"...You were serious?" Alia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You thought I was joking?" Aiden retorted. "Newsflash, I’m now desperate and wading up a creek of shit without a paddle. I never thought this place would land in my hands. I still thought I had so ti to get used to it, then I got the news that my mother had already stuck her fingers into this."
"Poor you," Alia said, sounding unsympathetic to his plight. "The woe of inherited wealth and perils of nepotism."
"Ha fucking ha," Aiden grumbled and he sank back into his chair. "Goddamn it, my plan was to throw all my work to Ronan. Why did she fire him?!" He lanted loudly. "Do you think it’s too late to chase him back?"
"She was never going to keep Ronan on. He was too close to Matteo to begin with," Alia said simply.
And their closeness was why Ronan wouldn’t work for anyone else in X’el who wasn’t Matteo, despite his claims of Matteo being an evil boss.
"If you’re planning to throw all your work to , I’ll pen my resignation letter right now, compensation be damned," Alia added threateningly.
Aiden began to whine. "How do you expect to do anything? I only know the bare bones of this ss! Hell, you could put that intern that humiliated Caleb Walton in my position, and you’d probably have better success."
"Don’t underestimate yourself, and I’m not throwing poor Carlo into the fire," Alia scolded. "But if you want a savior, you can start practicing your spiel to beg Ronan to return. I’m sure if you look pathetic enough, he’ll reconsider his resignation," Alia said, pretending to think about it.
"Like hell, he’d probably video it and then everyone will think I’m actually in love with him and begging him to marry instead." Aiden sighed. "Then again, marrying him would be better than marrying Emline. Do you think he can fit into her gown? I’m not picky. He’s rich too, and marrying him would piss off my brother."
"You might not have standards, but Ronan definitely does," Alia said honestly. "And Matteo might just kill you if you try to do anything to Ronan," Alia added thoughtfully.
She frowned the mont she heard Emline’s na, deliberately ignoring the ntal image of Ronan in a wedding dress.
"Surely your family can’t think the engagent is still ongoing," Alia said. Aiden’s wedding was happening a week later, but with Horace Hawthorne in the hospital and Emline pregnant with a child whose father was unknown, suffice to say that circumstances weren’t ideal.
Aiden flung his hands up in the air. "Well, I didn’t receive any news of it being canceled, and frankly I’m half-afraid of what my mom is going to cook up in response. What if she digs out another Emline clone from the basent to beco my wife?"
He shuddered theatrically, before looking at Alia.
"Do you want to take Emline’s place at the altar and marry instead?" Aiden asked, casting hopeful eyes at Alia. "You’re unmarried, I’m unmarried, and our nas match. Hurrah for alliteration. Aiden and Alia."
"Perish the thought," Alia said darkly, flicking his hair. "You’d have better luck begging Ronan to be your stand-in bride."
"Darn." Aiden sulked into his hands. "Never mind then. So what are your plans? Are you going to beco the evil stepmother to Emline’s spawn? Stuff the kid in a cupboard under the stairs? You would be hard-pressed to outdo her villainy."
"You watch too many shows," Alia scolded primly. "And my first course of action is to prove the parentage of the child."
"How will you do that?" Aiden cocked his head and asked. "Is that even possible?"
"I heard from a doctor that it is. There are DNA tests for fetuses with a ninety-nine percent success rate," Alia said, and a strange expression crossed Aiden’s face before it smoothed back into his usual cocky look.
"And if it is indeed Emline and Matteo’s child, will you still stick with Matteo?" Aiden asked, his gaze intent. "Will you force yourself to beco a stepmom to so child while Emline wedges into your marriage using the kid?"
Alia’s mouth ran dry. She had tried very hard not to think about the future. One step at a ti, she told herself, but she couldn’t deny that she was having trouble sleeping with this issue looming over her head. She and Matteo had brainstord on ideas, but short of knocking out Emline to withdraw a sample of her blood, she didn’t know what else she could do.
Aiden sensed her hesitation and pounced.
"Alia, I don’t think that’s the right course of action. It’s not fair for everyone involved. Even if you don’t want to marry , you can pick soone else! You’re now an heiress! There are tons of n who don’t have such baggage. This is a whole ass child we’re talking about here. Unless... you want to..."
Aiden made a slashing motion at his own throat, and Alia smacked his hand, scandalized. "Of course not! I’m not resorting to murder!"
"Pity," Aiden said, with all sincerity. "That would honestly solve a lot of problems. No baby ans no roadblock to your wedding."
"That better not be your modus operandi for dealing with your fellow businessn," Alia said threateningly. "I’m your secretary― I don’t deal with dead bodies!"
"If you change your mind, let know," Aiden said. "Good luck with Emline’s DNA test!" He waved her goodbye and she stared at him, puzzled.
"You’re not putting to work imdiately?"
"Why? I don’t want to work! Go, shoo. I want to drink myself into a stupor today," Aiden replied, waving her to the door.
"It’s Monday morning," Alia said disapprovingly.
"And I’m the new CEO, so I can do what I want," Aiden said shalessly. "And I’m giving you a day off."
"Nonsense," Alia said, rolling her eyes. "I’ll be right outside if you need . If you want to vomit, please swallow it down. The office plant does not deserve to absorb your gastric juices." She whirled around and left, preparing to at least do so work.
"Harsh," Aiden said with a wistful sigh to Alia’s retreating back.
The mont the door closed, he made a call.
***
"Emline has agreed to do the testing," Matteo said, the mont she got ho.
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