Chapter 8
Logan’s brows furrowed, his face tightening as he fought to keep his cool. “Luke, Aria’s my daughter. How we raise her is our business, so back off.”
Luke scoffed, jerking his hand back with a scowl. “You think I care about your family drama? I’m only stepping in ‘cause I don’t want Silvia getting hurt. And let’s be real–Silvia’s not even your blood. Why not let her come to our side? I’d treat her like my own.”
“Uncle Luke,” Silvia murmured, her voice soft but trembling with nerves she couldn’t hide. “Aria’s landed some killer deals for Cole Group. She’s got Dad’s brains–she’s incredible. Don’t get the wrong idea about her.”
She shot a quick, complicated glance at Aria, her eyes carrying a weight her words didn’t.
Luke let out a harsh laugh, dripping with mockery. “A delinquent who skips class and starts fights? Couldn’t even make it to high school. Brains? That’s a joke people’d spit their coffee over.”
“Cool it,” Joseph snapped, his glare pinning his youngest son. Then he turned to Aria, his tone all business. “A divorce would kick up a storm for both families. Besides, Daniel made it crystal clear–when he’s gone, Cole Group’s yours. You’ll be the one calling the shots. With us behind you, the Gibsons won’t dare stir up trouble. Let them run off to Erenoland if they’re so keen.”
The promise sparkled like a prize just out of reach. If Aria controlled Cole Group, the Saxon family would have it in the bag.
They’d dominate, soaring to the top of the four major families in no time.
Logan’s frown deepened, his voice low and tense. “Dad, you’re not seeing the whole picture. Aria was bullied into signing a prenup before the wedding. The Coles never saw her as one of them. Liam’s a deadbeat, and Daniel’s just stringing her along to keep her slaving for Cole Group. It’s all a big con.”
Zoe nodded fiercely, her eyes blazing. “Why should my daughter keep busting her ass for them after Liam cheated? No way Aria’s going back. This marriage is over.”
Joseph’s face darkened, his cane thumping the floor like a judge’s gavel. “If this was Silvia, she’d have guys falling over themselves even after a divorce. But Aria? Who’s she gonna find if she walks away?” His words cut deep, sharp as a blade. “I’m still head of this family, and I make the calls.”
The room fell silent, the air heavy with tension. Only Luke gave a quick nod, backing his father up.
Zoe’s heart twisted. Her daughter was being thrown to the wolves, not even allowed to choose her own path. In a low mutter, she said, “If Aria hadn’t been switched at birth, if she’d grown up a Saxon, would you still look down on her like this?”
The words slipped out, raw and unfiltered, and they hit like a slap. Silvia’s eyes filled with tears, and she dropped her gaze, biting her lip to hold
back a sob.
Luke’s face hardened. “Zoe, what the hell kind of thing is that to say? Silvia’s innocent!”
Zoe turned to Silvia, grabbing her hand with a look of pure regret. “Sweetheart, I didn’t mean it like that.”
Silvia tried to hold it together, but the tears broke free. “I’m so sorry, Mom,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “This is all because of me.”
As Zoe stood to comfort her, a faint warmth flickered in Aria’s chest, soft and fleeting. But it vanished before she could hold onto it.
Once again, Zoe had chosen Silvia. Aria had known this truth for years.
“I’m not here to talk about the divorce,” she said, her voice steady and unyielding. “I’m telling you it’s happening.”
Joseph froze, his eyes wide with shock. Silvia’s tears stopped as she looked up, her face blank, caught off guard.
Aria fished a sleek card from her pocket, took a few steps, and dropped it on the table with a soft thud. “Twenty mil on this. Password’s six zeros. That’s the wedding gift you handed me, plus what I spent that month with the Saxons”
The room went pin–drop quiet.
No one saw it coming–she hadn’t touched a single cent and even tossed in an family.
extra three million, like she was ready to burn every bridge with this
“That’s nuts!” Logan’s face darkened, his eyes locking onto her sharp stare. The lecture he had primed died in his throat.
His gut was screaming: if they didn’t fix this now, Aria might be gone for good.
He closed the gap between them, his hand hesitating before resting gently on her shoulder. “Aria, you’re a Saxon, blood and bone. No one’s
rewriting that. You want to ditch that marriage? Fine by me. But you’re taking back your hundred fifty mil. And the Coles‘ stuff? We don’t want their
1/2
10:56 AM
Chapter 8
scraps.”
Aria didn’t bother correcting him–she wasn’t chasing a hundred fifty million. She wanted 1.5 billion dollars.
Logan turned, squaring up beside her like a shield. “Dad, if Aria’s not welcome here, we’re gone. All of us.”
“Logan!” Joseph’s face twisted, red with rage. “You throwing the Saxon rules out the window?”
The Saxon code: family interests above all, no scandals, no splitting up.
Caleb rose, cool and steady. “I’m with Dad. If Grandpa and Uncle Luke don’t want my sister around, we’ll hit the road, Silvia, you with us or staying
at the manor?”
Silvia twisted the hem of her dress, her voice barely above a whisper. “I go where Mom and Dad go.
Zoe, who’d always bristled at her father–in–law’s old–fashioned ways, was already mentally packing. Move out? She’d be the first out the door.
“You don’t need to do all this for r
me,” Aria said, her eyes calm as a still lake. “Silvia and I were switched at birth, right? That just proves she’s the one cut out to be a Saxon. Not me. So why not just lean into the mix–up?”
‘Lean into the mix–up. Silvia’s heart gave a little jump, a spark of hope flaring.
She’d once snuck back to her bio family’s crumbling shack in the sticks. Her real parents didn’t even pretend to care–just sized her up with greedy eyes.
They’d already pocketed 1.5 million from the Saxons, but still hounded her for another million to fund her brother’s wedding.
Her birth family was stuck in another century, obsessed with boys, their home a filthy disaster.
Silvia had been freaked out, tossing them 600 thousand dollars and bolting. Aria could walk away from the Saxons and still slay. Silvia? She’d rather die than lose this life.
“Enough!” Joseph barked.
Disowning his own granddaughter? That’d make the Saxons the punchline of every gossip rag. No way he’d let that shame stick.
His weathered face turned cold as he gave in. “Aria, after the divorce, you’re back here. Stay in line, and I won’t meddle. But…”
His voice cut like a blade. “No Saxon shares unless you pass my test. She’s got no claim to them yet.”
Silvia had been handed two percent of the shares at eighteen, no strings attached. Aria, his own blood? She had to jump through hoops.
Caleb’s jaw tightened, but he bit his tongue.
Luke helped Joseph shuffle out, leaving just the second branch of the family in the tense living room.
Zoe stood, inching toward Aria. “Sweetheart, come home with us, okay?”
Aria’s face stayed ice–cold. I’m good. I’m used to flying solo.”
Zoe’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Caleb’s expression hardened, all business. “We’ll sort out the home stuff later. Right now, we gotta get that divorce in the bag. Aria, I can hook you up with a killer lawyer-”
“Appreciate it, but I’m set,” Aria said, shutting him down. “Got one lined up already.”
