Chapter 27

Aiden's POV I stood in the doorway, watching my grandmother and Aria laughing together over my teenage humiliation. The sound of their combined laughter should have irritated me, yet something about it felt... right. I'd rushed back from the office earlier than planned, consumed by visions of Aria accidentally revealing our arrangement to my grandmother. The Carter Industries meeting had been straightforward, but I couldn't focus. All I could think about was what might be happening back at the estate. When I arrived, Lucas informed me that Aria and my grandmother had been inseparable for hours. Rather than interrupt, I decided to observe from a distance. Through the partially open door, I watched as my grandmother showed Aria my childhood photos, telling stories I'd hoped were long forgotten. What surprised me wasn't Grandma's openness—she'd always been sentimental about those albums—but Aria's genuine interest. She wasn't putting on a show; her reactions were unguarded, her questions