"Serena! Why aren’t you answering your phone?" Aiden’s voice filled the room as he walked into her office, urgency in his tone.
Serena blinked, lifting her head from her desk with a groggy expression as she was startled awake all of a sudden, "Aiden? What’s going on? Why are you here?"
He frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the room and the blanket tossed over the chair. "Wait... Did you sleep here?"
She winced, rolling her stiff neck. "Not exactly by choice," she muttered, rubbing her temples.
Aiden moved behind her without a word, his hands settling on her shoulders to massage away the tension. "You’re going to ruin your health like this. When’s the last ti you went ho?"
Serena sighed, leaning back slightly into his touch. "Uncle Matthew was pestering for the money. I gave it to him early this morning—just to stop the constant calls."
"You already gave it to him?" Aiden’s hands stilled for a mont. "That guy has no sha."
"He was relentless. Apparently, it seems he wants to leave the country as soon as possible. Might even be on the plane already," she muttered, her tone tired.
Shaking his head, Aiden leaned over her chair, his arm brushing hers as he reached for her laptop. "Good for him. Marks an end to at least one person against you. Now you can focus on this. I’ve got sothing interesting to show you."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Aiden smirked but didn’t answer imdiately. As he worked on her laptop, Serena tilted her head and sniffed, catching the faint, clean scent of his cologne. "You sll so divine," she murmured absently.
He chuckled, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "And you’re adorable when you’re half-asleep. But focus, Serena. No distractions."
Her curiosity sharpened as he pointed to the screen. "Look at this—I found your father’s email ID. And I think I have his password too."
Serena’s eyes widened, fully awake now. "How did you even manage that?"
Aiden grinned. "Let’s just say I have my ways. Now, let’s see what he’d wanted to tell you."
"Yeah. But how did you..."
"Well, here’s the thing," Aiden began, his tone steady but laced with intrigue. "Your grandmother never got rid of your father’s things. Instead, she put them in storage. The last ti I went through her records, I noticed so annual paynts, but I didn’t think much of it at the ti. When I couldn’t find any other leads, I finally checked the backdates. Turns out, she rented the storage unit about a month after your father’s death."
Serena sat up straighter, her heart starting to race as she listened.
"Getting the computer from there was easy," Aiden continued, "and once I checked the hard drive, I found so interesting stuff. Most of it was outdated so I couldn’t find much, but it helped with the basic details." He glanced at her aningfully. "I found his personal email accounts—one in your na and another in your brother’s na. Serena and Eric."
Serena froze, her breath hitching. Eric. So that was her brother’s na. The revelation stunned her, but before she could fully process it, Aiden pressed on.
"And here’s the kicker," he added with a faint smirk. "He used the easiest password imaginable—your date of birth. This has to be obvious because at the ti, most people did that.Since I don’t know Eric’s, that’s where you co in. We should check this together."
Serena nodded, her heart beating in anticipation at the thought that her father had created an email id for her. As the email logged in, she felt her throat choke.
Serena’s eyes scanned the screen, her breath catching as a list of subject lines appeared, so filled with warmth, others seemingly mundane. Titles like "Your Tenth Birthday,""Your First dal," and "Sumr Camp". But it was the very top one that made both of them freeze.
The subject line read: "Found Your Brother."
Aiden and Serena exchanged a look with a sense of dread. The date was when her father died. So, what uncle Jam had said was probably true.
Serena felt her heart pound in her chest as Aiden clicked on the email, the screen changing in an instant to show a series of photographs. Serena’s breath hitched as the first image appeared—a teenage boy, staring directly at the cara. He looked so familiar, yet she couldn’t place him. There was sothing about his features, his eyes—he resembled soone, as if she’d seen him sowhere, but couldn’t be sure.
Then Aiden clicked through the email, revealing the words her father had written.
"I found him. After all this ti, I’ve finally discovered where he’s been. I’m so relieved. Despite everything, he’s in a safe place now, and he’s growing up well and safe. Serena, this would have made your mother relieved. I hope she can rest in pace now, knowing that her son is going to return to the family. Soon, you’ll have a big brother again. I’m going to find a way to bring him back, and you won’t be alone anymore."
"I saw him today. For the first ti, in years. Though it was from a distance, it was enough. The boy looked... lonely. I can’t explain it, but he seed out of place in the world he’s living in. I want to believe it’s only my own guilt making think that. I’ve missed so much of my boys’ lives, and it’s hard to co to terms with that. But I’ll fix this. I’ll make it right."
"But there’s sothing I can’t overlook. Your uncle... he’d been lying to . He played all this while, acting the weak older brother perfectly. I can’t believe what he’s done! That he was behing all this. I’ll never forgive him for this. Never. Once I’ve brought Eric ho, I will deal with your uncle. I’ll make him pay for what he’s done. He’ll answer for every lie, for every manipulation. This betrayal... I never expected this from him. But he will pay for it when I rip off his mask of innocence and helplessness.
Aiden and Serena both stilled as they saw this. Big brother who played weak? Uncle Matthew?
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