Aaron entered the drawing room of the Hartz mansion, where the Hartz couple was present to welco him.
"Welco to the Hartz residence, Aiden," Grace’s mother said, smiling at him pleasantly.
Aaron simply humd in response, and then Colin Hartz stepped forward to shake hands with him. The two n greeted each other, Aaron’s deanor remaining cold and composed.
"Have a seat, Aiden," Colin said, as the two n settled on the sofa.
As her parents sat next to each other, Grace quickly sat beside Aaron, seizing the chance to finally be close to him. She couldn’t even rember being this near to him before—not enough to know what kind of perfu he used.
But then, she heard him.
"Would you shift a little away?"
Huh? Grace looked at him in confusion, only to hear him again.
"I like to have space around to be comfortable. Otherwise, I feel suffocated."
Grace gritted her teeth but kept her calm at her mother’s signal and moved a little away from him.
"More," Aaron said.
"I’m your wife, in case you’re forgetting," she finally snapped. "We got married just yesterday."
"Not even twenty-four hours yet. So, we’re strangers," he said resolutely. "I take ti to get comfortable with strangers."
Grace frowned and moved to the far corner of the sofa, glaring at him.
Colin Hartz was not pleased to see this, but his wife gestured for him to stay quiet.
"Aiden, we’ve prepared a nice dinner for you," Grace’s mother said. "I hope you like it. It’s your first ti here, but treat it as your own ho."
Aaron simply humd in response.
"I’ll go check on the arrangents. In the anti, you can talk with Colin," she added, then turned to Grace. "You can co with as well."
Grace went with her mother, leaving the two n alone to talk about business.
As they walked away, Grace said angrily, "Mom, did you see how he treats ? This is our ho—can you imagine how he treats in his ho, in front of his family?"
"I saw," her mother said. "But don’t worry. I have a solution. Starting tomorrow morning, he won’t be the sa."
"What do you an, Mom?"
The corners of her lips curved as she told her daughter, "It’s ti you consummate your marriage with him."
Grace understood, and a light blush covered her face as she asked, "But how? He won’t agree. Yesterday, on our wedding night, he spent ti with that bitch."
"That bitch isn’t here to distract him."
"Here? Will he even agree to stay here?" Grace asked.
"He will," her mother replied. "Just trust your mother and prepare yourself well for tonight. I’ve placed a nice dress in your room. You can use it."
Grace hugged her mother. "Thank you, Mom. Tomorrow, I’ll make that bitch cry the sa way she made cry this morning."
Her mother patted her back. "Now go and call them for dinner."
They all had dinner together. Grace finally got to sit next to her husband. At the Riverdales’, she never had the chance to sit beside him during als.
Not having that bitch Natalie around feels really good. I can have him all to myself, Grace thought.
She picked up so at and started to place it on his plate, but Aaron stopped her.
"I can take what I want. I don’t like my food served this way."
Grace silently withdrew her hand. Her mother signaled her once again to stay calm.
After the quiet dinner—where Aaron didn’t eat much—he and Colin went to the study. There, the two n discussed the future project both sides were going to collaborate on.
A servant brought wine for them, placing one glass in front of Aaron and another in front of Colin.
"It’s one of the oldest wines from my precious collection," Colin said. "I hope you enjoy it."
Aaron looked at the glass placed before him, then at Colin, who picked up his own glass and looked at Aaron. Aaron picked up his glass and stirred it slowly as both n began to drink.
"Aiden, let’s talk about sothing other than just business," Colin said.
"Go ahead," Aaron replied, waiting for him to speak.
"I know you have a wife, but you do realize she’s not your legal wife here," Colin began—only to see Aaron’s gaze turn more serious than it already was.
"Don’t take the wrong way," Colin added in a lighter tone. "I don’t have anything against Ms. Natalie, and it’s absolutely fine to have more than one wife. What I’m trying to say is—Grace is my only child, and everything I have will belong to her. Especially her children. If you have kids with her soon, you’ll eventually have everything that belongs to the Hartz family."
Aaron calmly took a sip and said, "I see."
Colin couldn’t decipher what exactly Aaron ant by that—or what was in his mind.
"Tonight, you can stay here at Hartz. We’ve made good arrangents for your stay," Colin said. "I also hope you spend so ti with Grace and give a new direction to your relationship—as husband and wife."
Aaron once more slowly sipped his wine and humd, his response once again offering no clear ssage.
Colin looked at Aaron for a while longer, as if waiting for sothing, and said, "If you liked the wine, let pour you another glass."
It was his way of making Aaron finish the wine already in his glass. Aaron finished it all in one gulp and said, "Thank you, but no more. I’m not a fan of wine."
Colin didn’t mind—he was simply glad Aaron had finished it. He then watched as Aaron loosened the collar of his shirt, as though he felt uncomfortable.
"You seem tired, and it’s already late," Colin said. "As I ntioned, you can rest here tonight and enjoy our hospitality."
Looking a little restless, Aaron loosened another button of his shirt and stood up. "I need to use the washroom."
"Of course," Colin replied, standing as well. "I’ll lead you to our guest house. You can freshen up and rest there."
Aaron followed him quietly. They were led outside the mansion to a small electric utility vehicle used to move around the vast estate. Colin personally escorted him to the lavish guest house.
At the entrance, Colin said, "The servant will lead you to your room," and left.
"Master, this way please," the servant said, ready to guide Aaron inside the beautifully lit guest house.
Upon entering, Aaron noticed the entire drawing room was lit with dim lights and multiple candles, arranged to create a romantic atmosphere. It seed no one else was there but him. Ignoring it, he went straight to the room. A servant opened the door for him.
Aaron looked at the servant. "You can leave."
The servant bowed and left, while Aaron stepped into the room.
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