Aaron had a hunch. Something didn’t sit right with him, and he couldn’t shake it. Just as he was about to reach out and share his suspicion with Alistair, the call came in first–Alistair’s voice on the other end, calm but earnest, asking for a favor.
Alistair had “Bane Breaker,” sure, but that didn’t mean he was going to sit on his hands while someone framed him.
Meanwhile, Aaron owed Alistair, and he’d been looking for a way to return the favor. Now that Alistair had asked, Aaron jumped at the chance.
Caroline was also working the case, but her focus had always been on Paige and the Morgan family. That caused her to overlook someone on the periphery, the cousin of the driver. A man who, on paper, had no contact with the suspect for years.
Aaron trusted his gut. And his gut told him to keep an eye on that cousin’s entire household. Sure enough, something surfaced.
If Caroline operated like a surgeon with a steady hand, cutting clean and deep, then Aaron was the field medic, quick, decisive, and just as effective when time was tight.
One brought precision. The other brought speed. Together, they made it work.
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Even after the true culprit had been identified and arrested, Caroline didn’t stop. Her instinets told her this wasn’t just a simple hit–and–run. There were deeper strings behind it, strings that led straight to the Morgans and to Paige.
“That guy seems harmless enough on the surface,” Julian remarked one afternoon, “but the truth is, he’s a degenerate. Booze, gambling, prostitutes–you name it. Not to mention he beat his wife so badly that she lost the ability to have children. She’s been living under his thumb for years, too scared to even think of fighting back.”
He slipped into a dry, analytical tone, like a detective building his case. “Then one day, her world starts to crack. She discovers something about him. But he’s gotten so used to her silence, he doesn’t see the threat.”
Aaron nodded. “You’re not wrong. The poor woman didn’t have it in her to report him. She’d been broken for too long. He trained her to be quiet, obedient.”
Julian let out a slow breath, a flicker of real emotion breaking through. “And that’s when you showed up. But getting someone like her to stand up and fight? That’s not easy. She doesn’t work. She relies on him for everything. If he goes down, she loses her home, her food, her life.”
Aaron leaned back in his seat. “She’s been suicidal before. He threatened to kill her entire family if she ever tried again. So yeah, she stayed. It wasn’t living. It was surviving.”
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Chapter 188 A Debt Repaid
For once, Julian’s composed face twisted into something harsher. “Bastard.”
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Aaron’s approach had been simple–break the psychological chains. Make her believe this time, it would end differently. That if she testified, the man who had ruined her life would go away for good.
And it worked.
He didn’t just return a favor to Alistair. He pulled a woman out of hell.
For a guy who used to drift through life like a street rat, it was surprisingly satisfying to do something right for once.
Julian, having pieced everything together, swore again under his breath, and then smoothly shifted topics with his usual gentlemanly polish. “Mr. Landry,” he said, “I heard your father has some trouble walking?”
Aaron blinked, caught off guard.
Then he nodded. With someone like Julian, digging up that kind of detail probably wasn’t hard.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “A few years ago he got injured. Nerve damage. He hasn’t walked since.”
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Julian nodded thoughtfully. “What a coincidence. I happen to know one of the top specialists in that field. He’ll be in New York soon. Let me make a few calls. I’ll arrange a consultation.”
Aaron’s eyes widened. “You mean… Dr. Sebastian Rowen?”
Julian smiled, “So you’ve heard of him.”
“He’s the best,” Aaron said without hesitation. “Of course I
have.”
When his father had first gotten hurt, every doctor they visited had shaken their heads. The verdict was always the same- permanent. They said there was no fix.
But Aaron had refused to give up. He spent months searching, hoping to find someone who could prove them wrong.
That search led him to the name Sebastian Rowen, a leader in neurological research. Not a practicing doctor anymore, not someone he could just book an appointment with. By then, Sebastian had already retreated from clinical work and dedicated himself to research full–time.
Aaron had tried everything to reach him. Nothing worked. Eventually, he let it go. Not because he stopped caring, but because he had no choice.
The years passed, and the dream faded. But now it was back.
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“I mean it,” Aaron said, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you. I don’t even know what to say…”
Then he paused, something tugging at him. “Mr. Hart… I want to be honest. Mr. Harlow once helped me. Helped my sister, too. She always wanted to act, and he made it happen. I owed him. That’s why I helped. I wasn’t doing anyone a favor. I was paying off a debt. I… I really don’t like owing people.”
Julian chuckled, interrupting him, “Let me make this simple. Do you want your father to walk again?”
“Yes!” Aaron said without hesitation.
Julian slapped his knee. “There we go. That’s all that matters. I’ll send you the appointment details when it’s confirmed. Be ready.”
Aaron didn’t know where to put his hands. He was excited but also embarrassed. “I really don’t have anything to repay you with…”
Julian grinned. “Then owe me. It’s not a loan shark deal. We don’t charge interest on favors. One favor is one favor. We’ll keep the tab simple.”
Aaron stepped out of Vireon Technologies into a blast of afternoon sun. The heat pressed down from above, thick and relentless.
Chapter 188 A Debt Repaid
) 13 min latt
The heat of summer was building, but not as fast as the warmth
in his chest.
For the first time in a long while, he felt like life was heading somewhere.
Maybe Sebastian wouldn’t be able to fix his dad. But at least he’d know they tried everything.
His sister Janice had just joined a new production. When the internet turned on Alistair, most people thought the film If There’s a Next Second was doomed. Some even predicted the cast’s careers would go down with it.
But not Janice. She’d thrown herself into the work, studied the role, and kept her head high.
Just yesterday, she’d called him, practically glowing through the phone. The director, Yves, had praised her performance. He said she had a natural gift.
Aaron could see it now–her on a red carpet, under the lights, her name in bold.
He couldn’t help but smile. The usual edge in his expression had softened. That heavy darkness he carried around felt lighter today.
Time to stop drifting.
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Whether or not his father walked again, whether or not Janice
became a star–it didn’t matter. He’d already made up his mind. He was going to get his life together.
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