<b>Chapter </b><b>185 </b>
Again, his mind wandered to A ‘How did she ever survive all this?
He looked at his secretary. “Judith, how long have you worked at the Cole Group?”
“Five years,” Judith answered.
“Was Aria always <b>this </b><b>busy</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>
Judith hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Ms. Saxon hadn’t studied anything rted to the business, so she had to start from scratch, right when thepany hit a financial crisis
<b>“</b>She basically lived at the office. Andrew used to bully the <b>stall</b>–Ms. Saxon always stepped in to protect everyone. Once, a <b>new </b>hire was dragged off to drink with clients.
“Someone tried to drug her, but Ms. Saxon stepped in, fought the guy off<b>, </b>and called the police. She was a workhorse, but <b>hardly </b>ever drank managers resented her for that. Then one time<b>, </b><b>a </b>client insisted she drink, she broke out <b>in </b><b>hives</b>.
“That’s when people realized she was allergic. Alter that, whenever she <b>had </b>to drink, she’d take allergy meds in advance. Ms. Saxon was great. The employees who quit–it wasn’t because of her. They just fell-”
Judith stopped, struggling to find the words. “They just thought she gave everything <b>but </b><b>got </b>betrayed. It felt unfair, so people left.”
Liam’s grip on the files tightened, a heavy ache pressing on his heart.
Only <b>now </b>did he realize how much Aria had endured–and how cruel his words to her had been.
If he hadn’t gone abroad and Aria had stayed, would any of this <b>have </b>happened?
He shook the thought away. Even if <b>he </b>could do it all over, he would still have gone to Erennd.
Saving lives had always been his dream.
If not for Hannah, he’d have died there.
<b>No </b>one was truly at fault–he and Aria were just never meant to be
If Aria ever heard how Judith described her, she’d probably burst outughing
Those two years, she’d only drunk three times–just because the wine was expensive and smelled delicious, and she couldn’t resist,
That day, Aria went to the bank, filled out a form, bought a gold <b>bar</b><b>, </b>and stopped by a jewelry store for a small bracelet
The moment she stepped outside, her phone vibrated [Kim’s vi, help…]
The message was deleted mid–sentence.
Aria jumped into her car and immediately called Owen
He picked up right away. “You.”
“Where does Kim <b>usually </b>stay?” Her tone was urgent. He gave her the address without hesitation. The next <b>second</b>, she hung up.
Owen pulled on his coat and headed <b>out</b>, <b>As </b>he left, Aaron nearly ran into him. “Mr. Shaw, where are you going??
“Tell the director I need some time off,” Owen called back, already halfway down the hall.
Aria sped to the gatedmunity and pulled up at the entrance, calling to the guard, “My friend’s been kidnapped, Let me through
Her expression was icy, her volte trembling with barely controlled panic.
The guard, startled, instinctively hit the button and watched
d her de
drive inside. “<b>Was </b>she a scammer?”
“<b>She’s </b>gorgeous and her car’s expensive. No way
“What did she <b>say </b>just now?”
“Kidnapped…” The <b>guard’s </b>eyes went wide. He dialed the police immediately.
At Kim’s vi, Aria vaulted the fence without a second thought. Two bodyguards spotted her and rushed over
Inside, Cloe sat on the <b>sofa</b>, fists clenched, clear eyes tinged with anger. Maisie, curled up in her arms, looked up anxiously. “Mommy, is he <b>my </b><b>daddy</b>?
Without hesitation, Cloe answered, “No.”
Maisie nced at the cold–faced man across from them. “Thank goodness. I don’t like him.”
Kim’s expression was unreadable. “Cloe, don’t be so sure–the paternity test isn’t back yet.”
Cloe shot back coldly, “So what if it is? You think you can take Maisie from me?”
A storm flickered in Kim’s eyes, but before he could answer, the bodyguards burst in. “Sir, there’s a girl outside<b>. </b><b>She </b>says you need to get out there and see her.”
AD