Chapter 447
447
447
Rachel froze in shock , her eyes flashing with wild delight .
Rachel thought to herself , ‘ Is Aria … my sister , too ? ‘
Orlando , afraid Rachel might misunderstand and get her hopes up only to be disappointed , hurriedly explained , “ But Aria’s not your biological sister . Let’s head back first . I’ll explain everything along the way . ”
Lily looked up at Aria , her eyes brimming with unspoken questions .
“ Don’t worry . She’s safe now , ” Aria said softly , gently stroking Lily’s hair . “ Just focus on your SAT prep . I’ll t
Lily nodded obediently . “ Okay , Aria . Sorry for worrying you all . ”
ye care of everything else ”
With disaster averted , Valerie finally breathed a sigh of relief . “ Go home and get some proper rest ,” she said gently .
The SAT was the next day . Valerie considered suggesting that Lily see a therapist , but then she realized – having survived such a dangerous ordeal unscathed , Lily clearly possessed remarkable resilience and could handle her own emotions .
As everyone left , Liam snapped out of his daze .
Although Liam didn’t know the specifics of the feud between Orlando and Aria , he could tell they had history , and the bad blood between them ran deep .
Countless questions swirled in Liam’s mind . As Aria walked past , his hand instinctively shot out to grab her ah .
A hand shot out and intercepted him .
A bone – crushing pain shot through Liam’s wrist , making his face twist in agony . He looked up , only to meet a pair of icy , menacing eyes .
Owen’s eyes turned cold as he warned , “ Touch her again , and you’ll lose that hand . ”
Owen withdrew his hand , casting a disgusted glance at his fingers . He pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket and meticulously cleaned each digit , then turned and walked away without another word .
Liam’s face darkened with rage , his wrist throbbing as if it had been crushed in Owen’s grip .
Diego stared at Owen’s retreating figure with a puzzled look . “ Who’s that guy ? ”
Liam snapped , annoyed , “ He’s a lawyer , and he’s after Aria . They even live next door to each other . ”
“ What ? ” Diego blurted out , clearly stunned .
Diego was unsettled – that man’s presence was seriously intense . Clearly , he wasn’t someone to mess with .
From what just happened , it was clear Aria trusted Owen quite a bit .
Liam scoffed , “ With him around , you don’t stand a chance with Aria . Just give up
now . ”
Diego snorted , “ Worth a shot . It’s not like rejection / s gonna kill me . ”
Diego knew his chances were slim , but he just wanted to get under Liam’s skin . After all , the guy had let down his idol .
Before getting in the car , Rachel looked at Lily with remorse and said , “ Lily , I won’t … I won’t try to end my life again . You must – you absolutely must ace your SATS . Don’t let what happened to me throw you off . ”
At first , terrified of Olivia , Rachel had no choice but to obey her orders and lure Lily out . In her despair , the desperate thought flashed through her mind , ‘ If I have to die , maybe I don’t want to go alone . Maybe Lily should come with me .’
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Only when Lily grabbed her did Rachel finally feel a surge of regiet .
She realized she had made a terrible mistake .
Lily’s eyes crinkled into a warm smile . “ I’ll come see you after the SATs .”
Rachel responded with a flat “ Mm , ” her tone devoid of warmth .
In the car , Orlando finally told Rachel the whole truth about her past . “ Your parents never really loved you , but Aria ….
“ If you want to recognize Silvia as family , just say the word . I’ll set it up for you . ”
Rachel tilted her head . “ So , it was Aria who gave me my name , and she’s always looked out for me , while my away for money . Is that right ?
Orlando didn’t want to admit it , but there was no denying the truth . “ Yes , ” he admitted reluctantly .
Rachel said firmly , “ Then I should accept Aria as family . She’s the one who took care of me .”
Orlando hesitated for a moment before asking , “ Is this because of Lily ? ”
“ Not entirely ,” Rachel replied .
Orlando said quietly , “ Aria might not take you as family .”
real parents were the ones who gave me
AD