Chapter 95- New Revelation
Chapter 95- New Revelation
A few days had passed and both Aria and Adrian had been working hard on finding any dirt they could on Hunter. Adrian had kept him at an arm’s length and made sure he didn’t get too close to him or any of his loved ones.
Everyone had suffered enough already, and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again and let him back into his circle, not after what he had done.
He had paid a visit to the hotel where Aria and him had stayed a few weeks ago and like expected had found out that Hunter had bribed one of the security guards there with money, just so that he didn’t open his mouth and expose what he had done with Aria.
Adrian made sure he was given a copy of the footage from inside the hotel suite before he left and much to his relief, he was glad to find out that Hunter didn’t sleep with Aria.
He told Aria straightaway as he knew how much it had been eating her up from the inside since the day she had found out.
Aria was glad that Hunter didn’t take advantage of her, although he had touched her against her will. Adrian reassured her with sweet words and told her not to worry, as with each day that passed, they were getting closer to putting an end to him and his dirty little games.
It was late one evening and both Aria and Adrian were sitting outside, taking over some hot drinks.
“Why didn’t you tell me that your drink was spiked that night at the party?” Aria asked Adrian quietly, as the gentle evening breeze blew around them both.
Adrian drank some of his tea and looked down at her with a serious look on his face,
“I didn’t think it was important, not when the damage was already done” he said quietly, wondering if it was Jared who had told her as no one else knew, but him.
Aria slipped a few strands of her hair behind her ear and looked up at him with a small smile on her face,
“But you should have told me, I mean I might have forgiven you sooner” she said before she drank some of her hot chocolate, thinking he looked handsome sitting there with his sleeves rolled back slightly and a few buttons of his shirt undone.
Adrian rested a hand on her bare thigh and looked down into her eyes deeply,
“I’ll remember that for next time” he said before he leaned down and kissed her on the lips softly, taking his sweet time.
Aria closed her eyes and kissed him back, liking the feel of his lips pressed against hers.
“I can’t wait to confront Hunter, he’s taken so much away from us already. You know Victoria’s mum Suzanna, she told me something shortly after aunties death, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you at the time with everything going on” she said quietly as she remembered her eye-opening words.
Adrian wrapped an arm around her and drank some more of his tea,
“What did she say?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t some more bad news.
Aria put her mug of hot chocolate down on the coffee table in front of them both and looked up at him,
“She said it wasn’t Rylan who stabbed me that night at your parents’ house, but someone else” she said quietly as she felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Adrian listened but didn’t react,
“But who would know that better than you are beautiful, you were very certain it was your ex” he said as he remembered that night nice and clearly, just like it was yesterday.
Aria looked away for a moment and then up into his eyes,
“I know but you have to remember that I kept falling in and out of consciousness, is it possible I was imagining stuff. Aunt Suzanna also said I was attacked from behind and it was Rylan who stepped out of the bushes and saved me, she said it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be alive” she said quietly, with her voice barely above a whisper.
Adrian pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the top of her head softly,
“Don’t think about it too much beautiful, what’s happened has happened and nothing we do or say can bring back what we lost. Whether is was Rylan or someone else, what difference does it make” he said before he hugged her tightly.
Aria listened to him quietly, thinking he was right. Rylan wasn’t as innocent as he framed himself to be that night, as he was still there, when he wasn’t supposed to be alive.
“I’m just scared that if it wasn’t Rylan who stabbed me that night, than the person who did might still be out there, lurking in the shadows” she said in Adrian’s ear quietly as she held onto him tightly with both her arms.
Adrian gently stroked her back and listened to her quietly, thinking both him and Cengiz had asked the best police officers of the city to handle the case and even they had dismissed Rylan as innocent.
Even his own parents had backed up Rylan’s statement and had said that if it wasn’t for him, Aria would have definitely not survived the attack.
Adrian remembered the moment the police officers arrived at the hospital the following morning to talk to Aria. He remembered one of them mentioning how they believed a left-handed person had carried out the attack and how Rylan was right-handed.
“Apart from me there’s only one other left-handed person I know” Adrian thought to himself, and it was in that very moment Hunter came to his mind, and he wondered if he was the one who had tried to kill Aria.
Aria picked up her head from his shoulder and looked up into his dark eyes that were filled a lot of different emotions.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly as she touched his face tenderly, thinking both of them had been through a lot in the past twelve months and she couldn’t wait to see the first ray of light at the end of the tunnel.
Adrian pulled her closer to him by the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead softly,
“I’m thinking how I should pick you up, take you inside and make love to you all night long” he said quietly, making her heart skip a beat and stomach flutter crazily.
Aria couldn’t help but smile, although she had a feeling he wasn’t telling the truth.
“As good as that sounds, I know that’s not it” she said and it was then they heard footsteps and saw Chase walk over to them with another board game in his hands, this time it was monopoly.
Adrian drank some more of his tea and looked up at him with a serious look on his face,
“Not asleep yet?” he asked as it was almost one in the morning.
Chase saw down on the sofa opposite and looked back at him,
“Nah I couldn’t sleep, so thought I’ll see if you two are awake” he said with a small smile, thinking as much as he hated to admit it, he did like spending time with them both.
Aria tied all of her long hair up in a ponytail and looked at Chase,
“We were just leaving but I don’t mind playing with you” she said with a small smile, earning herself a look from Adrian.
Chase quickly set up the game and looked at her and Adrian,
“That’s good so who wants to pick out their houses first?” he asked as shuffled the cards in his hands.
Adrian leaned back against his seat and looked at him, thinking both him and Aria could do with some form of distraction.
“I’ll go first” he said before he took two cards from him and placed them down in front of him, thinking this was one game he was actually good at and enjoyed playing as all you needed to do was be money smart.
It was in that moment he decided that he was going to make sure he bought all best properties on the board.
Aria took two cards from Chase and looked at them both, thinking she had got better houses than she thought she would.
“I’ll be the banker, because I don’t trust you both with all the money” she said to him and Adrian who looked amused.
He finished off the last of his tea and looked at her with a small smirk on his face,
“As you wish beautiful” he said before he sat up properly and got ready to play. Chase looked at Aria and smiled,
“That’s fine but can you at least give us the bit of money we need to start off” he said as he watched her sort out all of the money into small piles.
Aria smiled and distributed the correct amount to both him and Adrian before she took some out for herself.
“Can I roll the dice first?” she asked Chase who double counted his money just in case she gave him less and Adrian more.
He took a long gulp of his drink and looked at her with a small smile,
“Aren’t you asking for a bit too much?” he asked, making Adrian smirk even more. Aria gave him a look with her eyes,
“I’ll take that as a yes” she said before she rolled out the dice and moved her little metal piece accordingly.
Adrian watched her as she landed on one of the cheapest houses on the board,
“So, what you thinking beautiful? Are you going to buy it or give it a miss?” he asked with a hand on his chin, thinking she looked effortlessly stunning.
Aria smiled and looked at him,
“I think I will buy it” she said, surprising both him and Chase as they weren’t expecting her to spend her money so soon.
“Good decision” Adrian said before he rolled out the dice and landed on her property, making her day.
He watched her pretty eyes light up happiness as he pushed a few notes towards her,
“Don’t get too used to it” he said before he turned his attention to Chase, who seemed to be enjoying their light banter.
They all played for a good long while before Aria called it a night and headed upstairs as Lyla had woken up and she wanted to put her back to sleep herself.
Adrian and Chase both happily split the few properties she had bought between themselves and some of her money before they continued playing.
Chase stopped halfway to grab another drink from inside and Adrian told him to not take too long as he wanted to finish the game and then call it a night, not knowing that Chase had other plans.
He lit up his cigarette and took a long puff of it before he blew out the smoke.
Chase watched him from a little distance away, thinking this was it, the moment he had been waiting for ever since he had started working for him and Aria.
He quietly walked back to where Adrian was sitting, with a sharp knife in his hand, one that he had set his eyes on the moment he had seen it in the kitchen.