Chapter 4
That voice–so familiar it made Valerie freeze. She turned toward it, her heart twisting with complicated emotions.
Across the room, Arianna’s face lit up with excitement. “Aiden! How did you know I was here?”
The crowd thought, ‘The most famous figure of Reano City’s elite–the man everyone calls the ‘Grim Reaper‘ of the Walker family—Aiden himself?‘
The store clerks and onlookers near the entrance all went still, staring in shock.
Aiden–legend of the national financial world. A man known for his ruthless, decisive methods. From the moment he entered the business world, he had dominated it, leaving competitors in the dust.
But he hated cameras, refused interviews, and was rarely seen in public. Those few who had met him spoke of him as if describing a myth: impossibly handsome, impossibly powerful–a figure so rare he seemed almost untouchable. His mystery only deepened the fascination, making him the ultimate dream man for countless women.
Now, seeing him in person–his looks aside–the sheer force of his presence was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
Head to toe, he exuded a raw, dangerous masculinity–an intoxicating pull that many women found impossible to resist.
Like a butterfly drawn to a flame, Arianna practically floated toward him, her face radiant with joy.
But standing there, commanding the attention of the whole room, Aiden didn’t even glance her way.
Arianna’s dazzling smile stiffened, freezing awkwardly on her face.
Even the sales clerks shrank back instinctively under the oppressive chill of his aura.
Rosalie forced a bright, sycophantic smile and hurried to explain, “Aiden, it’s a misunderstanding! I wasn’t talking about Miss Reed–I was talking about
her! About Valerie!”
Arianna, still convinced he was here to stand up for her, added sweetly, “Aiden, just have her thrown out. She’s nothing–just some mistress kept by Josiah. Not worth making a fuss over.”
But the moment the words left her mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Aiden’s aura, already cold, turned absolutely glacial. “Josiah’s mistress?” he repeated softly–dangerously.
Arianna’s heart gave a small, excited flutter. Growing up alongside Aiden, she had almost never seen him lose his composure. Now, seeing him genuinely angry, she felt a twisted thrill.
She could only wonder how harshly he was about to deal with this shameless Valerie.
Rosalie, thinking she was helping, rushed forward with the black card Valerie had earlier placed on the counter. Eager to please, she said, “This is the card she used! One of a global limited edition! In all of the country, only you and Josiah have one!”
Arianna chimed in, smiling sweetly, “There should be a name printed on it, right?”
Rosalie nodded eagerly. “Of course! It says–uh…”
She froze mid–sentence, her face draining of color. She stared at the name on the card and stammered, “Aiden… Walker…?”
Arianna’s smile cracked visibly. “What did you say?”
In a flash, she stepped forward and snatched the card from Rosalie’s hands.
At the bottom of the card, printed in clean, unmistakable letters, was a name: Aiden Walker.
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Chapter 4
Arianna’s face turned deathly pale. “What… what’s going on?”
By then, Aiden had already crossed the room, his every step steady and unhurried–but brimming with suppressed fury. He stopped in front of Valerie.
She stood quietly to the side, looking like a bullied child. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she lowered her gaze and said softly, “Aiden…”
Aiden’s eyes darkened, his voice low and sharp. “What did you just call me?”
Valerie’s heart gave a hard jolt. She hesitated, then stammered out, “H–Honey…”
Arianna’s head snapped up, staring in disbelief. “What? What did you just say? Aiden, who is she?”
Aiden’s face remained unreadable, his tone flat. “As you can see–she’s my wife.”
Arianna looked like she’d been struck. “That’s impossible! When did you get married? Why didn’t I know?”
Aiden’s gaze swept over her, cold and cutting. “Are we close? Do I need your permission to get married?”
Are we close? The words dropped like a stone in the room.
Around them, the whispers started.
“Didn’t she just say Aiden was her boyfriend? Talk about a slap in the face!”
“Imagine picking a fight with the real Mrs. Walker. Karma’s fast these days!”
“Aiden’s wife is stunning. Way more beautiful than that celebrity.”
Arianna’s face flushed red, then turned deathly pale. She stood frozen, shame burning her skin under the crowd’s mocking stares. Furious, she turned and snapped at Rosalie, “This is all your fault! Running your mouth like that! You even said Ms. Clark was Josiah’s mistress! You should be the one begging for forgiveness!”
Not “Mrs. Walker“-only “Ms. Clark.” Even now, Arianna refused to acknowledge her properly.
Rosalie was trembling, her face as white as a sheet. “I… I…”
Aiden cut her off coldly. “Just apologize.”
Arianna quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Rosalie was on the verge of tears. “I… I’m sorry-”
But then Aiden said, without looking at her, “I wasn’t talking to you. I meant Arianna.”
Arianna stiffened, “What?”
Aiden’s voice was like a blade. “Apologize.”
Arianna’s face twisted in disbelief. Her voice cracked: “You want me to apologize? To her? What is she to me?”
Aiden stared at her, his eyes cold and unyielding. “She’s my wife. You tell me–what does that make her?”
Valerie’s heart skipped a beat. Almost against her will, she looked up at him.
From her angle, she could see the sharp lines of his jaw, the icy precision of his features. She wondered, ‘Is he really… standing up for her?‘
No. She quickly shook the thought away. Alden wasn’t protecting her—he was protecting his pride, his face. That was all it ever was.
Across from them, Arianna’s expression crumbled. “This… this is all a misunderstanding-”
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Chapter 4
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Aiden’s voice dropped lower, more dangerous. “Don’t test my patience.”
Tears welled up in Arianna’s eyes. She had never been so humiliated in her life.
Valerie watched her, a cold satisfaction blooming quietly inside her chest.
In her previous life, Arianna had schemed against her countless times. She had endured it all, never once fighting back.
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But today, seeing her enemy backed into a corner, struggling to hold herself together–it was impossible not to feel a small, guilty sense of triumph.
Still, she knew better than to get carried away.
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Arianna had deep ties with the Walker family. Two years from now, she would completely replace Valerie in their hearts, becoming a darling of both the Walker family and the entertainment world.
She was not the kind of person to forget or forgive humiliation.
Weighing her options quickly, Valerie made a decision. She stepped closer to Aiden and gently tugged the edge of his sleeve, her voice soft and careful. “Let it go, honey.”
Honey. The word slipped from her lips like a whisper–sweet, soft, deliberate.
In the month they had been married, this was only the second time she had called him that. The first time had been moments ago.
Aiden felt a strange, brief heat ripple through his chest, though his face stayed cold as ever. He lowered his head to look at her. “Not satisfied?”
Valerie bit her lip and lowered her eyes, playing vulnerable. “She’s a big celebrity. If she turns her fans against me, I’m scared…” She gave a timid smile. “It was just a silly misunderstanding over a dress. It’s not worth blowing up.”
Aiden’s eyes darkened a fraction. “A dress?”
Valerie nodded, pointing to a gown hanging near Rosalie. “We both liked it. But they said I’d dirty the brand’s image… that I should get out.”
Aiden barely spared the dress a glance. “You like it?”
Valerie hesitated for a second, then answered honestly, “It’s the only decent piece in the store.”
Without a flicker of emotion, Aiden turned his head and said coolly “Charge it.”
Rosalie nearly collapsed from relief. “Yes! Right away!”
‘If he’s willing to swipe the card,‘ she thought frantically, ‘then he must be letting it go! Aiden wouldn’t bother holding a grudge against a nobody like me! Yes, that has to be it.‘
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22:08 Tue, 27 May
Chapter 5
