Chapter 041

“Apologize to her now, Mia. I will not repeat myself again!”

Aiden's voice was firm and commanding, leaving no room for argument. Mia's eyes flashed with anger, but she knew better than to cross Aiden when he was in this mood. She took a deep breath and turned to Samantha.

“I apologize,” she said stiffly, her words dripping with insincerity.

“Say it like you mean it, Mia.” Aiden ordered and Mia sighed, lowering her head.

“I'm sorry, Samantha. I shouldn't have said all those words. Please forgive me.” she sounded sincere this time around, but her heart meant something entirely different.

Samantha looked at her, her expression unreadable. “It's fine,” she said curtly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden's eyes narrowed at Mia. “I mean it, Mia. No more of this. Samantha is going to be my wife, and I won't have you disrespecting her like this.”

Mia's eyes widened in shock, but she knew better than to push Aiden further. She nodded, her face pale.

“I understand,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden turned to Samantha. “Let's go,” he said, his voice softening.

Samantha nodded, and Aiden led her out of the dining room, leaving Mia standing alone, her heart seething with anger and resentment. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine something like this happening.

Aiden had never scolded her before the way he did today. She was his favorite and he always spoiled her with things and took care of her, but today, he showed her the version of himself he only showed to businessmen and all for what? For Samantha, whom she believed was a nobody. All for a divorcee? She wasn't going to let this slide; there was no damn way she wasn't going to make Samantha pay for this.

*

As they walked out of the mansion, Samantha couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. She knew that Mia was not going to let this go, and she wondered what other tricks the lady had up her sleeve.

Aiden seemed to sense her unease and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Don't worry, Sam. I've got you,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I'm sorry for what she said. Don't take her words to heart, okay? She's just immature.” Aiden apologized and Samantha sighed.

“It's fine,” There was nothing else she could say. She was damn angry and wanted to do more than just standing there and saying “it's fine” . She desperately wanted to put that little wench in her place, to show her that she wasn't someone to be messed with, but she was going to leave it for another day.

This was the second time that bitch was ruining her dinner with Aiden. She prayed she wouldn't have to see Mia after her engagement with Aiden because there was no way she would be able to keep her anger at bay anymore.

Aiden watched her. He knew she was mad, and wondered what he could do to make her feel better. He thought of something and smiled, turning her to face him.

“Where are your car keys?” he asked, and she showed it to him. He collected it from her, and she wondered what he was up to. “Come on, I'll drive you home.” he offered as they walked to where her car was parked.

“It's fine. You don't have to.” she declined, but he pretended not to hear her.

They got to the car, and he opened the door for her. “Get in, my lady,” he said, and she sucked in a breath before sliding into the car. He closed the door and took the driver's seat, driving off immediately.

Samantha rested her head on the car seat, and closed her eyes as she tried her best to calm down. Mia's words kept echoing in her head, and the more she tried to shake it off, the more it kept coming.

She released a long breath, and Aiden glanced her way for a second before facing the road. He took another turn and Samantha realized he wasn't heading to her house.

“My house's that way. Where are you going?” she asked, looking at him.

“Somewhere else.” he answered and her brows creased.

“Somewhere else? Where?” she asked.

“The Amusement Park,” he answered and she blinked.

“It will be closed by this time. And what are we even going to do there in the first place?” she asked.

“To cool off and calm down, of course. The swing should do the trick. And don't worry, my family owns it, so it can't be closed, at least for me.” he smiled and Samantha's eyes widened.

What? His family owned the amusement park? Just how rich were they? When she arrived at his mansion previously, she hadn't bothered to look around because she was mad, but she knew it was magnificent.

When they got to the amusement park, Aiden held her hand as he led her to a swing for adults.

“Sit, I'll push you,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“I'm not a child, you know.” she rolled her eyes.

“Come on, it'll be fun.” he smiled and gestured for her to sit.

Samantha hesitated for a moment, but then sat down, feeling a bit silly. Aiden started pushing her, and she felt her stomach drop as she soared higher and higher. She couldn't help but laugh, feeling a sense of freedom she hadn't felt in a long time. Her anger seemed to vanish into thin air, replaced with relief and peace that she hadn't felt for some time. This was exactly what she needed.

As they swung, Aiden told her stories about his childhood, about how he used to come to this amusement park with his family whenever he was feeling down. His mother would place him on this swing, and she pushed, it would feel like all his worries were going with the wind. Samantha listened, entranced, feeling like she was getting to know a different side of him.

After a while, Aiden stopped pushing her, and they sat down on a bench, watching the stars twinkle above. Samantha felt a sense of peace wash over her, making her feel comfortable and like this was where she was actually supposed to be.

“Thank you,” she said, turning to Aiden, whose eyes were fixed on the stars above. “I needed this.”

Aiden smiled. “I knew you did,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I'm always here for you, Sam.”

Samantha couldn't help the fluttery feeling that rose in her chest.

Why was this man so perfect? Did she really deserve all this and was it just another dream; a mirage or something too good to be true?