로그인Chapter 104Aria Blake ~•~ My gaze darted between my wristwatch and the entrance of the restaurant continuously. Harper was meant to meet me at the restaurant. I wasn’t interested at first because everyone advised me against giving her a second chance. But Julian practically begged me to just listen to what she had to say. He even offered to cover the expenses at the restaurant. Everything seemed fishy, but I just decided to hear her out. But I’d been at the restaurant for over ten minutes and she still hadn’t shown up. My patience was wearing thin, and I was on the verge of getting up to leave. But I chose to wait for a few more minutes. If she didn’t show up, I would finally go back home. Just as I looked up again, I saw Harper walking into the restaurant. A relieved sigh escaped my lips. “I’m sorry, Aria… there was traffic on the way,” Harper apologized. “I’m really sorry for keeping you waiting.” I was upset, but I brushed off her concerns with a dismissive wave. “It’s o
Chapter 103Julian Cross ~•~ “Aria told me about what you did,” I said as I stepped into Harper’s living room. “I have no idea what your motive is, but I promise you that I’ll deal with you if you try anything funny.” Harper immediately stood up from her couch. “Aiden, please go upstairs and change from your school clothes,” she instructed him quietly. Then she turned to look at me. “What are you talking about?” “Why are you trying to rekindle your bond? We both know that you don’t like Aria anymore,” I answered, my voice sharp. “I don’t understand why you showed up at her house unannounced.” Harper replied with a small chuckle. “So she reported it to you or what?” she demanded with a hint of confusion in her voice. “She didn’t report to me. She just asked me for my thoughts.”Harper scoffed. “Okay, but I don’t see any point in you threatening me. And it’s none of your business.” “Everything you do is my business, Harper,” I countered. “And Aria is also my business. You’ve hurt
Chapter 102Aria Blake ~•~ Harper left because I told her that I needed time to process everything. But in reality, I just needed to ask for other people’s opinions. Since I didn’t have anything to do, I went over to my mom’s house. Claire would still be around for a few days before leaving for work. When she saw me, she was surprised. “You didn’t say you were coming,” she muttered. “How did the kids do on their first day of school?” I sank onto the couch and smiled. “I was worried at first because they were gloomy throughout the ride, but when they saw the teacher, they started smiling.”Claire leaned forward. “Why?” I shrugged. “I don’t really know. But I think it’s because she was polite, so they felt safe.” “I’m glad they’re happy and safe,” Claire said with a relieved breath. “So what are you doing here?” I tilted my head. “Can’t I come to my mom’s house whenever I want?” I asked defensively. Claire dragged a hand down her face. “You can, but I just can’t help but wonde
Chapter 101Aria Blake ~•~ Julian dropped me back at the house. When I went into my bedroom and changed into something more comfortable, I reached for my phone and dialed Samuel’s number. He answered immediately. “I’ve been trying to reach you, Aria. And I know you’ve been ignoring me on purpose,” he complained. “What were you doing?” I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Samuel, please…” “Do you know if it was an emergency?” “You would have sent a text if it were an emergency,” I replied softly. “So why were you calling?” He let out a deep exhale. “So you saw the calls and ignored me?” The disappointment in his voice was palpable. “I didn’t ignore you. I was busy with something,” I answered. “Busy with what?” “It was their first day of school, so I was occupied.” “Isla and Owen?” I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes.” “Wow,” Samuel muttered. “And you didn’t tell me about it. You didn’t even call me so I could talk to them.” I closed my eyes briefly. There was not
Chapter 100Aria Blake ~•~ It was Isla and Owen’s first day in their new school. I wasn’t sure how I felt. I was excited that they were finally starting school, but I was worried because they didn’t look too thrilled about it. We were in the living room, waiting for Julian to arrive. He said he wanted all of us to go together. He had missed out on so many parts of their lives and wanted to make new memories with them. I didn’t argue with him. “Can you guys smile or something?” I asked the kids who were still wearing gloomy faces. “Today is going to be great and exciting. You’ll meet new people.” They didn’t respond. I let out a deep sigh. “Even if you don’t make any friends, you have each other, and that’s all that matters,” I added, trying to cheer them up. “Okay, mommy,” Owen finally replied. If I could remember correctly, he was excited about his new school. I wondered what changed. Maybe Isla’s energy rubbed off on him. A few minutes later, Julian arrived at the house. I
Chapter 99Aria Blake ~•~ Julian eventually left. I was grateful he did because he was already causing a scene in the restaurant. I felt embarrassed as we still waited for our food. Everyone stole glances at us at intervals. When it was finally time to leave the restaurant, I was so relieved. Samuel drove us back to the house. But he refused to go inside the house because it was Julian who gave me the house. After the kids went inside, I stayed in the car with him for a while. “I don’t trust that guy,” he said, clearing his throat. “Julian is obsessed with you,” he added. “Julian isn’t obsessed with me,” I countered. “He just feels threatened because of the kids. He's scared they won’t love him as much as they love you.” Samuel was quiet for a beat. “Are you sure that his outburst was about the kids?” he asked quietly. “He also asked me to take my hands off you, and I think he still likes you.” “I can’t deny the fact that he likes me. But that’s all it’s going to be… one-
Chapter 68Aria Blake~•~ I had no idea when I began laughing. “Come back to where?” I asked; pressing a hand to my forehead. “Please, don’t make me laugh. I don’t want my head to hurt.” His face went slack. “Aria? Really?” I let out a breath. “I’m going outside to wait for my brother, he’s p
Chapter 45Aria Blake ~•~ “Do you want to be present when I have the conversation with them?” I asked Samuel, who was focused on his computer. He let out a deep sigh. “Not really.” “Why? Are you upset?” He turned around and glanced at me for a moment before shifting his gaze back to his screen
Chapter 23Aria Blake ~•~ “Can Harper come with us?” I asked Claire when she brought up the idea of going out to have fun so I could clear my head a little bit. Claire hesitated for a bit. “Is that what you want? You really want her to come with us?” Claire asked, raising her eyebrows at me. I
Chapter 13Julian Cross ~•~ Aria slapped me. She fucking humiliated me in public. If I could take a guess, it was because Angel showed up at the charity gala. But that wasn’t enough reason for her to embarrass me in front of my guests. What she did was way worse, and I didn’t lay a finger on her







