, what if you are seeing it wrong?" Carla suggested.
And her words made Selene pause. Gazing up at her, she asked, What do you an?"
Carla offered her a gentle smile and slowly said, "Miss, you are assuming it all while sitting afar. You don't know if it's real or not. And you won't know until you see it yourself." She walked forward to grab a glass of water.
Handing it to Selene, she said, "Don't lose your calm so soon, Miss. You are so pretty, so beautiful, there is no way any man would choose any other woman over you. And haven't you always said Young Master Winslow has always favoured you? He won't change. As long as you will appear, he will return to you."
"He will?" Selene's eyes sparkled through the tears, and her lips tugged up, blossoming into a smile. "Yes, of course, he will. Why won't he? We have known each other since always."
Seeing her back to normal and smiling, Carla's lips also curved up. "Don't worry, Miss Selene, what belongs to you can never be taken away. It will remain yours forever."
Selene smiled, nodding.
Yes, Aiden belonged to her. Only her.
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