Chapter 3:

He immediately stopped the bodyguards. “Stop!”

As the bodyguards stopped, the woman approached Xavier, trembling with fear and desperation.

Tears fell as she introduced herself, “Mr. De Luca, my name is Daniella Love. I have something to say to you. Please.”

Xavier’s gaze was complicated as he stared at the woman’s earlobe. Unknowingly, his voice softened. “Come with me.”

With gratitude in her eyes, the woman replied, “Thank you so much, Mr. De Luca.”

Xavier turned to look at Aria and instructed, “Postpone the meeting.”

Aria opened her mouth slightly as if to say something but quickly swallowed her words.

As she watched Xavier leave with the woman, Aria forced a smile and shut her mouth.

Aria returned to her office desk after completing all of her boss’s instructions.

However, before she could reach her seat, the vision of the sight before her swayed and she stumbled, grabbing onto the table to steady herself.

As she regained her balance, she heard the sound of Daniella’s silver bell-like laughter ringing in her ears.

Looking up in front at the CEO’s office which was separated from hers by a glass wall, Aria saw Xavier and Daniella engrossed in conversation. Although she didn’t know what they were discussing, their joyful expressions suggested that Daniella might be the person Xavier had been searching for.

Aria felt a bitter pang in her heart but tried to suppress it as she sat back down at her desk and forced herself to focus on her work.

In the afternoon, an announcement was issued by the Human Resources Department stating that Daniella had joined the fashion design department as the new deputy head.

Seeing this message, Aria felt a lump in her throat.

She couldn’t help but think back to the day when Xavier had first noticed her mole, the very thing that had helped her stand out from the other candidates and secured her the position of his personal assistant. Now, Daniella seemed to have a similar advantage.

Since the person he was really looking for had returned, Xavier would undoubtedly treat Daniella well.

Just as she was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door. “Ms. Hale.”

Aria retracted the sadness in her eyes and closed the announcement page. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Daniel strode in. He had a grave look on his face.

“Ms. Hale, Mr. De Luca wants you to take care of the new deputy head of the fashion design department, Ms. Daniella Love,” he said.

Aria was taken aback by the unexpected request. She had no authority over the fashion design department, and furthermore, she had only met Daniella once. How could she take care of her?

Seeing Aria’s hesitation, Daniel explained further, “Mr. De Luca wants you to head over to the fashion design department and ensure that no one creates any problems for Ms. Love.”

Aria took a deep breath, trying to hide her frustration. She clenched her fists under the desk, averted her eyes, and replied with forced calmness, “I understand.”

Daniel left without a word, and Aria slumped into her chair. She covered her face with her hands to hide the sadness that threatened to consume her.

Xavier’s actions made it clear that he had no intention of keeping her as his personal secretary, now that the person he truly cared about was back. It was time for her to accept that she was merely a substitute.

Buzz—

Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone on the desk. It was her mother’s attending doctor, Scott Wilson.

Aria anxiously answered the call. “Dr. Wilson, is something wrong with my mother?”

“Aria, do you have time to come to the hospital now?” Scott replied.

Hearing Dr. Wilson’s tone, Aria quickly stood up, her heart racing. “Yes, I’ll be right there!”

Twenty minutes later, Aria arrived at the hospital entrance wearing only a simple shirt.

Sneezing from the cold wind as she got out of the car at the hospital entrance, Aria hurriedly ran towards the inpatient building.

As she stepped out of the elevator, she was surprised to see a man in a leather jacket standing in front of her mother’s ward, smoking a cigarette and talking to her mother’s attending doctor, Scott Wilson, in a roguish manner.

Aria clenched her fists and walked over quickly.

The sound of her footsteps made Dr. Wilson and the man turn around.

The man smirked when he saw Aria. “Yo, the great secretary, Aria, has finally decided to show up!”

Aria gave Dr. Wilson an apologetic look before addressing the man with a cold tone. “Clay, I’ve already made it clear. Even if you’re looking to harass me for money, don’t ever come to my mother’s ward.”

Clay Davis bit the cigarette in his mouth and replied, “Your father’s disappeared. Who else can we turn to for the money, if not your mother?”

Suppressing her anger, Aria asked, “How much do you want this time?”

“Not much. Only 4,000 dollars, including interest,” Clay replied.

Aria’s expression soured. “It was only 2,000 dollars last month!”

Clay scrutinized Aria with a cold smile. “Then you’ll have to ask your father what else he did to rack up the debt. The IOU is here, and you know your father’s handwriting. I’m just here to collect the money that’s owed to me.”

He produced the IOU and showed it to Aria.

Although Aria seethed with anger, she couldn’t find a way to refute his claim.

Aria’s father’s relentless gambling addiction had driven him to borrow money regularly, and she had always been the one to shoulder the burden of paying off his debts. Despite her tireless efforts, his debts seemed to only multiply, leaving her vulnerable to the menacing loan sharks who would invade her mother’s hospital ward and cause trouble.

Knowing her mother’s delicate condition, Aria made a difficult decision to suppress her boiling rage, opting not to create a scene. “Fine, I’ll give you the money this time. But if you ever dare to set foot in this hospital again, don’t expect a single cent from me.”

With a heavy sigh, Aria pulled out her phone and retrieved Clay’s bank details, then proceeded to transfer 4,000 dollars to him.

With the payment received, Clay nodded curtly and made a graceful exit.

Dr. Wilson looked at Aria with concern. “Aria, you can’t keep doing this. Eventually, all of this pressure is going to take a toll on you.”

Aria’s smile was tinged with bitterness. “He’s still my father, though.”

Scott noticed Aria’s complexion gradually paling, and his brow furrowed with worry. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, shaking her head, but a wave of dizziness nearly caused her to lose her balance.

Scott instinctively reached out to steady her, hesitating for a moment as his palm met her feverish skin. “Aria, don’t you realize you have a fever?”

His typically gentle and composed expression now carried a rare hint of reprimand.

Pulling away from him, Aria touched her burning face. “I’ve been too preoccupied with work to notice. I’ll take some medicine later. Thank you, Dr. Wilson, for your concern, but right now, I need to go see my mother.”

With that, she walked past Scott and entered the ward.

In the ward, Aria’s heart ached when she saw her mother’s sallow face, weakened by illness.

She blinked back tears and composed herself before stepping forward. “Mom, are you done with the drip today?”

On the bed, Katie Lloyd slowly turned to face Aria, her expression filled with pain. “I’m sorry to trouble you again with your father’s gambling debts.”

Aria smiled nonchalantly and poured some warm water into Katie’s glass. “Mom, you haven’t troubled me at all. We’re family. It’s only natural for us to help each other.”

The more sensible Aria was, the more anxious Katie felt.

After a moment of silence, she said, “Aria, leave this family.”

Aria’s hand, holding the glass, froze in midair. “Please don’t say such things. You’re my mother. I can’t abandon you.”

“Would you rather be dragged down by your father’s debts?!” Katie suddenly blurted out, her agitation evident.

Pretending to be relaxed, Aria smiled and said, “Mom, I’m earning a decent salary now. You and Dad raised me, and it’s my turn to take care of you both.”

Katie frowned and said sternly, “Taking care of us and sacrificing your life are two entirely different things! I know my situation. My time is limited. Listen to me, my child. Break away from this family and cut off all ties with us!”

“Mom!” Aria grasped Katie’s hand anxiously. “I promise you I’m fine, and I’ll take good care of myself, alright?”

Katie looked into Aria’s tear-filled eyes and felt her heart wrench. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter carrying such a heavy burden alone.

However, she knew all too well about her husband’s unyielding gambling addiction. He seemed trapped in an endless cycle of accumulating debts, like a bottomless pit, and showed no signs of change.

Frustrated, Katie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. “Aria, there’s something important I need to tell you.”

Aria replied, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Katie opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

“Aria, you’re actually not…”

“Honey!”

As Katie began to speak, an unexpected visitor barged into the ward. A man reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke stumbled in, his scraggly beard adding to his disheveled appearance. He sat down opposite Aria.