hapter 46
Aiden couldn’t tolerate one thing more than anything else; deception, especially when it came to the marriage between their families.
But Valerie never imagined that Valentina would open her mouth and claim that Valerie was the one who, in her greed for power, had forced her way inus marrying Aiden. She painted Valerie as a woman who had used her desperation to manipulate both families.
The Clarks, clearly stunned, played along with Valentina, reinforcing the image of Valerie as “vain” and “ruthlessly greedy,” which immediately cast her into a pit of despair.
The entire farce, unprecedented in its scale, stripped both the Clark and Walker families of their dignity.
The Walker family elders, who already held a prejudice against her, now loathed her even more. Arianna, constantly around the Walker family and steadily rising in prominence, made Valerie seem no more than a mere plaything in their eyes.
It was much later that Valerie realized this had been a prearranged drama set up by Valentina and Juliette, designed to drag Valerie into the mud and strip her of everything.
“What are you thinking about?”
A low, magnetic voice broke her thoughts.
Valerie jumped in shock, turning to face the source of the sound.
Aiden stood there, fully dressed, a world away from the red–eyed, gentle beast she had seen earlier that morning. This was the Aiden she knew–cold, regal, and merciless.
Valerie met his gaze, her heart tightening, and for a moment, the image of the Aiden from her past flashed in her mind.
After a while, she managed to smile faintly and said, “What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were having breakfast?”
Aiden’s eyes scanned her face, catching the deep pain she was trying
Valerie felt a sudden pang in her chest, her heart thumping loudly.
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hard to hide. His gaze darkened slightly. “I wasn’t, I was waiting for you.”
Aiden moved closer, his voice low. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the sudden change in her demeanor.
His closeness made her uncomfortable, and she instinctively tried to push him away, though she kept her voice soft. “It’s nothing. Didn’t you say you had
to rush back to Aprealand? You should eat first.”
She quickly moved to walk past him, but Aiden didn’t move. His eyes were fixed on the phone she had left behind. The phone buzzed with a notification.
She got a new message.
Mom: [Valerie, I heard your conversation with your father. I know it’s been hard on you, but this birthday party is important to your father. Aiden might not be the easiest person to talk to, but he’s your husband, and you’ve been married for almost two months now. You should be able to speak to him. Just bring him along, okay?]
Dad: [Do your best. Just don’t be late, and don’t make a fool of me.]
Valerie didn’t notice she had left her phone behind as she made her way to the dining room. She took a sip of milk, her thoughts drifting: If to Aiden, would he agree to come?
The memory of the last birthday party haunted her–shadows that loomed large in her past.
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uld talk
Chapter 46
If Aiden could just show up, not only would her position in the Clark family change, but the tragedy of the past could be avoided.
No humiliation. No bullying. No ‘catching her in the act‘ incident that ruined her life.
But Aprealand’s matters were crucial, and on Everett’s birthday, there was an important meeting and signing event. Valerie knew that Aiden had already delayed a lot of work because of his sudden return to the country.
She remembered clearly from the past–when she called, Aiden hadn’t even hesitated before rejecting her.
He was always too busy.
As she sat there, lost in thought, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up to see Aiden coming down the stairs. His presence made her pulse quicken.
Aiden moved slowly, sitting across from her and casually taking a sip of his black coffee. Valerie watched him, her heart racing and her palms sweating Words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Aiden, seemingly unaware of her unease, put his cup down and picked up his knife and fork. After a moment, he casually asked, “Do you want to say something?”
Despite not looking at her directly, Valerie felt a strange tightening in her chest.
Is it that obvious? Valerie thought. Has he figured it out?
She hesitated, opening her mouth to speak, but instead of voicing what she had been thinking, she said, “Drinking coffee in the morning is bad for your stomach.”
Aiden paused, his movements stalling as he processed her words. His gaze, already intense, seemed to darken even further. He lifted his eyes to meet
hers.
The Walker family’s event was something he knew about. He had been waiting for her to speak up.
But after all this time, was this the best she could come up with?
Annoyance flickered across Aiden’s face. He glanced up at her and asked, “Is that all?”
Valerie felt her heart race as she realized she had misstepped.
She knew Aiden hated people interfering with his routine. And here she was, using that as an excuse. Wasn’t that like walking right into the line of fire?
She quickly tried to salvage the situation. “But you’ve been drinking it for years. You must be used to it by now…”
Aiden’s expression grew darker as he observed her cautious demeanor.
He couldn’t stand this version of her–the one constantly treading lightly.
Was he really that scary to her?
It wasn’t lost on him that even after all that had happened, Valerie had
never once mentioned the Clark family’s birthday party. Not once.
His eyes narrowed as he caught her gaze. He placed the coffee cup down with a force that made Valerie flinch.
Aiden stood up abruptly, his cold gaze on her as he turned to leave.
Valerie watched his retreating figure, her heart feeling as though it had been squeezed in
a vise.
This man–he truly was as unpredictable as ever.
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Chapter 46
Even after last night, it seemed like nothing had changed between them.
Well, that was fine. She was ready for the battle.
When she had enough strength, she’d find a way to break free from Aiden’s grip and reclaim her own freedom.
Soon after, Aiden was off again on a business trip.
Valerie, with some rare free time, decided to buy a few promising stocks,
After all, since becoming Aiden’s “caged bird” in her previous life, Valerie had taught herself many things. Hacking skills. Songwriting. And, with Aiden’s connections, she had ventured into the stock market.
Though she had been imprisoned by Aiden’s unpredictable moods and insatiable demands, in some ways, Aiden had still treated her decently.
At least she didn’t have to worry about food or clothing, and her rare outings were always dignified. Aside from the physical aspects of their relationship that he forced upon her, Aiden had been more than accommodating, as long as she didn’t anger him with her words.
