Chapter 7 Could Things Really Be This Coincidental

Cloud flicked his cigarette into the ashtray, the usual lazy grin dropping from his face as a sharper edge took over. "Nothing's come up yet. Not a whisper."

"Then keep looking." Nicole's reply came, brisk and unsentimental.

Cloud let out a short laugh. "Alright, I'm off-got a date on the clock. Can't keep her waiting." With that, he ended the video call.

Nicole, sunk deep into the couch, wore an unreadable expression-only the alert gleam in her eyes gave her away. The memory of what happened five years ago gnawed at her, refusing to be buried, a jagged piece she couldn't ignore.

Forcing herself out of that spiral, she stood and grabbed her suitcase, rolling it behind her as she headed for the master bedroom.

Inside, the room stretched out, cold and pristine in its palette of frosted blue and stark white. It resembled a showroom-untouched and desolate-far more than a true home. The entire place echoed Aidan's temperament in its chilling perfection.

Gathering up the neatly arranged toiletries Duran had prepared, she walked to the bathroom, her footsteps muffled on the flawless floor.

When she met her own gaze in the mirror, her features appeared flawlessly composed, but her eyes betrayed her.

A cunning glint played at the edges, hinting at a playful rebellion. Yet, beneath that shimmer, an iron resolve ran deep-unyielding, impossible to break.

No childhood memories featured her parents' embrace; they had vanished from her life long before she could remember.

At eighteen, they reappeared-not to welcome her home, but to throw her back into chaos. Marissa had steered her straight toward disaster, and Cathy? Cathy hadn't hesitated to sign her away, condemning her to rot in that sterile, merciless mental hospital.

She could've left at any time-every exit was right there, wide open. Yet Nicole lingered, not out of helplessness, but because some stubborn piece of her still longed for her family to see their own cruelty. She clung to a sliver of hope-just one word of regret, a scrap of apology, any sign that they cared.

Instead, they'd tossed her aside, trading her off in marriage as if she were a piece of property and not their own blood.

If family came down to that, she'd rather walk away.

...

That night, as soon as Aidan returned home, Duran rushed to meet him, voice low and urgent, ready to relay everything that had unfolded while he'd been away.

Aidan strode to his grandmother's room and rapped twice on the door.

"Step right in."

Inside, Lilah sat by the bedside, spoon in hand, gently urging Analia to swallow the last bit of medicine. Spotting Aidan, her eyes lit up with genuine warmth. "Aidan."

He stepped inside but didn't bother with a greeting. That cold, wordless stare told Lilah everything she needed to know. She quietly slipped out, leaving them alone.

After swallowing her medicine, Analia finished her water in one brisk gulp, then popped a chocolate into her mouth as if rewarding herself. She twisted around with a sly, knowing smirk. "Let me guess-you're here to interrogate me?"

Aidan's gaze held all the chill of winter. "You're the one who called the Wilsons' little switch a disrespect to our family, didn't you?"

Analia's gaze flickered to Aidan, sharp and insistent. "Nicole saved my life. She can help with that condition of yours, too. Honestly, you should be grateful to marry someone this generous."

Aidan's brow furrowed in surprise-he hadn't pieced together that his grandmother's mysterious savior was also Nicole.

Spotting his hesitation, Analia seized the moment. "You're aging, Aidan. Time to settle down and let a good wife keep you in check."

She let out a dramatic sigh, stretching her back as if it suddenly ached. "Ah, there goes my back again. I need to rest now, and so do you. Off with you..."

She snapped off the lamp, casting the room into gentle darkness.

Left with no other option, Aidan stepped quietly out into the hallway.

Leonel approached as Aidan stepped out. "Ms. Wilson's in your bedroom now. Should we send her back to the Wilson family?"

Aidan's expression stayed unreadable, shadowed eyes giving nothing away as his voice came out gravelly. "Let her stay."

That was all Leonel needed. He inclined his head, silently concluding that Aidan intended to handle this headstrong Nicole himself.

Outside the bedroom, Aidan paused, recalling the fierce glint in Nicole's eyes as she'd brought down the wolf. His gaze grew sharper, a hint of suspicion flickering beneath his cold exterior.

Could things really be this coincidental?

Lost in that thought, he eased the bedroom door open.