"Good heavens... what are we going to do?" Robin inquired, deeply concerned. "This is serious, Arya, very serious. They're watching your son.""I know, I know. Don't pressure me," Arya said with mounting panic.She finished opening the box and found several more photos of all of them, even Ayden entering his company and Arya walking down the street.With the photo in hand, she went in search of her phone. She had to inform Ayden about what had just happened. She dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail."Darn it, his phone is off," she informed her friend. "No, come on, I have to make sure they're okay.""What if we call the police?" Robin suggested.Arya considered it for a moment but knew the police considered Ayden a suspect."Let's go. Call a taxi," she said, trying to reach Ayden, but he kept sending her to voicemail. "We need to take the box with us. Put on gloves and place it in a bag. I'll go change."She wanted to call the house, but she didn't have the number for
Arya lay sleeping, resting, while Ayden was working on a new contract for more bodyguards. It was ten o'clock, and she hadn't awakened yet, even when her boyfriend, now her ex-fiancé, tried to convince her brother to come home."It's not a game, Mark. Someone killed our father, and now we're all threatened," Ayden reminded him with sorrow. "Please, just let my security team protect you.""For what? To ease your conscience?" Mark asked angrily. "This is your fault. That crazy woman you got involved with and her father, they must have done it. She probably couldn't stand that you didn't choose her, so she killed Gerard in revenge. I'm not going along with this and playing happy families just because you feel guilty," he said, raising his voice. "Oh, and do me a damn favor. Don't bother me again."Mark hung up, feeling victorious, knowing his brother was suffering because he couldn't control everything as he was used to."Damn you, Mark!" Ayden shouted, extremely angry.Arya woke up at t
The place was packed with Arya and Ayden's friends. It was the last gathering before the weddings.On January tenth, the highly anticipated wedding of the famous lawyer, Daniel Cheng, to his fiancée Cathy Nichols, would take place. It was a well-known event because he was the son of one of the best lawyers in the Big Apple, and his fame preceded him. Daniel didn't want to live in the shadow of his father. Thanks to the help of his friend, who gifted him a property in New York, he could establish his own law firm.Initially, his father disagreed, but everyone knew that it was his brother, Jimmy Cheng, who would inherit the legacy their father had built for them. For Daniel Cheng, that was fine. He wanted to create something on his own, away from the influence of his father and brother. Moreover, there was an unspoken but widely-held family belief: how could he marry a "nobody"?He had been educated in the best schools, tutored by the best teachers his parents could afford, and she... s
Days had passed, and Diego and Cathy's wedding was approaching. There had been no sightings of drones hovering around, and Arya was desperate to return to work."Tomorrow, we have to report to the hospital," Arya told Ayden. "Robin and I want to go to the apartment to get our things if you don't mind.""Sure, we'll accompany you," Ayden announced, rising from the couch. "Aryehn, let's go with Mom!" he called to their son, who was playing with some Legos."To the park?" the boy asked, excited.That's when Arya realized they hadn't left the property in days."Would you like to go?" Arya asked."Yes, yes, yes!" the boy replied, jumping with excitement.Ayden glanced disapprovingly at his girlfriend because she had set a trap for him."Just for a while," he warned, and they prepared the boy, bundling him up warmly.They took the elevator down, and Robin was waiting for them in the lobby."Are we all going?" he asked."Yes, and then we'll spend some time at Central Park," Arya explained, h
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