Chapter 10
Valerie’s heart pounded like a drum. As she turned her head, she found herself suddenly face–to–face with Aiden’s intense, bottomless gaze.
At some point, he had stepped right in front of her, staring down at her, their faces now just inches apart.
Her chest tightened with panic, and just as she tried to step back, he caught her chin in his hand,
His lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. His voice was low and slow, edged with something dark and dangerous. “If you don’t know him,” he said, “why are you so nervous?”
Valerie’s eyes flickered away. “I…”
“You do know him.” His tone was certain–no room for doubt.
His gaze deepened. His rough fingers slowly traced her jaw, and the smirk on his lips carried a hint of menace. “Pretty well, I’d guess?”
Her eyes trembled. Instinctively, she reached up to push his hand away, trying to stay composed. “No… not really. We just know each other.”
“Oh?” Aiden gave a quiet, amused laugh, then glanced toward the rear of the car.
Nelson was getting closer–his thin frame almost within reach now. He was clearly exhausted, his glasses askew, but he kept running without stopping
Phillip, the driver, looked in the mirror, hesitated, and asked, “Sir, should I stop?”
“Go! Drive! Go home!” Valerie shouted, her voice full of panic.
But Phillip didn’t move. He was waiting for Aiden’s answer.
Aiden raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by the situation. He let out a low chuckle. “What’s the rush? I actually want to meet this guy.” He glanced in the mirror again, his tone light but laced with amusement. “I’d love to know–what kind of connection makes a man chase a car this far? Don’t you think that’s worth finding out, Mrs. Walker?”
Mrs. Walker. Every syllable rang out slow and deliberate. He sounded like he was smiling–but his eyes were ice–cold, sharp enough to pierce right through her.
A chill ran down Valerie’s spine. She grabbed the front of his coat, her voice trembling. “There’s nothing going on between us. You’ve got it all wrong. Please–let’s just go.”
“Nothing going on?” Aiden repeated, rolling the words slowly off his tongue, as if savoring them.
Then suddenly, without warning, she was lifted off her seat. She gasped. “Ah!”
The world spun for a second, and before she could react, she was sitting on his lap.
His body heat pressed against her back–scorching, overwhelming, like he wanted to brand her with it.
She jolted, instinctively trying to get away.
But he didn’t let her. His arms locked around her like steel. One hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. His voice dropped, laced with a dangerous edge. “What are you so afraid of? That I’ll hurt him?”
She shook her head, eyes full of fear, but he didn’t seem to notice–or care. Still holding her chin, he looked her straight in the eyes. “The man you met that night–it was him, wasn’t it?”
Valerie’s body went rigid. A jolt of panic curged through her, and she started struggling hard.
But the more she fought, the tighter his grip became. There was no gentleness–only force. His arms crushed her against him like he wanted to make her
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Chapter 10
disappear into him.
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“Valerie!” Nelson’s voice rang out again, closer now. He was gasping for air, clearly worn out, but there was joy and relief in his voice.
The moment she heard him, Valerie’s heart twisted painfully. Her struggles grew more desperate–and just like that, the tears came, falling fast and uncontrollably.
She thought, ‘No… I don’t want him to see me like this…”
Arden tasted the salt of her tears, his brows tightening into a sharp frown. The coldness radiating off him seemed to deepen, sinking even lower.
Catching the young man in the rearview mirror drawing closer, Aiden let out a cold, mocking laugh. His voice dropped to a hoarse murmur as he issued a chilling order. “Slow down.”
“No! Please, no!”
The rear window rolled down, and hope lit up Nelson’s face. He pushed himself to run faster, reaching out desperately. “Valerie-”
But the words died on his lips.
Through the window of the gleaming Maybach, he saw Valerie he had treasured beyond anything, now trapped in another man’s arms–pressed tightly against him.
The sight hit him like a brutal blow to the chest.
Nelson froze in place. His body was soaked with sweat from the long chase, but now he felt nothing–only a bone–deep chill spreading through him, leaving him paralyzed, numb.
From the corner of her eye, Valerie caught every detail–the shock on his face, the pain, the devastation. Her heart felt like it had been pierced straight through, left bleeding and torn beyond repair. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the tears fell silently.
Aiden caught the whole show. He saw it all: the way Nelson’s expression shifted from joy and relief to utter heartbreak, as if the sky itself had collapsed over him.
It was… magnificent. Satisfied at last, Aiden pressed a few mocking kisses to Valerie’s tear–streaked face
Phillip was practically shaking from the tension he had just witnessed. He thought, ‘God, what
a
scene.‘
- Murmured against her skin, “Let’s go.”
But he knew better than to stare too long. Even sympathy for Nelson was dangerous right now. Without a second’s hesitation, he floored the gas and drove off.
Through blurred eyes, Valerie watched Nelson standing frozen in the distance. Nelson, who had once been so elegant, so full of warmth, who had once treated her like something priceless–now looked shattered, hollow, watching the Maybach disappear like a man who had lost everything he ever cared
about.
Nelson… Nelson… The pain ripped through her, sharp and merciless. She squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to hold herself together.
In her previous life, manipulated by Juliette, she had thrown herself blindly after some so–called “true love” and “freedom.”
And Nelson? He had risked everything for her–again and again–sneaking out to see her, trying to pull her out of the cage she didn’t even realize she was
- in.
But Aiden wasn’t a fool. With Juliette’s “tip–offs, he’d set a trap. Together, they staged a so–called “caught–in–the–act” scene.
Nelson’s legs were broken–smashed under Aiden’s ruthless orders–leaving him crippled for life.
And her? She was locked away even tighter, imprisoned in a golden cage where even going to the bathroom meant being watched.
Aiden’s feelings for her had never been love. It was obsession. Pure, brutal possession.
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Chapter 10
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Later, after endless struggle, she finally managed to get a divorce. But by then, she no longer had the courage to face Nelson.
When she finally gained her so–called “freedom,” she vanished. She hid herself away in a quiet, nameless little town. And it was there, in that lonely exile, that she discovered–She was pregnant.
