The sudden jolt made Aria's heart skip. When the car finally stopped, she realized where they were—a construction site behind her hotel where they'd cleared land for some new laboratory building. The ground was torn up and riddled with potholes, completely abandoned after dark.Archer unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for her waist. Click. Her seatbelt released.Before she could process what was happening, he'd lifted her onto his lap, his seat sliding back to give them room.His hands settled on her waist, warm and possessive. "Are you mad at me?"Every angle of Archer's face looked carved from stone, his expression dark enough to be genuinely intimidating. He flicked on the dome light, golden shadows playing across his features."You walked right past me like I was invisible. Oscar-worthy performance," he said, his grip tightening as he pulled her flush against him, eliminating any chance of escape.Heat radiated from his thighs beneath her. His hand drifted up to trace her ea
She picked up the phone without a word and heard Archer's deep, velvety voice, "Come downstairs. I'm outside the hospital.""I'm staying at the hotel tonight. You should go home."Aria's tone was cool as she moved to the window, spotting the Range Rover parked below.Silence stretched between them. She could only hear his breathing until he finally spoke again, "If you don't come down, I'll come up and introduce myself to your mother. Might as well get it over with."It was basically a threat.Aria fell silent.She knew the blind date hadn't been Archer's idea. She'd figured that out watching him chain-smoke in the private dining room earlier.He'd quit smoking around her completely after she'd frowned at it once, yet tonight he'd blown smoke right in Kandice's face without a care—obviously trying to sabotage the whole thing.She remembered he hadn't even removed his coat, probably having just walked in.But that didn't stop her from being furious. She'd caught the worship in
"We agreed on a family dinner. I arrive to find three strangers added to the mix. Since when did the Williams family become part of the Duncan family? I agreed to a family dinner, not a matchmaking setup. I'm hanging up."Archer hung up coldly, giving Grace no chance to explain.Grace stared at her disconnected phone, a sharp pain stabbing through her chest.But no one could control this son of hers—not her, and certainly not even his father or grandparents could keep him in line.Now they could only take things one step at a time....The taxi stopped outside the hospital. As Aria got out, she heard a car approaching from behind. Looking back, her heart nearly stopped.Archer's Range Rover had followed them and was now parked next to the hospital.Aria watched nervously as the engine turned off, but there was no movement for several minutes."Aria, let's go." Rachel and James had also gotten out of the taxi and were calling to her."Oh, right." Aria glanced once more at Arch
Rachel listened in confusion—had something happened between these two?Archer narrowed his eyes and took a fierce drag from his cigarette."Look, it's cold and windy tonight with rain falling. You've been unable to catch a taxi, leaving Aunt Rachel and your brother standing here in the cold," Oliver spoke earnestly, his eyes fixed directly on Aria, making her step back instinctively to distance herself from him.She glanced sideways at James and Rachel. James was already getting soaked, but when their eyes met, he simply smiled, “Aria, I'm fine."Still, Aria hesitated. Oliver became even more attentive, pointing to the roadside behind him, "My car is right here."Suddenly, Aria felt her cheeks burn. Her gaze flickered over—Archer had extinguished his cigarette at some point and was looking over with narrowed eyes.He stood there motionless, his tall frame at a clear distance, yet inexplicably making her feel intense pressure. Kandice was no longer beside him—she must have left at
Kandice gritted her teeth and followed behind Archer as well.Archer continued trailing Aria all the way to the entrance of Grandview, standing on the front steps while watching her wave for a taxi.Somehow, fine rain began to fall from the sky, pattering down steadily as the temperature dropped. Kandice wore only a thin dress and wanted to go back inside, but with Archer still standing there, she decided not to leave. The cold was making her shiver all over.She rubbed her arms and glanced up at Archer beside her, but he didn't even look at her."Archer, aren't you going back inside?" Kandice finally couldn't help herself, her voice trembling as she spoke."I'm having a smoke outside," Archer replied—a rare response from him. "If you're cold, go inside."It was raining—why smoke out here? Couldn't he smoke inside?Kandice felt exasperated but didn't dare ask, afraid of losing Archer's favor and ruining her chances of marrying into the Duncan family.Standing at the roadside, A
Standing in the corridor outside Aria's private dining room, Archer still had a cigarette between his lips, his head tilted downward as smoke drifted upward, gradually obscuring his eyes.Archer squinted through the haze and sent Aria a text message: "Come out. I'm waiting outside your room."But again, there was no response.Archer remained in the corridor for a full fifteen minutes. Having finished his cigarette, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he contemplated how to draw Aria out. Just as he retrieved his phone to send another message, he heard the distinct "click" of a door opening across the hall.Looking up, he saw the door swing open.Archer was about to speak when his lips pressed into a tight line, his gaze fixed on the emerging figures.It wasn't just Aria—behind her came James in his wheelchair and Rachel.Aria hadn't finally decided to see him; rather, the family had simply finished their meal and was preparing to leave.James and Rachel had thoroughly enjoyed thei