<b>Chapter </b>214
<b>At </b><b>the </b><b>dinner </b>table, Anabel ate quietly <b>while </b>stealing nces at Owen, her <b>eyes </b>intent on every <b>detail </b>of his <b>expressiona </b>
<b>The </b><b>Shaw </b>Family always insisted on silence at meals, but Owen’s home felt different, so she didn’t bother holding back. “Owen<b>, </b>your true l <b>better </b><b>every </b>time, <b>Honestly</b>, this tastes as good as Amour Bistro.”
Owen nced up and asked, “So, what’s the reason for running away from home this time?”
Anabel shed a proud smile. “I didn’t run away this time—I did a good deed.”
<b>“</b>Oh? What kind of good deed?”
“I threw ink all over Liam and Hannah,” she said, lowering her voice and sneaking a look at Aria, only rxing when she saw Aria’s face was unreadable<b>) </b>
Owen sighed. “Didn’t you learn your lessonst time?”
The whole Shaw family had seen thest incident. Brodie had almost lost his mind and wanted to make trouble for the Saxons, but Anabel had <b>gotten </b>
up further. down on her knees and begged forgiveness before it blew
Even so, Brodie had sent word to Aiden to give the Saxons some grief, but Aiden had just ignored him–only making family ties worse.
Blushing, Anabel mumbled, “Well, they deserved it for pretending to be innocent.”
After that fiasco, Aiden had forbidden her from going to Mandino City, but she’d snuck out anyway, telling only her mom.
When dinner was over, Aria offered to help with the dishes, was firmly refused, and so she headed back to her own ce.
As Owen washed up, Anabel leaned by the kitchen door, peering in. “Owen, do you like Aria<b>?</b><b>” </b>
He turned, voice steady. “Why do you ask?”
She grinned. “You look at her differently. I can just tell.”
As a kid, Owen was always more popr than Kim–soft–featured, bright, polite, almost like someone had programmed him to <b>be </b>gentle with everyone.
But things changed when he turned twenty and became the family’s ck sheep–everyone called him ungrateful<b>, </b>ruthless, cold.
He’d been pped with everybel imaginable.
But through it all, he stayed as gentle andposed as ever, the insults barely touching him.
He treated everyone the same, including her.
Still, Anabel could sense a difference in the way he looked at Aria–something softer, maybe even a little vulnerable.
Owen just said quietly, “Go get some rest. I’ll take you home first thing tomorrow.”
“Can I stay until the afternoon?” Anabel wheedlo
“I have work,” Owen replied, not budging.
She pouted. “Fine, fine.”
Back <i>in </i>her apartment, Aria’s phone buzzed, Martin: [Aria, any chance you’ve changed your mind about being <b>a </b><b>grad </b><b>advisor </b><b>in </b><b>Ma </b>
He’d asked the same thing every morning and every night since that first day.
<b>City</b>?]
Hic messages had gotten shorten <b>ter </b><b>responses </b><b>more </b><b>perfonatory </b>(<b>Sorry</b><b>, </b>Martin Thave had arms thane That mea <b>qualified </b><b>to </b><b>teach </b><b>grad </b><b>students</b>) had fomed into a <b>simple </b><b>(</b>Not for <b>now</b><b>) </b>
<b>She </b>nced <b>at </b>Martin’stest message, and it made her think of her teacher<b>, </b>Mano,
She scrolled <b>to </b><b>his </b>pinned <b>contact </b>histest message filling the screen with just two words<b>: </b><b>Get </b>out
<b>She’d </b><b>gotten </b>married <b>so </b><b>suddenly</b>, she hadn’t had time to tell Mono, but he’d found out anyway <b>and </b>blown <b>up </b>at her first
<b>She </b>started <b>typing</b>: II heard you’re judging for the Fine Art Society is it on the 7th?
Mono replied with a single word. Not “get out“-just a chilly “Heh.”
Aria: <b>[</b><b>It’s </b>been more than two years, you’re still mad at me?]
He didn’t answer until that night.