Chapter 6
“Think you could swing by the house?” the woman asked, sounding like she was walking on eggshells.
“No prob,” Aria shot back, keeping it short and sweet.
The Saxon estate sprawled across Mandino City’s swankiest villa district, tucked away at BlueMoon Haven.
Aria glided her car through the manicured garden, parked, and headed toward the imposing manor that stood like a sentinel.
Crossing the front door, her mind churned, already betting on who’d be inside, ready to give her the third degree.
The Saxons were one of Mandino City’s elite four families, and her grandfather, Joseph, ruled the roost with an old–school iron fist.
Terrified of the family scattering, he kept everyone–her dad Logan, her uncle Luke, and their kids–under the massive roof of the Saxon manor. Everyone, that was, except his eldest daughter, who’d married and bolted.
Then there was Aria’s free–spirit uncle, Nathan, a painter with a decent rep, always chasing his next masterpiece and dodging home, much to Joseph’s constant headache.
Aria stepped into the living room, and sure enough, there they were—the Saxons, draped over plush sofas like they owned the world.
As expected, Luke’s clan was all present, except their high schooler. Luke himself lounged among them.
The air felt thick, like a storm was brewing, and Aria stood there, their eyes slicing through her like she was on trial.
She stayed quiet, her gaze catching Silvia, snuggled in Zoe’s lap. A quick, weird pang hit her chest–sharp, fleeting, and gone before she could pin it down.
Joseph’s face was hard as stone, his sharp eyes burning with barely leashed fury. “Aria, you got any clue why we hauled everyone here for this sit-
down?”
His lean face and intense stare screamed control. Joseph was obsessed with the family’s rep, always dishing out orders and expecting the younger crowd to snap to it.
Cross him? They were basically dead to him. And Aria? She wasn’t exactly the “yes, Grandpa” type he craved.
Aria met his glare, cool as a cucumber. “Yeah, I know. I’m getting a divorce.”
Boom!
Joseph’s hand crashed onto the coffee table, rattling teacups and splashing coffee everywhere. “You were so hell–bent on marrying Liam that Silvia stepped back for you.
“Two years later, you’re stirring up a divorce? You’re making the Saxons look like a damn joke!”
Logan’s face darkened, his jaw tight. “Dad, Silvia wasn’t into Liam. You can’t say she gave him up.”
Joseph’s lips flattened into a grim line. “We coughed up that prime Northside plot to the Coles to nix the engagement. But Aria? She practically raced to the altar with Liam, sneaking in a prenup behind our backs. You hear what people are whispering? Airhead, lovesick, fool. The Saxon name’s getting dragged through the dirt.”
His voice spiked, and he slapped the table again, his temper red–hot.
“Grandpa, take a breather,” Caleb said, sliding a glass of water toward Joseph. “Liam’s the one who screwed around with that Gibson girl. Aria’s the one who got burned here–not her fault.”
Caleb, Aria’s older brother and the Saxon family’s eldest heir, had been her anchor over the past two years. He’d schooled her in the ways of the corporate jungle, passing down half his tricks to help her thrive.
They got on well enough, always able to talk without sparks flying.
Luke, toying with the oversized gold chain dangling from his neck, flashed a crooked grin. “Hang on, Caleb, I’m not buying that. Mr. Cole let slip that Aria funneled 150 million into Cole Group. Didn’t think Logan had that kinda bank tucked away for his real daughter. Bet Silvia’s wondering if she’ll get the same fat stack when she walks down the aisle.”
He leaned hard into “real daughter,” his voice tart with shade.
Luke was the spitting image of his late grandma Nora, with a bold, almost too–gorgeous look that had charmed everyone since he was a kid. As an adult, he’d leaned into his playboy rep full tilt.
His dad, Joseph, wasn’t having it and dragged him to the altar.
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10.86 AM
Chapter 7
After Luke and his wife welcomed a son, he finally dialed back the wild life. He’d always wanted a sweet, doe–eyed daughter, but his wife, Abigail, wax married to her career and shot down the idea.
Their years of squabbling left Luke pouring all his affection into his niece Silvia, treating her like his own little princess,
Aria’s return threw a wrench in the works. Luke was on high alert, paranoid she’d swipe Silvia’s place in the family, and he kept her at a distance.
He wasn’t Team Aria, and she wasn’t exactly his biggest fan either.
“Aria’s wedding gift was fifteen mil, not 150 mil, Logan cut in, his voice sharp enough to slice through the tension, pulling Aria back to the present.
She glanced at her biological father, her expression unreadable. Logan, who could’ve been Joseph’s twin with his chiseled features and take–no–crap aura, was someone Luke looked up to and rarely crossed.
“So where’d she dig up that 150 mil?” Luke pressed, voicing the question burning in everyone’s mind.
Joseph’s brows furrowed. “Aria, where did you get that kind of cash for Cole Group? Don’t tell me that Gibson girl was right about you being mixed up in that fraud mess two years ago,”
From the moment Aria set foot back in the Saxon family, the vibe had been all kinds of wrong.
Zoe walked on eggshells around her, always gentle, terrified of ruffling her feathers. But with Silvia, Zoe’s warmth was real–she’d tap Silvia’s forehead, chuckle, “You little troublemaker,” or ruffle her hair, telling her to behave.
When Silvia goofed, Logan would ice her out, sending her to the study to think it over. When Aria messed up, he’d explain things softly, urging her to get some rest.
Caleb treated both girls fairly, but there was always a strange wall between him and Aria, something intangible she couldn’t quite grasp.
Nathan, like Luke, had clocked her as an outsider from day one,
Aria’s heart was a frozen lake, unmoved by their sidelong glances. She let out a sharp chuckle. “So, you dragged me back here just to snoop about where I got my 150 mil? What’s it matter to you?”
“What’s with that attitude?” Joseph snapped, his voice cutting like a blade,
From that first meeting, Joseph couldn’t muster a drop of affection for Aria.
A twenty–year–old raised in the middle of nowhere, she carried a chilly vibe that didn’t sit right. No trace of excitement at finding her family, not even a “Grandpa” to bridge the gap.
Compared to Silvia, his adopted darling, this blood granddaughter felt like a stranger. “The baby swap was a freak accident,” he said, his tone steely. “Ain’t on Silvia. Blood or no, she’s your sister. Don’t go resenting her or scheming to outshine her. What she’s got, you’ll get too.”
In this family, Joseph’s word was gospel. Nobody dared push back. He expected Aria to nod, maybe mutter, “Got it, Grandpa.“
But instead, she flashed a sinirk dripping with mockery, her voice cool as frost. “Relax, Mr. Saxon. I’m not here to steal Silvia’s spotlight.”
Calling him “Mr. Saxon” instead of “Grandpa” slammed the door on any chance of family warmth.
Zoe’s face twisted with worry, itching to tell her daughter to ease up, but her lips parted, and no words came,
“Dad!” Logan cut in, rising to calmn his fuming father.
He gently guided Joseph back to his seat before turning to Aria. “Aria, hon, can you let me in on how you pulled in that 150 million?” His voice was soft, all care and no judgment.
The word “pulled” smoothed the thorns in Aria’s chest. “I’ve got a piece of a company,” she said, keeping it short. “The 150 million’s dividends I’ve stashed over the years.”
Logan nodded, his gaze kind. “Mind sharing the company’s name?”
“Can’t. I promised to keep it on the down–low.”
Like snorted, his voice laced with shade. “Two years ago, you weren’t even a Saxon. Just some country girl. Where’d you dig up the dough for
shares?”
Aria tilted her head, each word a slow, deliberate jab. “None of your damn business.”
The room went dead quiet, tension thick enough to choke on.
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1056 AM
Chapter 7
Luke shot to his feet, face red with rage. “That’s how you talk to your uncle? Two years with the Coles, and they couldn’t teach you to zip it?”
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