Chapter 423

423
Owen wasn’t the clingy type , not really .
But the way things were now between them . honestly , Aria found she didn’t mind it .
Thinking it over , she shot him a message : [ Send me your bank account number . }
Deven replied . What for ? )
She answered : [ To send you money . ]
At Seacrest Law Firm , Aaron was in the middle of discussing the day’s divorce case . “ This one’s not that complicated , but it’ll be a nasty fight .
“ The husband’s a real piece of work – borrowed money for the house , the furniture , even the dowry , and made sure there were IOUS with notes saying
‘ for family use .
“ No wonder so many women don’t want to get married these days , with guys like him giving the rest of us a bad name . What do you think , Owen … ”
He stopped mid – sentence when he saw Owen focused on his phone .
“ Is it urgent ? ” Aaron asked , a little awkward .
Owen didn’t look up . “ It’s personal , but it won’t affect my work . Go on , I’m listening . ”
Aaron knew Owen could multitask and was famously efficient .
So he finished his briefing , explaining how he planned to help the wife minimize her losses .
Owen , still checking his phone and reading reports , occasionally chimed in with a question or suggestion .
By the end , Aaron felt pretty satisfied – until he caught a glimpse of Owen frowning at his phone … and then , unexpectedly , smiling to himself .
Aaron was floored . That smile – he’d only seen it on colleagues in the throes of a new relationship , always glued to their phones . ‘ Did Owen finally win
over Ms. Saxon ? ‘
Trying to be casual , Aaron said , “ Owen , are you texting Ms. Saxon ? There’s a new animated film out , you two should see it. ”
Owen finally glanced up , “ What movie ? ”
No denial – that meant yes , he was texting Aria .
Aaron grinned , “ I actually got two tickets for Saturday , but I have to meet a client , so I can’t use them . ”
He hurried out and returned a moment later , waving the tickets . “ Here , take them . No point letting them go to waste . ”
“ Thanks , ” Owen replied , “ I’ll send you the money . ”
Aaron waved him off , “ No need , you’ve helped me so much already .”
When Aaron first joined Seacrest , he thought Owen was just another lucky connection .
Later , he realized Owen was the real deal — and they’d become close friends .
Owen said , “ Alright , you go ahead . ”
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Aaron paused at the door , “ You came in early today , heading home early too ? ”
“ Yes ”
Seacrest Law Firm had flexible hours , so everyone could set their own schedule .
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After seeing Aria’s car pull away , Owen figured there was no point hanging around at home – he might as well head in early and get a jump on work , which meant he could clock out sooner too .
“ Yeah , ” Owen replied , “ I’ll probably keep this schedule from now on . ”
Seacrest had flexible hours , and seeing Aria leave in the morning made Owen want to use his time better – come in early , leave early .
After Aaron left , Owen looked back at his phone .
[ Why are you sending me money ? ]
Aria answered : [ Isn’t that how this is supposed to work ? ]
She was treating this as a “ relationship , ” where both parties are equal , not like a sugar arrangement , where one side uses money to control the other .
Yet here she was , offering to pay him directly .
Owen couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it .
He started to type : [ No need . ]
Then he paused , deleted it . If he took her money , it gave him the perfect excuse to keep clinging to her .
He sent his account number .
A moment later , a transfer came through : 300,000 dollars .
Owen whistled to himself . Well , I’m worth more than I thought .
He sent almost all of it back , leaving exactly 3,000 dollars .
Aria immediately replied with a question mark .
He explained : [ Market rate – 3,000 dollars . ]
She shot back : [ That cheap ? ]
Owen replied : [ That’s the standard . If you want , you can make up the difference with gifts – assuming you’re happy with my performance . ]
He wanted her to pick out gifts for him ? Aria hesitated , then typed : [ It’s easier to just send money . Buy yourself something you like . ]
Owen insisted : [ No. I want something from you . ]
Her heart skipped a beat . She locked her phone , pressing a hand to her chest , muttering , “ It’s just a message – why am I freaking out ? ”
Luckily , Owen didn’t push the issue . [ Now that you’re done , go eat breakfast . ]
Aria didn’t reply .
Ten minutes later , Nikolas came out , dragging Kristian behind him .
Kristian was practically begging , “ I swear , I didn’t do anything , I just kept quiet ! I told you everything , please , don’t turn me in – they said they’d kill my whole family if I talked ! ”
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Nikolas glared at him , furious . “ You should’ve gone to the police ! For all you know , they’ve already been caught , and your silence just made it worse , ”
Kristian looked pitiful . “ My wife just had a baby . I was scared . ”
Aria stopped over . “ So , is it done ? ”
Nikolas nodded , “ Yeah , let’s go . ”
On the way out , he filled her in : That day , Kristian slammed on the brakes at the last second , barely avoiding hitting the Todd family’s escort car .
He saw two men jump out , throw open the back door , and transfer Maverick – bed and all – into their car . Kristian remembered the markings on the vehicle – it was definitely a Todd family escort .
It meant things were going exactly where Nikolas had feared most : there was a traitor inside Todd School , and not just any traitor someone with real
power .
Most people at Todd School were related to the Todds by blood ; this was serious .
Aria said quietly , “ They went to all this trouble to take your grandfather alive , not just kill him . He’s probably still safe , at least for now . ”
Nikolas felt a bit of relief . “ Thank you , Ms. Saxon . Culver doesn’t know the National Doctor’s Seal is fake . If they trace it back to you , they’ll probably guess you have the medical book too . You could be in danger .”
Aria shrugged . “ Let them come . I’ll deal with it . ”
Nikolas remembered her moves from earlier , and , reassured , said , “ At least now I know what to do . And the Gibson family wants Culver’s seal . ”
Aria nodded . “ That seal was made by a friend of mine . I have to get it back . ”
Nikolas laughed , “ Don’t worry , I’ll look the other way . Your friend did great work – we just made a few tweaks , like adding ‘ Todd ‘ so Culver could take over with a clear conscience . Good thing we did , or Axton would’ve ruined the ceremony . ”
They parted ways . Aria stopped near Mayen Garden for breakfast . She had just sat down when her phone rang – Dexter calling .
“ Can we meet ? I have something to return to you . ”
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