(Aiden’s POV)“Opss… Wait, boss!” Aaron muttered.My heart stopped beating, and after a second, it pounded hard, hurting my chest. My nostrils flared in anger, curling my hands while thinking Derek had done something crazy to Jessamine inside the movie house. Sasha, sitting and pretending to be my beautiful date, pressed her lips, probably suppressing a laugh, when I sat upright and lifted my hand to fix the Bluetooth bud in my ear.I didn’t know what got me, but after calling Jessamine this morning, instead of showing up in the apartment, I came up with this crazy plan of following her discreetly with my partners’ help. Aaron bought a ticket and watched Jessamine and her date like a hawk, I hope, while Sasha and I went to the restaurant my best friend mentioned earlier where they would eat after watching the movie.“My bad,” Aaron chuckled. “He was only reaching for the popcorn.”I clenched my teeth, stopping myself from cursing him.“I told you I should watch the movie, not Aaron,”
(Aiden’s POV)“Aiden?” Jessamine repeated.I thought Jessamine was unhappy to see me, but then her lips curved into a sweet, excited smile. Then that smile disappeared when she heard Sasha clearing her throat, trying to get noticed.“Oh,” my best friend murmured, smiling meekly at my date, blushing as she glanced at her.Aaron would agree that Sasha looked stunningly beautiful in her wrap chiffon black dress, but she was the only one I never dared date, not even in my dreams.“Aiden, who is she?” Sasha asked in her shrewish tone.“Jessamine, my best friend. The one I told you a while ago,” I explained briefly, making sure Jessamine heard me. “Please, excuse me.” I stood up and walked in their direction. “Is there a problem?”“Hi!” Derek greeted, his forehead sweating. “You look familiar. Have I seen you before?”“Uncle Jay’s,” Jessamine reminded him.“Ah!” Derek nodded and smiled awkwardly at me. “We’re leaving. I didn’t know they needed a reservation here. I mean, Carterville is a sm
(Aiden’s POV)To stop kissing Jessamine was challenging, but I managed to drag my mouth away from her lips. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her body, and kissed her forehead.“Let’s go back inside, okay? I don’t want Derek to think I stole his date tonight,” I muttered.Although it was the plan, I didn’t want it to look obvious. I had plans for her tonight, wanting to surprise her with something, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen because of some misunderstanding about Sasha. Although she didn’t fight me, she nodded but headed quietly inside the restaurant.Sasha and Derek were already enjoying the dinner and talking about Carterville when we joined them at the table. It was one of my secretary’s many talents, making a man talk. Sometimes Aaron would joke about her being a witch, using magic spells because even he could not keep a secret from her.“Are you okay?” Derek asked, standing up to pull the chair for her.“Yeah,” she smiled shyly, probably still embarrassed by
(Aiden’s POV)“You’re a cradle snatcher, Adam.” Aaron clucked his tongue.He glanced at Jessamine, sitting on the porch with his wife. She picked up the cup of coffee Sasha gave her and smiled at something my secretary said.“She’s twenty-four,” I gritted my teeth, lifting my hand to massage my nape. “This isn’t what I planned, Aaron. I didn’t bring you here so Sasha could play cupid.”Aaron sat on an old couch and wandered his eyes around the house, ignoring me. “This needs renovation,” he said instead of commenting on what I had said. “Why are you giving this place to her? Why not just sell this?”I breathed, looking around our old house. This place in a ten-hectare land was the only inheritance I got from my mother when she died, but I kept this all these years because of the memories I had with her. I had thought of this place when I read Jessamine’s marketing plan and research. This was a perfect location for the business she had in mind.“This is too precious to me,” I answered,
(Aiden’s POV)There was pretty not much conversation after the kiss. I asked Aaron to drive us home as soon as we returned to the house. Jessamine must be sober now, sitting far away from me in the back seat, not talking to me. She must have realized the weight of her proposal.When Aaron stopped the car in front of the apartment, Jessamine said goodbye and exited the vehicle in a hurry, not waiting for me. Aaron rolled the window down when I got out of the car.“Adam, don’t forget the AI on diagnostics. Investors and clients from healthcare industries are excited about the accuracy of your work. Don’t play around,” he reminded me.“You don’t have to remind me,” I muttered, glancing at the door Jessamine left open. “Begin the renovation of the place. I’ll keep Jessamine busy.”“And your father, Mr. Knight?” Sasha chuckled, tilting her head to see me.“Tell him I’m not running away,” I snarled, squeezing my eyes shut and cursing inwardly. “And please, I’m Aiden. AIDEN ANDERSON.”I knew
(Aiden’s POV)“Behave!” I growled in a hushed tone.Jessamine only smiled and stepped forward, but I grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back to me when Xavier suddenly knelt on one knee. I had to open my arms and wrap my arms around her waist before she fell on the floor, not wanting to take this precious moment from Xavier and Deborah.“God, this is not how I wanted this to happen,” Xavier sighed nervously.“W-What are you doing?” Deborah hiccupped and stopped crying, slowly placing her hands in her lap.“Mel… my cousin, she’s a…” He hissed, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. Then he breathed, puffing out air slowly and opening his eyes, gazing lovingly at his girlfriend.Xavier began to sniffle while taking a small box from his pocket.I gulped air, knowing what would happen next.“I practice many times to make this moment perfect, but when is the perfect moment?” he chuckled. “Mom’s right. There’s none because you, Deborah, is already perfect for me. Everything we share
(Aiden’s POV)I yawned, stretching my arms as I exited quietly from the bedroom, not wanting to wake Jessamine up. I moved my head from side to side, walking toward the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee enticed my nostrils and pulled me to have a cup this morning.“Why is Jess in your bed?” Deborah asked, raising her eyebrows.Her hands were on her hips as her gaze followed me while I walked toward the countertop to get coffee.“Why are you having sex in the living room?” I asked, irked at the thought of them scaring Jessamine, which confused me.Deborah gasped.“You forgot you have a kid in the house,” I joked, turning around and leaning on the countertop. “She had seen you… and yes, we heard you.” I smirked, rolling my eyes as I pulled the stool and sat down.Her hand flew to her mouth, stopping herself from laughing.“OMG! Xavier’s not going to be happy with it,” she clucked her tongue. “We were… We’re…” She sighed and shook her head. “We should have thought of Jessamine.
(Jessamine’s POV)My nostrils caught the scent of brewed coffee, freshly baked bread, and the clean, fresh air altogether. I closed my eyes, smiling as I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Instead of helping Sasha set the table, I walked toward the lake as if it was calling me. Its pristine water was an unbelievably beautiful blue in the morning, mirroring the color of the sky.I had forgotten my plan of seducing Aiden, letting my brain work simultaneously, imagining how to turn this magical place into something profitable without touching the beauty of the area. Looking gorgeous even in a simple gray T-shirt and khaki shorts, Aiden walked toward me, bringing me a cup of coffee.“Deborah called and said nothing’s missing, and all the pages were complete.” He smiled, giving me the cup. “There’s no need to bring Charlie to the vet.”I chuckled, inhaling the scent of coffee before sipping.“As soon as I read your paper, I drafted a feasibility study, asked Aaron to review it, and… he saw