As Serena returned to the car, she glanced at Aiden, who was still waiting patiently inside.
"I don’t think he was there," she said with a sigh.
Aiden reached over and gently held her hand, trying to offer so reassurance. But her frown deepened as she continued, her thoughts spilling out in a rush. "What does this ssage even an, Aiden? Did my brother always know about ? Or did he just recently start questioning his past? And these murders... they don’t sit right with . How can I feel reassured about any of this?" Her voice grew more insistent, laced with both confusion and fear.
She paused, shaking her head again as if trying to make sense of everything. "What if he’s so sort of mafia gang mber? Why else would he stay hidden if he already knows I exist? And what’s with the threats? Telling you there will be repercussions if you hurt —does he think that makes him my brother? To , it just makes him a stranger... a potential threat. How am I supposed to trust soone who behaves like this and just let things be?"
Aiden smiled and shrugged," He is not a threat to us yet. And unless he wants to co out and introduce himself, it’s not like we can do anything about it. But... I think you can find a little bit more about him. The emails your father sent? We didn’t read all of them. I think your father had been observing your brother for a while before he could make sure that it was him. And he was quite satisfied with his living conditions, wasn’t he? I doube he would have felt relieved if he was related to any gangs."
"But he was also young when dad passed away. What if he joined so gang when he grew up?"
Aiden shook his head and asked," Are you threatened by him or are you worried about him? Because doesn’t worrying about him make you his sister, like he seems to be worried about you."
Serena glared at him," You are being contrary! I am already confused. Don’t confuse anymore." Aiden grinned and shrugged," Okay okay. Stop being confused. I’ll tell you what, despite his warning, we’ll keep looking for him and when we do find him, you can question him to your heart’s content."
Serena sighed and shot him a look filled with genuine exasperation. "I envy that perpetual calmness you seem to have, Aiden. How do you even manage it?"
Aiden grinned, shaking his head as if the answer were obvious. "Well, considering you’re about to return to my life for good, I’m pretty sure my days of calm are numbered." His voice was light, but the warmth in his gaze gave away more. No matter his words, he seed to be looking forward to her.
Serena couldn’t help but smile at his words, but it was a strained smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She gave him a doubtful stare, one that made his grin fade and his brows furrow in suspicion. "If you’re thinking of jilting now, Serena Dawn," he said, his tone half-serious, "I will kidnap you." It was a threat he’d repeatedly uttered and ant it, even though she seed to not know it.
He expected her to roll her eyes or shake her head dismissively, but instead, Serena gave him a look that made his chest tighten with worry. When she finally spoke, her words hit harder than he’d anticipated. "Do you think we should be together, Aiden?" she asked softly, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "I an, I know the people who killed my family are gone, but there’s still Eric. And then there’s Ava and Sidney. Ava’s convinced I’m responsible for Matthew’s death, even though he was the one who killed everyone. It’s like she’s blinded herself to the truth. And with all this tension, I think... I think maybe we should step back. Give each other so space until everything is sorted out."
Her words hung in the air, heavy and final, like the slam of a door. Aiden stared at her, his expression unreadable as he processed what she’d just said. Then, with a deep sigh, he shook his head, his frustration evident. "This is it," he muttered under his breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I’m done. You really know how to push my buttons, Serena."
Before she could respond, he jamd the car into gear and pressed down on the accelerator, sending the vehicle lurching forward with a sharp jerk. Serena let out a startled gasp as she was thrown back against her seat. Turning to glare at him, her eyes flashed with anger. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice sharp.
Aiden didn’t imdiately answer, his focus fixed on the road ahead. His jaw was clenched, and the usual ’calm’ in his deanor had given way to sothing much stormier. "Driving," he finally said, his tone clipped. "Since we’re talking about taking steps, I figured I’d take us both forward instead. Faster."
"What do you an?" Serena asked as she clutched the door handle.
"It ans, I warned you; honey. If you think of jilting , I will kidnap you. We are going to the civil affairs bureau and getting married right away! I am not giving you a chance to escape ."
"Aiden, don’t be crazy! Stop the car or slow down at the very least!"
"Well, now you cannot envy my calm since I do not have it anymore. The only ti this car is going to stop is at the court for us to get married or Ican slow it down if you accept that you had a montary lapse of judgent and went insane for a mont."
At this point, Serena could only laugh and snort as she raised her hands in surrender," Okay okay! Slow down. If we need to get married today, we have to be in one piece. No point in getting into an accident."
Reviews
All reviews (0)