A sharp slap echoed through the room, followed by a gasp of horror.
"Charles! Please!"
Aiden Montgory stood still, his back straight and his posture tall, unwilling to bend down despite the searing pain of his cheek. Only his head was slightly veered to one side due to the force of the slap, but otherwise, he refused to move even an inch.
His mother had imdiately wrapped her arms around him, trying to see his cheek. Aiden allowed her to just move him around to get a better glance, his own gaze cold and emotionless.
"Look at what you have done!" Charles Montgory scread, his entire body quaking with anger. "Do you even realize the gravity of the situation? Just because X’el is currently under Matteo’s control doesn’t an that if it falls, we will not be hard by the rubble!"
The slap had been so hard that he could taste a little bit of blood in his mouth. Perhaps it was from a split lip, perhaps sothing tore inside, he wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the first ti he felt this sort of buzzing pain, and he had long grown used to this.
"Charles," Catherine said, her voice soft. She was scared of this husband of hers. Maybe during her youth she had plenty of control over this man, but she could feel this control slipping from her grasp as the years went by. She had to play this carefully. "Aiden is still young―"
"Still young?" Charles echoed, his face reddening even further. "Do you even hear yourself, Catherine?" He gestured to Aiden up and down, his veins popping against the skin of his neck. "He is only five years younger than Matteo, and the latter brought X’el’s stocks up while your good son is trying to bring it down!"
He turned around sharply, swiping the vase on the side table off. The antique crashed against the floor, instantly shattering into a hundred pieces.
"Aiden isn’t trained in business managent like Matteo is," Catherine tried to argue. "How about we―"
"Mom," Aiden said, cutting Catherine off. "It’s fine. You know my stance on managing X’el."
"Nonsense," Catherine imdiately said. "X’el is ant to be yours one day. Matteo is just managing it in your place for now. When you’re older and experienced enough, you will be able to―"
"I am not interested," Aiden argued back. He hissed lowly, "Taking over X’el has always been your dream. Not mine."
"Aiden!"
"You are a fool if you think that this is just about the company!" Charles roared. "Do you think this is as simple as sending a couple of hillbillies into the hospital for a heart attack?"
He then gestured to the smart TV placed in their living room, where it clearly displayed the rumored affair between Aiden and Alia. Even Catherine sucked in a cold gasp of air.
"Alia Kentwood? Seriously?" Charles questioned. "She is Matteo’s fiancée right now. That is sothing Horace Hawthorne is insistent on arranging, not to ntion your current engagent with his precious Hawthorne princess."
Aiden’s jaw clicked. His eyes lingered on the photo captured of him and Alia, standing side by side. He had his arm around her shoulder, and even in blurry photos, she was a vision to behold. His arms could still feel the lingering warmth left by Alia’s body pressed against his. Just the mory of it had Aiden flexing and unflexing his hands.
"Charles, the plan was always to have Emline Hawthorne marry Matteo," Catherine said pleadingly. "We can’t tie her down to Aiden! Our son deserves soone better than her. If this rumor can break off their engagent―"
"Even if Aiden and Emline’s marriage is broken, Matteo will not marry Emline," Charles shot back. "Not while Alia Kentwood is alive! Horace Hawthorne now heavily favors his newfound granddaughter― their relationship isn’t as easy to ruin as you think it is. We cannot afford to offend him now that X’el is no longer entirely in our control."
"I know, I know," Catherine imdiately cajoled. "But Matteo will not do anything against us, not when we have that on our hands."
"That leash isn’t going to last forever," Charles said through gritted teeth. "If he figures out we don’t have it at all, you can kiss this all goodbye."
With that warning lingering, Charles left the living room. There was a loud slam of the door that followed shortly after, signaling that he had returned to his ho office. Only then did Catherine let out the breath she held.
"Son―"
"I am heading out," Aiden curtly said before grabbing the leather jacket that was thrown over the back of the couch.
"Where are you going?" Catherine said imdiately, following him. "Aiden―"
Aiden ignored every word spoken by his mother. All his life, he had treated his mother’s warnings as though they were the words of God.
Never befriend Matteo. Never treat him as an ally or a family mber. Work hard and take over the company business. Stay away from Emline Hawthorne.
For the most part, Aiden was able to follow his mother’s wishes. But when did his rebellion start? When did he realize perhaps what Catherine Laine had in mind wasn’t the best route to take?
In the end, Catherine wasn’t able to stop Aiden from leaving. She watched as Aiden left the Montgory house in a flurry, leaving her alone in the driveway as he sped off on his motorcycle.
Catherine bit her lip. This wouldn’t do.
Ever since Alia Kentwood appeared, all their plans had been going haywire. First it was Matteo and Emline’s engagent, then now it seed like even Aiden had lost his mind because of that vixen.
Catherine’s hands shook as she turned back into the house and grabbed her phone from the side table. The servants had already cleaned up the broken vase, leaving no trace of what happened here prior.
Tapping on the screen a few tis, Catherine then brought the phone to her ear.
"Johanna?" Catherine said once the call went through. "Yes, thank you for that favor. I wouldn’t know how to speak to Samuel about that request if it hadn’t been for you."
She leaned against the back of the couch.
"Oh? They have?" Catherine said, checking her manicure. "What a sha. But I suppose it was inevitable. That stepson of mine has always been very efficient."
There were so mutterings from the other side.
"Yes, I’ve heard. Caleb is heartbroken, isn’t he?" Catherine said. "It’s a sha. She is a fine young woman. If they stayed married, it would’ve been a great connection with the Hawthornes."
Catherine’s lips slowly tilted into a smile.
"Listen, Johanna, wouldn’t you like Alia Kentwood to be your daughter-in-law again? I think I might be able to help set the stage. But of course, it will still depend on Caleb whether or not he can charm his way back to her. If words don’t work, then, well," Catherine’s eyes glimred, "I might know just a thing or two about worming under soone else’s sheets."
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