Serena finally groaned and shifted away from Aiden, shooting him a blurry look through her lashes. "You really need to stop distracting like this."
"Hey! We’re having an affair right now, so it’s my solemn duty to distract you," Aiden replied, his tone unapologetically playful.
Serena giggled at his absurd declaration, then leaned her head back on his shoulder. "Well, this is certainly one way of keeping life colorful—getting divorced and having an illicit affair with my ex-husband."
Aiden’s arms tightened around her as he pressed a warm kiss to her cheek, not liking the word ’ex’. He liked being her husband. "I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t like being divorced."
Serena tilted her head to look up at him, her brows furrowed before she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Oh, I’m saving that quote for the next ti we fight. You will hear it again, Aiden Hawk."
"Why would we fight? We’re not doing that," Aiden protested, scowling slightly at the certainty in her voice. He had no interest in fighting with her.
"Of course we will," Serena countered easily, as though it were an indisputable fact. "That’s what makes a relationship strong and healthy— fighting.
"We’re not fighting, Serena. Look at us—our relationship is already healthy."
Serena’s grin widened as she rolled her eyes,teasing him, "You do realize we started our relationship by fighting, right? In case you’re forgetting, that’s literally our origin. And the only reason we haven’t argued in the past few months is because we’ve been busy dealing with the sa enemy. Once that’s over, we’ll go back to it. Mark my words.And then, you will wonder again about what my father was thinking when he nad ’Serena’ when I am anything but serene."
Aiden scowled deeper at her unshakable confidence, glaring at her with mock indignation though he did rember thinking those very thoughts when she aggravated him. "We. Will. Not. Fight."
"Oh, yes, we will," she retorted smugly, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. Before he could argue further, she grabbed hold of his tie—which was sohow still draped around his neck—and gave it a firm tug, pulling him closer. "And then we’ll make up."
That shut him up, his expression shifting as his brows lifted in intrigue. "Hmm? Does making up involve a bed?"
Serena shrugged nonchalantly, though her mischievous grin gave her away. "A bed, a wall, or any flat surface, for that matter."
Aiden chuckled, his hands sliding to her waist. "Alright then, I’m convinced. Let’s schedule a fight every month. Seems productive."
Serena burst into laughter, but her amusent quickly morphed into a startled moan as she felt him stir beneath her. She gasped, smacking his shoulder lightly. "You greedy bastard! Think of sheep or sothing and get rid of that."
"Sheep? Please," Aiden scoffed, his grin downright devilish. "I’d much rather think of felines... more specifically pussi—"
"Aiden Hawk, if you finish that word, I swear I’ll kick you," Serena interrupted, her tone half-warning and half-exasperated. "We have a ton of things to do today, rember?"
Before she could make good on her threat, Aiden groaned dramatically and stole a quick kiss, pulling back just as she was about to retaliate. "Fine, fine. I’ll behave. I’ll wait till tonight... even though a certain part of is bound to turn blue in protest."
Serena smirked, her eyes sparkling with amusent as she leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make it worth the wait."
"Fine. But you owe . Just saying." Aiden said as he let go of her so that she could move away from him.
And so, after they had finally split up and straightened themselves, Aiden finally revealed his findings, "I’ve been digging into all of Corrick’s finances—every recurring paynt, transfer, anything that could stand out in the last two and a half decades. So far, there’s nothing concrete that might lead us to your brother. No hidden paynts or strange accounts tied to him that we can trace."
Serena’s face fell slightly, though she quickly masked her disappointnt. "So... no clues at all?"
Aiden shook his head, though his tone softened. "Not from the money trail, no. But we’re not completely stuck. I’ve also been looking into the case itself. He was stolen from the daycare."
"You’ve already started digging into that?"
"Of course, I found the details on the person who was arrested at the ti. They were released due to lack of evidence, but here’s the thing—the woman is currently living in Nova country. My people are tracking her as we speak. It’s possible she might know sothing and might be willing to talk with the right way."
Serena took a deep breath, her gaze lowering to her hands. "So... there’s a chance we might actually find him? That he might be alive?"
"There’s more than a chance, Serena. Corrick, he would not have discarded your brother so easily. He’d have wanted to keep him for future use," Aiden assured her, leaning forward to take one of her hands in his. "It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll figure it out. You’ll have answers, Serena. I promise you that."
She squeezed his hand absently, her lips pressing into a thin line. After a mont of silence, she exhaled deeply and looked back at him. "I don’t know how to feel about this. About him. He’s... he’d be family, wouldn’t he? My brother. But at the sa ti..." She trailed off, struggling to put her feelings into words.
Aiden waited patiently, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a soothing gesture. "But at the sa ti, he wouldn’t feel like family?"
"Exactly," Serena murmured, her voice soft and uncertain. "I’ve lived my entire life without him. I didn’t even know he existed until recently."
"You’re allowed to feel conflicted, Serena. This isn’t exactly sothing you prepare for. But you don’t need to have all the answers right away. Start small. Find him first. Then figure out what kind of relationship you want to have. Anyway, you need to et soone today..."
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