Chapter 436

436
Aria looked up to see Owen staring straight ahead with a composed expression , putting on an act of complete unfamiliarity .
One guy said , “ Ms. Saxon , we’re from Ward’s Winery , here to deliver your wine .”
“ Thanks , ” she said .
She relaxed her hand , opened the door , and said , “ Just leave it by the entrance , please .”
“ Have a nice day , Ms. Saxon . ”
As the bodyguard left , Aria reached to close the door but met with unexpected resistance . Looking up , she found her hand caught in Owen’s firm grasp .
Owen said , “ Come over to my place for dinner . Afterwards , I’ll help you put away the wine . ”
“ Sure , ” Aria agreed with a smile .
Aria closed her door and headed straight to Owen’s place .
She propped her chin in her hand and lazily looked toward the kitchen .
The kitchen had a glass door that muted most sounds , but Aria could clearly see Owen’s busy figure moving about inside .
In court , Owen exuded an intimidating aura – every word carried weight , his razor – sharp logic leaving opposing counsel scrambling in retreat .
It was hard to imagine this same man now wearing an apron and stir – frying with practiced ease .
Owen seemed to sense something and turned around , locking eyes with her .
He curved his lips into a gentle smile as he gazed at Aria , his eyes brimming with warmth .
In high spirits , Aria took out her phone and transferred 100 thousand dollars to him .
Then she sent Derek a quick text . [ You there yet ? ]
Derek replied instantly , [ Yeah . ]
[ Hey Aria , been so busy lately I forgot to ask – how far have you and Owen gotten ? ]
Aria : [ Why are you asking ? ]
Derek : [ That morning , I saw Owen in our living room and sensed something was off . Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to call you if he wanted to invite you for breakfast ? Showing up at our place unannounced is just weird . I didn’t even hear the doorbell or any knocking . ]
Derek : [ You were acting super sus that night , constantly pushing me to go back to my room . ]
Derek texted : [ Be honest . Are you two dating behind my back ? ]
Aria thought of their contract . Being lovers by agreement didn’t really mean they were actually together .
Aria replied : [ We’re not dating . ]
She typed : [ I’m his sugar mama … ]
[ Boss alert ! Gotta dash ! ] Aria hesitated , then deleted the words before she could hit send .
Soon after finishing cooking and tidying up , Owen went over to Aria’s place and neatly arranged all the wine from Ward’s Winery in her wine cabinet .
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Only after he got home did Owen pull out his phone and see the bank transfer notification .
Owen texted Aria . Did you just transfer me 100 thousand dollars ? ]
Aria : Yeah . Just feeling generous today . ]
Owen replied : ( Got it , Ms. Saxon ! Payment received – your devoted servant will make sure you get your money’s worth . ]
Aria couldn’t help but chuckle at his reply .
The next day was Saturday .
They headed to the nearest movie theater .
Owen bought popcorn and drinks while Aria held their tickets , waiting in line to get them checked .
The theater lobby was buzzing with noise , but Owen could just make out some gossipy chatter nearby .
Someone whispered , “ Wow , that couple is seriously good – looking ! ”
“ Yeah , they’re both good – looking , but the guy is such a clueless dude – he’s got a drink in one hand and popcorn in the other , not even thinking of holding his girlfriend’s hand ! If it were me , I’d be glued to her 24/7 ! ”
Owen overheard the two young girls and thought , ‘ I’d love to hold her hand too , but we’re not officially together yet . Working on it .’
After getting their tickets checked , Aria and Owen headed inside together .
James , holding Emma’s hand as they made their way through the crowded theater , chattered on , “ Honey , it’s pretty packed today . If you don’t feel comfortable , we could always rent out a private screening . ” Noticing that Emma seemed distracted and hadn’t responded , he looked up and asked , “ What are you looking at ? ”
Emma snapped back to reality and , a bit excited , tightened her grip on her husband’s hand . “ I just saw two people . They kind of looked like Owen and Aria ! ”
She only caught a fleeting glimpse of their figures from behind in a flash and couldn’t be sure .
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