Chapter 6
The hall went pin–drop silent, the kind of quiet that made one heart race.
Aria stole a sideways glance, her eyes following the crowd’s to Owen.
He was all effortless charm–crisp white shirt, tailored black slacks, and sleek leather shoes that caught the light. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to flash a black watch that screamed money, but when Hannah’s voice faded, his easy smile vanished.
His gaze turned cold, sharp enough to slice through the tension.
Aria had pegged Owen as Hannah’s buddy, maybe even her partner in crime to make Aria the bad guy. But in a split second, everything flipped.
Why the hell is he picking up my her case?‘ she wondered.
“Miss Gibson,” Owen drawled, his voice smooth but icy enough to frost the air, “you trying to run my playbook now?”
The words landed like a punch, and a shiver rippled through the room. That polished, heartthrob vibe? Total bait.
Everyone forgot Owen had scrapped his way to the top of the legal game, with a ruthless edge that could outsmart anyone.
He reined in the intensity, his face all cool confidence, and strolled toward Aria. His shoes clicked on the hardwood, each step screaming control.
“Ms. Saxon,” he said, stopping close enough for her to catch a whiff of his cedarwood cologne, “that wasn’t Mr. Webb you were texting about the case last night. It was me. Owen Shaw.”
Aria’s breath hitched, her poised mask slipping for a hot second. “Wait–you’re the lawyer Benjamin was talking about?”
He flashed a half–smirk, nodding. “In the flesh.”
The room’s attention snapped to one spot.
Mason’s face went cherry–red. Owen had swooped in on the case he’d tossed aside, and though Mason wanted to gloat, the truth burned–he’d totally blown it.
Neither Owen nor Aria spared him a look, but his cheeks flamed like he’d been dragged on social media.
“Let’s take this to my office,” Owen said, his tone all business, no room for pushback.
Aria didn’t miss a beat, her heels clicking as she followed him. Passing Mason, she paused, her voice soft but with a sting. “My mistake, Mr. Webb. Wrong guy.”
She glided off, leaving Mason to stew under the barely hidden smirks of their coworkers.
A spark of resentment flared in his gut, all aimed at Aria’s retreating back.
He huffed, spinning to Hannah. “Look, I’d have jumped at your case, but since Mr. Shaw’s got Ms. Saxon’s back, you’re gonna need another firm.”
Hannah’s eyes darkened, a storm brewing. She’d thought this was a done deal, but Aria had clearly pulled some big–time strings. “They name- dropped Mr. Hayes,” she said, voice tight. “What, is Aria besties with him now?”
Liam rubbed his neck, frowning, “No clue. But with Owen on her side, we’re in for a brutal fight.”
Hannah squared her shoulders, her voice blazing with grit. “I don’t care how Aria sweet–talked Mr. Hayes or snagged Owen for her case. We have to win. That money’s for the people, and I’ll be damned if we let her strut off with it.”
Her words, fierce and full of heart, set the room ablaze, pulling everyone into her fiery resolve.
A newbie intern, his face twisted in frustration, muttered, “Everybody says Mr. Shaw’s all about justice. So why’s he playing ball with a scammer?”
A coworker leaned closer, voice hushed. “Rumor is Mr. Hayes pulled some serious strings. Shaw’s hands are probably tied.”
“One hundred fifty million bucks. The life savings of thousands of families. How does she even do that?”
No one could wrap their heads around how a regular woman like Aria pulled in that kind of cash. Fraud or a once–in–a–lifetime lottery win were the only guesses that made sense, but no one had hit a payday that big in forever.
The intern idolized Owen. He’d signed on with Seacrest Law Firm just to learn from the guy. But this case? It was shaking his whole worldview.
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Chapter 6
‘All because of that Aria chick, sweet–talking Mr. Hayes into roping Shaw into her drama,‘ he fumed, shooting a bitter scowl at the office door.
Inside, the room was quiet as a tomb, the only sound the soft flip of pages. Neither of them spoke.
After what felt like an eternity, Owen lowered the file and eyed Aria lounging on the sofa, her gaze drifting somewhere out the window.
“Ms. Saxon?” he said, cutting through the silence.
Aria blinked, snapping back to the moment. “Whoops, spaced out. What’s good?”
Owen held up a prenup, pausing for a beat. “This deal’s no good for you. It’s locked tight. Even if Liam’s stepping out, you’re not getting a single penny.”
She’d come ready for war–almost too ready. She even had proof of Liam’s cheating, neat and tidy.
Owen had handled plenty of divorce cases, but this was a new one. Aria wasn’t just walking away empty–handed; she was torching a couple billion like it was nothing. He’d never seen that before.
“I don’t give a damn about his stuff,” Aria said, her voice cool as ice. “I want this divorce done, my shares safe, and, if I can pull it off, one–point–five billion in my pocket. Cole Group’s about to tank anyway–those shares are gonna be worth peanuts soon.”
Her eyes were steady, almost eerily calm. No rage over her husband’s betrayal, no bitterness about missing out on his fortune, no hint of a broken heart. This whole courtroom drama might as well have been a quick coffee run.
If Owen had only seen the prenup, he’d have bet Aria was crazy in love with Liam.
But one glance at her icy, unbothered vibe? Yeah, love wasn’t in the picture.
Owen stayed all business, keeping it smooth. “Working this out on the down–low would’ve been the easiest, sneakiest move, but the way things are going? We’re stuck duking it out in court.”
He pulled a contract from his desk, slid it her way, and flipped a fancy black pen toward her. “Ms. Saxon, just sign this retainer, and I’ll handle all the lawyerly nonsense with the other side. You won’t have to lift a finger.”
Aria didn’t even flinch. She grabbed the pen and scratched her name across the page.
“You’re not even gonna peek at it?” Owen asked, cocking an eyebrow.
She shot him a look, cool as ice. “Benjamin says you’re legit. That’s all I need. You’re not dying to know where I got the money, are you, Mr. Shaw?”
Owen flashed a laid–back grin. “Nah, doesn’t matter where it came from–it’s not gonna tank our case. People only care about the shiny surface stuff anyway. Long as your conscience is clear, Ms. Saxon, we’re solid.”
Two years back, the Saxon family’s true–and–fake heiress scandal had been all anyone could talk about, ripping open a twenty–year–old secret.
Logan Saxon, the family’s big shot, had gone missing in a mudslide while on a business trip. His wife, Zoe, didn’t listen to a soul and went searching for him, only to go into labor early on some backroad. In a panic, she wound up at a podunk hospital, where she had a baby girl.
When the storm passed, Logan was pulled to safety and ended up at the same hospital.
The Saxons were convinced their little girl was a good–luck charm, spoiling her rotten and naming her Silvia.
Fast forward twenty years, a random accident flipped their world upside down: Silvia wasn’t their kid.
Shell–shocked, the Saxons dug into it and found out their real daughter had been swapped at birth with some farmer’s baby.
They didn’t waste a minute, tracking down their biological daughter, renaming her Aria, and bringing her into the fold.
But in a total plot twist, Aria up and married the Cole Group’s golden boy just a month later. Meanwhile, Silvia stayed put with the Saxons, still their pampered princess, living her best life.
Owen never doubted Aria could scrape together 150 million. She’d already pulled off the impossible, yanking the Cole Group back from the grave and proving she was a total boss. Half a billion? That was just pocket change for a woman like her.
As Aria stepped out of the law firm, her phone lit up with a buzz. The screen flashed one word: Mom.
She stared at it for a hot second before answering. A soft, nervous voice came through. “Aria, you and Liam.. you’re really calling it quits?”
“Yup, Aria said, her tone flat as a pancake.
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