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IMPORTANT UPDATE:
I'm only uploading this book on here twice a week from hereon. I need to work on several other important works at the moment (I have to earn a living). So please, understand and bear with me.
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The sound of the main door slamming shut lingered even long after Mira had stormed off; echoing in the silence that remained.
Aria stood motionless in the living room with her eyes fixed on the entrance. Her chest still rose and fell heavily, and her palm stung strangely in contrite-- as if her very own flesh was against what she'd just done.
While her heart was wrapped in an inexplicably bitter feel, her blood still boiled in anger and hurt; her shoulders trembling beside her.
For a moment, Aria didn't know what to do with herself.
The look on Mira's face just before she left flashed in her mind over and over again:
The shock, hurt, tears, and the sudden anger that had transitioned across Mira's face in quick succession...
Aria had never seen her sister look at her that way before!
It bothered her more than anything else. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd taken things too far.
'She deserved it.' Aria told herself, shaking off the remorse. She felt that Mira had to know that there were consequences to certain actions. Someone has to teach her...
In truth, she was only justifying her own frustration and how she'd lashed out on her sister.
"Well, that was quite something." Kain's voice broke through her thoughts, low yet sarcastic.
Aria turned sharply, shooting him a cold glare. As if to say: "Oh really?"
Kain, seeing this, quickly raised both hands in surrender. He wisely chose to remain silent, only flashing a wry apologetic smile.
This clearly wasn't the time for jokes, even though he only meant to lighten the mood.
Aria hissed, turned sharply, and stormed past him without sparing a glance. She almost pushed him out of the way as she brushed past him. Everything and everyone just pissed her off at the moment!
As she climbed upstairs, Kain studied her figure for a moment before letting out a quiet breath. He hadn't expected that the situation would turn out the way it did. A part of him felt guilty.
It felt like he'd turned two sisters against each other-- something he never intended. He thought to follow Aria, but he realized it was better to let her be for now.
Just then, a short buzz jolted him out of his daze.
Kain quickly reached into his pocket for his phone.
A notification lit up the screen.
The moment he saw the message, the little ruth that had been lingering on his face disappeared, his brows drew together into a deep frown.
— Where the hell are you? You think you can keep hiding from us?
Another message followed almost immediately:
— You've got til' tonight. Else, we're coming to find you ourselves. And it sure ain't gonna be to talk!
Kain's jaw tightened.
He stared at the screen for a few seconds, his fingers hovering over it. But then he locked the phone and shoved it back into his pocket.
Kain turned and dashed towards the main entrance, leaving the house.
...
Kain had barely stepped outside when Aria stepped into her room, slamming the door behind her. She reached to lock the door, knowing Kain might think to follow her.
There was no telling what that contemptuous blockhead wouldn't do, and Aria just couldn't deal with him at the moment for the fear of doing something she might later regret.
She wanted nothing more than to be alone. And her bedroom, providing all the luxury, security, space, and privacy she needed, was just the exact place she wanted to be.
The dark-brown, silk curtains unfurled over the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft gloom in the room. Only the circadian lightings built into the modern ceiling coves, around the tall mirrors, and on the edges of the bedhead, glowed a warm, melatonin-inducing amber tone that caught the glistening crystal chandelier that drooped overhead. The king-sized bed offered comfort with walnut linen quilts, feather-filled pillows, and clean apricot sheets that feels pleasant to the eye; it took no space despite its size. A large closet stood to the side, the floor-to-ceiling size suggested a variety of clothing choices. It smelled pleasantly of lavender and a tang of lime in the room, a fragrant that inspired the spirit and mood—
Her room was a mixture of comfort, glam, and a mature touch of gloom—
Aria crossed the polished floor and dropped onto the edge of her bed, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.
She rubbed her forehead, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past few hours.
Her thoughts inevitably returned to her younger sister.
The messages between Mira and Zara had been difficult to look at. Finding out they existed was hard enough, but reading through it all was just a twist of the knife that had already stabbed.
Aria saw enough to understand that Mira was unhappy with the arrangement. Her little sister had only been venting, expressing her frustration, and talking about how she wanted Kain gone.
In a way, Aria could understand that...
Perhaps Mira had been trying to protect her. Perhaps she had genuinely believed that if the marriage became public, Kain would be forced to leave and Aria would finally be free of the burden she had taken upon herself.
It wasn't an entirely unreasonable thought...
But the way she had gone about it? That was something else entirely. That was the fuel behind her very wrath.
Couldn't she have spoken to her about it first? Weren't they sisters anymore?
So much that Mira would rather confide in an outsider than her own sister?
That wasn't the only issue!
Mira had shared something that wasn't hers to share. She had allowed someone outside their family to interfere in a situation that could affect their inheritance, their reputation, and the company. And now the entire internet has an opinion about Aria's private life.
That was just so irresponsible of her.
Still, Aria felt that perhaps she had been too harsh. She herself should have handled things differently.
Aria leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling.
She had slapped Mira in a fit of rage. Her palm still burned from the strangeness of it all. Even when they would quarrel in the past, she's never hit her before.
The thought made her close her eyes.
She hadn't intended to hit her sister. She had simply lost control, allowing all the frustration and hurt she had accumulated in the past few days to spill out at once. But that didn't change what she had done.
And then there was what Mira had said before storming off:
"You act all mighty, all caring and sh*t. But you've never really cared about me, have you?"
Aria's brows knitted.
What was that supposed to mean?
She had spent practically her entire adult life making sure Mira never had to worry about anything. She had taken responsibility for the family, protected their inheritance, and put her own future on hold just so Mira never had to suffer a thing. She had even agreed to marry a man she despised because she couldn't bear the thought of Mira being forced into the same arrangement.
How could Mira possibly think she didn't care?
And what did she mean by calling me a hypocrite, a betrayer?
Aria couldn't understand no matter how much she pondered it. She knew it wasn't just Mira losing her shit and just saying whatever. There had to be a reason behind those statements...
In the end, she only sighed in defeat.
For now, they both needed time to cool off. She would speak to Mira eventually, sit her down and have a proper conversation. Not another argument or exchange of accusations, just a honest talk between two sisters.
She needed to understand what was going on in her sister's head.
But before she could settle into the quiet she had been craving, her phone vibrated and the screen lit up beside her on the bed.
It was a text from Daniel.
Aria casually reached to pick up her phone, expecting another question about the scandal or perhaps an offer to help.
Instead, the message made her entire body stiffen.
Daniel: I'm sorry, Aria. I told Mira the truth about Kain. I can't keep watching you make wrong turns like this.
For a moment, Aria simply stared. The words on the screen blurred before her eyes as the realization hit, as cold as a bucket of ice.
Aria's heartbeat drummed in her ears, loud but dull.
That was it!
That was why Mira had looked at her like that earlier with so much scorn and hatred... Why she'd called her a liar, hypocrite, and a betrayer!
It all made sense now. Daniel told Mira about Kain being the blackmailer.
Aria shot up from the edge of her bed.
"Shit!"
Her voice echoed through the room.
She couldn't believe it. Daniel had actually gone behind her back and revealed everything to Mira without even discussing it with her first.
How could he?
She immediately dialed his number, but the call barely rang before she ended it. No. She wasn't going to waste time arguing with him now.
She needed to find Mira.
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