Chapter 86
“Justin?... I do not know who you are.”
“Of course you would not.” Justin pushed off the car and took a few slow steps closer. “Well, I once worked for Victor Crane. To execute his… personal business.”
The words were like ice down Aiden’s spine. His heartbeat quickened instantly, blood pounding in his ears.
Victor Crane. Even after he killed himself, the man’s name still made Aiden’s stomach twist.
“You worked for Victor Crane?” Aiden’s voice hardened. “Then I do not want to have anything to do with you.”
He turned away, but Justin’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
Aiden yanked free so hard the sleeve tore at the seam. “Do not touch me.”
“Hold on, Aiden, why so hasty? I just— ”
“Leave me the fuck alone.”
Justin sighed, tone still calm. “Listen first, then decide.”
Aiden froze. His instincts screamed for him to walk away, but something about the man’s composure made him pause.
He turned halfway, jaw tight. “What do you want?”
“I need your help.”
A bitter laugh left Aiden’s lips. “My help? You have got to be kidding.”
“With what?” he added, voice laced with irritation.
“Jace,” Justin said simply.
That name again. Like a blade slipping under old scars.
Aiden’s eyes darkened. “Do not even dare,” he warned, his voice dangerously low.
“I want— ”
“Hell no.” Aiden’s voice thundered before Justin could finish.
“Relax,” Justin said, palms raised in mock surrender. “I know you still love him.”
Aiden’s chest tightened. He did not answer. The silence between them was sharp.
Justin smiled knowingly. “You know I am telling the truth … If you did not, why are you still standing here pretending you do not want to hear what I have to say?”
“Because.... I don’t need whatever sick plan you have got,” Aiden snapped. “Whatever you want from Jace... leave him alone.”
“I think you will change your mind once you realize what I am offering.”
Aiden gave a harsh laugh. “You think I would sell my soul to someone like you?”
Justin took a slow step closer. “Not sell, Aiden.... Trade.... I’m offering you the one thing you have always wanted.”
Aiden tilted his head, glaring. “And what do you think I need?”
Justin smiled, soft and cruel. “Jace.”
Aiden’s jaw flexed. “Jace is already mine,” he said through clenched teeth, though even as he said it, the words felt brittle and desperate.
Justin chuckled low, dark amusement curling around every syllable. “Oh, yeah?..... You don’t know, do you?”
Aiden frowned, tension crawling up his neck. “What are you talking about?”
Justin reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded newspaper page. The wind caught the corner of it, rattling like a whisper.
“Here,” he said. “See for yourself.”
Aiden hesitated, eyes flicking from the paper to Justin. His gut told him to walk away, but his hands betrayed him. He snatched the paper and unfolded it.
His breath caught.
The headline read:
CRANE HEIR MARRIES BARTENDER JACE RIVERA IN GLAMOROUS CEREMONY.
The photograph below showed Jace in a tailored white suit, smiling and radiant a light Aiden had not seen in years. Beside him, Elias Crane had his arm around him, holding two laughing toddlers dressed in matching cream outfits.
Aiden’s fingers tightened around the paper until it wrinkled under his grip.
His heart thudded, uneven and painful.
“They even have kids now,” Justin murmured, almost sweetly. “Twins.”
The world blurred. Aiden’s hand trembled so hard the newspaper almost slipped from his grasp. His breath came shallow, and every sound around him turned to static.
All those years in prison— the humiliation, the bruises, the endless nights staring at the ceiling he had told himself it was worth it. That Jace was worth it.
He had thought if he endured enough pain, maybe he could balance out the hurt he caused. Maybe Jace would forgive him. Maybe he would wait.
Now he knew why Jace never came. Why no letter ever arrived. All this time, he had thought Jace was still angry, still healing. He had not realized that Jace had moved on with him.... With Elias. The son of the man who had ruined both their lives.
The ground tilted beneath him. His chest burned.
Justin’s voice slithered through the haze. “I know it hurts, but Jace does not love— ”
“Shut up,” Aiden snapped, the words exploding from him. His voice was raw, trembling.
Justin did not flinch.
Aiden’s eyes were wild and dark he was breaking. His breath came heavy, hands shaking as he crushed the paper in his fist. He did not even realize how hard until his knuckles went white, and the veins stood out like cords.
The air between them crackled with rage and grief.
Justin watched him, expression unreadable. “You still love him,” he said softly. “Even now.”
Aiden turned away, staring at nothing. He could see Jace’s face in his mind.
A storm of emotion burned behind Aiden’s eyes, grief, confusion, and rage, but beneath it all, something colder began to stir.
He looked up, jaw tight and eyes empty.
“So,” Aiden said quietly, his voice stripped of hesitation. “What is your plan?”