Chapter 852

Pinebrook. Victoria sat across from Nicholas, a bit surprised. "Didn't expect you to ask me out like this." "I'm here for my brother," Nicholas answered bluntly. Victoria had more or less figured that, but she still replied calmly, "There's nothing between Aiden and me anymore. So, I hope we can leave the personal stuff out of this." "You know exactly what Aiden's capable of. He's not some spoiled rich kid. He may not be running the family business, but if the Schroeder Group ever needs anything, the Hale family's got your back." Nicholas was clearly testing her boundaries. Victoria gave a small smile. "If feelings get mixed up with benefits, they're no longer real." She was making it clear she and Aiden had loved each other genuinely. No strings. No agendas. The ones tied to her through arranged marriage? That was just business. No love at all. "You seem dead set on cutting this off, but it doesn't have to be black and white. If you still care about him, you should know he's hurting."