Everything was set for the wedding. Olivia had agreed to accompany them to take care of Aryehn in case they wanted to dance.The ceremony took place in an old church, where Daniel's family were members, and it looked beautiful. Ayden stood by Daniel's side the entire time as his best man. Cathy had chosen one of her friends as her maid of honor, and both Ayden and she had to exit the church together after the religious ceremony.Arya could tell that Cathy's friend felt a bit overwhelmed having such a handsome man by her side. And it's not surprising; Ayden was striking from every angle, although Arya hadn't fallen for him solely because of that. Partly, yes, obviously. It was impossible to ignore his rugged handsomeness.Sebas and Bea had remained by Arya's side throughout. Robin was with Olivia and the young Aryehn, whom he had already adopted as his nephew.John and the bodyguards were in charge of transportation to the Plaza Hotel. The media tried to take pictures at every moment,
The wedding was in full swing when they decided to leave. Aryehn had fallen asleep, and Ayden was feeling tired. Despite the beautiful wedding, he had to stick to his plans for the next day."Robin will go home with Sebas and Bea. They'll drop Olivia off at her place," Arya informs, holding onto her beloved's arm. "We can head back without worries."Both were driven home by John to the Emorys' house. Upon arrival, they laid the little one in his bedroom, and they went to Ayden's."If you don't mind, I'd like to sleep with the child so I don't make you uncomfortable," she says, concerned for Ayden."I've started therapy these days, so if you'd like, we can sleep together... I'll go shirtless," he informs her, expecting that they can be together soon."What an offer! I'll stay then," she responds enthusiastically, making Ayden laugh."Well, that's great. If I'd known, I'd have made you offers all week," he jokes, hugging her. "You look even more beautiful than usual today."Arya smiles
Arya couldn't believe what she was hearing from Ayden's lips. His stepmother had abused him for a long time without his father even realizing what was going on under his nose. She feels helpless for him. It hurts her that a child had to go through that.However, questions cross her mind... How did she manage to subdue him as a teenager, would her stepmother have done the same to Mark?Her heart goes out to both of them.Ayden tells him how things started. Mental note, she now feels wary of leaving her son with anyone."Did you try telling your father?" she asks as she takes him by the hands.They both lie sitting on the bed. Libido has gone out the window and now only confessions remain."Yes, when it first started... I wanted to tell him that she touched me and I didn't like it" he makes a disgusted face and Arya realizes how hard it is for him to relate that. "She used to bathe us together, me and Mark, or so it was in the beginning. Then, as we grew apart. I didn't want her to show
Ayden had decided to completely ignore his brother. He didn't want to waste his energy begging him to join his crusade to keep everyone safe. Mark had always been a damn nuisance to him.He hadn't wanted to tell Arya about what happened between them when they were children. She had enough trauma from what happened with her stepmother, and he didn't want Arya to form a negative opinion of Mark because of it.Many times, he had asked her to stay away from Mark, but it was nearly impossible. She had developed a sort of fondness for him that he couldn't fully understand. He respected that to a certain extent because he knew his half-brother had been a bad influence due to his late mother. He felt at peace as long as they didn't get too close, or rather, closer than normal.Arya and Robin had started their first day at the hospital. Both of them were excited and happy to begin this new phase."Welcome," says Dr. Swan, the hospital's chief."Thank you very much. We appreciate being able to
Arya finished her shift with Robin, and they were both immediately taken to Ayden's house. Arya wanted to get to her little one; she missed him. Her bodyguard, Harry Staton, was leading the way in the SUV, with another bodyguard behind the wheel."Harry, let's stop at the bakery near Ayden's house," Arya requests."Ma'am, Mr. Emory has explicitly asked that we take you straight to the company," Harry announces."What? He didn't tell me anything," she says, annoyed because he didn't tell her directly. She checks her phone to make sure he didn't call or leave a message.Harry doesn't say anything; he doesn't want to get in trouble, and she realizes that indeed, Ayden didn't inform her."I'll have to call Olivia."Arya takes out her phone and calls Olivia."Hello, good afternoon," she greets her son's private teacher."Hello, Miss Harley," she replies."I'm calling to let you know I'll be a little late. If you like, you can go home, and Sebas can stay with the child, please," Arya reques
As Arya climbed into the SUV, Robin immediately started questioning her."Will you tell me what happened now, or will you keep me in suspense?" he asked anxiously."I'll tell you at the house," Arya warned, nodding toward the bodyguards. She wasn't sure how much they knew or didn't know.The idea that someone was following her was chilling. Although Ayden said Jeff wasn't the culprit, she couldn't think of anyone else but him. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but at the same time, she didn't want to live in constant worry, wondering if it was her brother or not."Harry, take us to Rikers," Arya instructed her bodyguard."To Rikers?" Robin asked, alarmed. "I have to inform Mr. Emory first," Harry said."You won't. From now on, I'll be paying your salary, and you'll be protecting me," the doctor said authoritatively. "I'm in danger, and I want to be able to trust those around me. If you're going to report everything to them, then get out of the car, and we'll go alone."Harry gla
"Alright, I'll let you know everything I find out," Jeff said earnestly."Thanks, we need to go," Arya said as she stood up, and Robin followed suit."Who are you?" Jeff asked curiously, looking at his sister's friend. He could sense the fear in his gaze and expression."He's my friend, like another brother to me, Jeff," Arya revealed, and although Robin felt proud hearing those words, Jeff understood that he hadn't been a better brother to her. "He's my colleague, Robin Evans.""Pleasure to meet you, Jeff," Robin greeted, not forgetting courtesy."The pleasure is mine; I'm glad my little sister has someone looking out for her on the outside. She used to be very naive, but from what I've seen, that's a thing of the past," Jeff explained, recognizing the courage his sister had shown lately. She was not the same person he had known and intimidated for years, the one he had emotionally and financially abused. Now, he sought refuge in faith, but he knew that nothing he did or how many tim
Ayden knew Arya was right about seeking help from her brother. What he didn't like was how she exposed herself in a way that put her in danger. That was something she didn't measure, and he didn't understand why."I understand that you've taken care of yourself for most of your life. But you're not alone anymore, Arya. I'm here for you, and even if I have to deploy a whole army to protect you, I will," Ayden declared without worrying about her contradicting him. "You're important to me, and if you want to get angry, go ahead. I won't feel bad about taking care of you."In that moment, Arya felt guilty. It was true that she had only tried to help, but she hadn't assessed the risk properly. Slowly, she reached out and took Ayden's hand, surprising him."I'm sorry, I promise to call you next time I come," she explained, and even so, Ayden furrowed his brow upon hearing her."Because you caring about me and putting an army at my disposal won't stop me from doing what I want to do.""This
"Mom, I'm ready!" Aryehn shouts from somewhere in the house."Get in the car, Henry is already waiting for us," Arya replies.Aryehn grabs his phone and heads out of the mansion to the front entrance. Before leaving, he checks his notifications and reads a message from his father saying that he's already waiting for them at the main venue."Mom, Dad is already waiting for us!" Aryehn exclaims, making sure his suit is properly adjusted.Arya comes down in her burgundy dress, fitted at the bust and loose at the waist down to the knees."Mom, you look gorgeous!" Aryehn says, approaching her to kiss her on the cheek. "Are we ready to go?""Yes, everyone is waiting for us there," she affirms, taking the arm her son offers.Aryehn has grown into a handsome seventeen-year-old, chivalrous and formal, just like his father. Arya watches him with pride, happy to see him so content.Henry opens the limousine's door, and they get in. The escorts follow them in another car behind, but they ignore t
"He escaped last night, but we didn't realize it until this morning," the detective says. "We were following him, and he left clues, as if he knew this was going to happen."Arya remembers her brother telling her that he would take care of it, and seeing him lifeless is something she never wanted to happen."Jeff, no!" Arya screams, throwing herself onto his lifeless body. The officers try to pull her away, but it's impossible; she holds onto her brother tightly.Jeff groans, and she hears him clearly."He's alive!" she shouts to no one in particular. Paramedics arrive and approach him to provide assistance.Mark takes advantage of the distraction and elbows the police officer who is about to handcuff him. He grabs the gun lying at his feet and aims it at Arya. Ayden watches in a blur as Mark raises the gun.The police officer, wiping his nose, Mark with the gun aimed at Arya, and Ayden firing at him in the chest, right in the heart, his half-brother.Mark falls to the ground like a d
Five days earlier"What's on your mind?" Daniel asks when he sees his friend lost in thought."Mark's mother had a necklace with a ruby. I have no idea what happened to it," Ayden says, frowning, and as soon as the words leave the millionaire's mouth, Daniel feels a chill run down his spine. "Now, more than ever, I suppose Mark has something to do with this.""You're giving him too much credit; he's an idiot," the lawyer says disdainfully, not trying to imagine what he thinks he's imagining. "You know, he can hardly run that hospital. If it weren't for his assistant, it would collapse."Daniel can't pay attention to what's happening; he urgently needs to leave and check if the necklace his wife has is the same one his friend is talking about."Gabriel, it's Daniel, something urgent has come up, can you go for Arya and let her know what's going on? Ayden doesn't want her to find out through the media or let their son know what's happening," he informs while using the hands”free functio
Ayden and John take refuge in George's apartment, unable to maintain communication with the outside world."Sir, it's on all the news channels," John comments while continuously flipping through channels."I know, now it will be almost impossible for me to go out. No one can see us," Ayden affirms with an idea forming in his mind. "Besides, the fact that Daniel is missing. We should go look for him.""Not right now, sir, we need to hide," John explains, standing up. "It's best if we don't go back to your house, at least not until it gets dark.""You can stay here as long as you like," George says, taking out a couple of waters and snacks from the fridge. "I live alone, so no one will know you're here."Both John and Ayden exchange glances and accept. After all, they need some rest before venturing out again."Alright, after all, we've hardly slept. A little sleep will do us good," Ayden says, sinking into the sofa."At the end of the hallway, the door on the right is the guest bedroom
Mark's voice echoed loudly in Arya's ear, and she felt disgusted just hearing it."Is something wrong? You don't seem to want to answer," he inquired, feigning concern."Hello, Mark, it's not that. You caught me at a busy time," she lied, hoping he would hang up."I'm sorry; I just wanted to talk and see how you're doing. I heard about the attack and the blame on Ayden; it's all over the news now," he explained in a tone that almost convinced her. "Turn on the TV; it's on every news channel."Arya felt her heart start pounding in her chest. She felt anxious for Ayden, rushed to the living room, and turned on the television, desperately searching for a news channel. The anchor had a photo of her husband on the screen."I told you; it's all over the news," Mark repeated. "Please, tell my brother to be careful. I'll try to keep track of you, but you know I'm short-staffed and can't be in two places at once. Nevertheless... we have a pending conversation, remember?"Arya was taken by surp
Arya woke up with her son on her mind, an unhealthy concern gripping her as she rushed to Aryehn's room to check on her little one. She opened the door to find him curled up in the middle of his bed. Cautiously, she approached and settled beside him to give him a hug.Aryehn, sensing her presence, turned and nestled against her side."Mommy, I love you," the half-asleep boy murmured, hugging his mother."I love you too, my beautiful boy," Arya replied, holding him close. Over the years, the fear of not seeing him again had been overwhelming. But now that they were together, the fear of losing him paled in comparison to what she had felt before.While Arya contemplated what her husband might be doing at that moment, she allowed herself to enjoy this precious moment with her son. It wasn't until an hour later that Aryehn woke up fully, and they headed downstairs for breakfast."Good morning, Miss Harley," Tim greeted, emerging from his hiding spot and catching Arya off guard."You start
After such a shocking confession, Arya, with her heart equally heavy for her husband, hugged and comforted him until he fell asleep in her arms. Feeling him so vulnerable only fueled her irritation towards Mark.She thought about all the times she had been alone with Mark and regretted every moment of it. Deep within her soul, she lamented her stubbornness. Lost in thought, she fell into a deep sleep, unaware when Ayden woke up in the early morning to leave.He watched her in amazement, observing how she clung to the pillow, burying her nose to catch his scent on the fabric. Ayden couldn't quantify the love he felt for her, but he knew he would do anything for their son and Arya.Silently, he left the room, making his way downstairs to his office before exiting through the secret door into the hallway that led to the bunker."Hello, John," he greeted his bodyguard when he saw him leaning against the wall, finishing a cigarette. "Do you know anything about our escape?"John took out on
Ayden Emory was concerned about Arya's safety. He had provided a lot of security for her, yet the feeling of unease wouldn't leave his body. He feared for her and their son."Sir, everything is ready for us to leave whenever you order," John reported over the phone."We'll leave before four in the morning; we need to be in her building before she wakes up and have everything set up," Ayden declared, following the plan."Understood. I'll make some final arrangements for our fake flight tonight," John said before saying goodbye and hanging up.Ayden Emory was worried about the safety of his now wife and son. He knew Arya didn't adhere to the recommended security measures because she didn't care much about her own safety."Sir, everything is ready for tonight," John informed over the phone. "The van is loaded with everything we need to install the cameras in Mark's building.""Great, we'll leave in the early morning. We need to enter the building before my brother leaves so we can verify
The morning was very cold. Aryehn was still asleep, so they brought the baby monitor to the living room to hear in case he woke up.Gabriel was at the front door early in the morning, waiting for someone to open it. Henry, in charge of house security, now had to report the arrival of visitors to Arya first, to see if she authorized them or not."Miss Arya, Mr. Specter is already at the entrance. Should I let him in?" he asked with great formality as she descended the stairs."Yes, please, have him come to the kitchen, Henry," she replied, walking directly to the coffee maker to prepare coffee. Ayden joined her a few minutes later, just as Gabriel arrived."Good morning, sir, Mrs. Emory," the lawyer greeted with formality, shaking hands with the millionaire."Good morning, Gabriel, come in," Ayden indicated the chair in front of him in the dining room."Would you like coffee?" Arya asked, pouring a cup for herself and another for Ayden."Yes, please," he said, taking a few folders from