All Chapters of CRAWLING TO YOU: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Aiden’s POVThe voice had been thick…almost slurred and half-formed. Like how a drunk person would say something.I froze with Gabby still trembling around me, both of us breathing too hard, and listened. Nothing followed after that. No footsteps. No second call. Just the low drone of the movie still playing in the living room.I eased out of her as carefully as I could, pulled my shorts back on, and cracked open the bedroom door. The living room was exactly as we had left it…blue light from the television washing over the couches, popcorn bowls abandoned, and Julian still sprawled in the same position, head tipped back, mouth slightly open. He's still fast asleep. The “guys?” had been nothing more than a restless mumble dragged out of whatever dream he was having.I exhaled as relief hit hard enough to make my knees weak for a second.When it washed over me, I crossed the room, shook his shoulder gently, and kept my voice low.“Hey, Julian. Go sleep inside the room. You’ll wreck y

Aiden’s POVPain exploded white-hot through my entire body in massive waves. I staggered, looking down at the handle protruding from my shirt as blood immediately began soaking through the fabric in a dark, spreading stain.Gabby’s scream tore through the room in shock. “What did you do?! Julian…what did you do?!”She lunged for me, hands already pressing against the wound frantically, blood pouring between her fingers as she sobbed louder. “Call an ambulance…please…Julian, call someone!”Julian only stared down at me with cold, absolute hatred. There was nothing left of the boy I had grown up with, the best friend who had once split his last piece of bread with me without thinking twice. That person was gone. In his place stood someone who looked at me like I was less than human.“I told you,” he said quietly. “I told you I would kill you if you ever touched our little sister.”She's not my sister! I screamed inside my head, because saying that out loud might earn me another stab.He

Aiden's POV I turned and saw him. Liam.He was walking toward us, hand already raised in a friendly wave, expression bright and completely at ease…like a man who had every reason to be standing outside her building first thing in the morning.My fists clenched at my sides so hard the freshly split skin over my knuckles burned. Jealousy roared through me in hot waves and it took everything in me not to punch that smile right out of his face.How the hell did Liam know to be at her front entrance? Will he be going up with her? Will he be going to touch her?How am I just finding out that they go to the same school? He kept coming towards us with his hands now in his pockets, completely unaware that every step he took closer to her made the blood in my ears roar louder. Gabby turned at the sound of her name and pulled away slightly. For a fraction of a second, her expression flickered…surprise, then something carefully neutral settled over it. She lifted a hand in a small wave. “

Aiden’s POVI groaned and shoved a hand through my hair, cursing under my breath. Every time a piece settled, another one refused to fit. Could it be a coincidence?“Why is this case so goddamn hard to crack?”“The Whitmores have tight connections,” Marcus said flatly. “And more money than most people will see in a lifetime. That combination buries a lot of inconvenient truths.”Another message notification lit my screen…Andy this time.‘Boss, your spot has been secured. Pass has been sent to your email already. You’re listed as a late addition under the Walter family foundation contribution.’I switched back to the call. “I’m in for the banquet. Keep digging, Marcus. Anything on the guardianship filing, medical trails, property under alternate names…I want everything.”“Got it. If anything feels off after you meet them, tell me immediately. Try to observe everything. Who they talk to and who they avoid…especially any man who appears to be around the same age as Elvis Whitmore. These

Aiden’s POVThe Walters.Their faces rose in my mind as I pictured the sitting room at the estate. Mrs. Walter’s sharp eyes, Mr. Walter’s quiet authority and Julian’s face when the truth finally landed. I pictured the moment I would have to stand there and say the words out loud. That Gabby wasn’t just a sister to me anymore. That I had crossed every line they trusted me to protect. The image sat heavy and cold under my ribs. I shook my head once, hard, and forced the thought away. Not tonight. Tonight had a different target.I finished dressing within minutes.The suit was black, custom-cut, sharp enough to look expensive without trying too hard. White shirt, dark tie and polished Oxfords that caught the low light when I moved. When I checked the mirror one last time, the man looking back at me could have walked into any boardroom or ballroom in the country and been taken seriously on sight. That was the point. People like the Whitmores measured worth in presentation before they