Chapter 81

Aria's POV I woke up the next morning with the contract still sitting on my bedside table. Groggy and still half-asleep, I stared at it for a long moment, remembering the way Aiden had silently placed it there before leaving for work. "This is ridiculous," I muttered, reaching for my phone. I dialed Aiden's number, determined to refuse this extravagant "gift." My fingers trembled slightly as I waited for him to pick up. "Good morning, Aria," his deep voice answered, somehow even more attractive over the phone. "Did you sleep well?" "I can't accept this contract," I said, getting straight to the point. "It's too much, Aiden. That transfer agreement is worth millions." He sighed on the other end. "It's just money, Aria. And it's something I want to do for you." "But I don't need it. I don't want someone to think I married you for your money." "Nobody who knows you would ever think that," he replied softly. We argued back and forth for nearly twenty minutes. I was surprised by how stubbor