Chapter 162

BLAKE

I waited by the front door as evening fell. The entire day felt endless without her.

The moment Aria stepped through the door after work, I rushed to her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and spun her around. She gasped and laughed, protesting as I held her close.

I buried my face in her neck. "Missed you."

She pushed against my chest, creating distance. "We saw each other this morning."

"Too damn long ago," I murmured, kissing her cheek.

"You're ridiculous," she said, but her eyes gave her away.

At Morgan Global Enterprises, everyone knew me as cold, calculating, brutally efficient. Only here, only with Aria, did I become completely myself.

As we walked to the living room, Aria checked her watch. "Need to finish some paperwork for the LY Technology project. Just wrapping things up."

I frowned. "Work? Now?"

"Not everyone can snap their fingers and delegate everything," she said, arching an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, where's Jack hiding? Haven't seen him in weeks. Did you finally work the poor man to death?"

"Jack's fine," I replied, pulling her down beside me. "He's busy with William."

Aria stared at me. "With William? Our four-year-old son?"

"William spends time at the office now," I explained. "Jack helps him navigate the building, gets him lunch, that kind of thing."

"So Jack went from executive assistant to babysitter?"

I shook my head. "William doesn't need babysitting. He's...contributing."

"Contributing? To a multi-billion dollar corporation? He needs a step stool to reach the water fountain."

I smiled. "The programming team calls him 'The Little Genius.' He found a critical flaw in our security system last week."

Aria's mouth dropped open. "You're joking."

"Our son has an extraordinary mind. The tech team thinks he might be one of those rare prodigies."

She leaned back, digesting this. "So while I've been swamped with LY, William has been what? Taking over Morgan Enterprises?"

I laughed. "Not yet. But someday." I took her hand, running my thumb across her knuckles. "The company will be his whenever he wants it. I'm not Henderson."

Her eyes softened. Henderson, my father, never relinquished control of anything, especially to family.

"I'd hand over the company tomorrow if it meant more time with you," I said quietly.

Aria turned away. "You've changed."

"For the better, I hope."

"I remember when you worked non-stop," she said. "The lights at Morgan Tower stayed on all night. Your staff called it the 'Never-Sleeping Giant.'"

I winced. "I was obsessed with work. I neglected you. Left you vulnerable to Victoria's schemes and Emma's manipulations."

The mention of Emma made Aria stiffen. I knew bringing her up was risky, but we needed this conversation.

"I don't want to be that person anymore," I continued. "I've restructured the executive team, delegated more. I have two full days each week just for you and the kids."

She looked skeptical. "You, taking time off? The business world might collapse."

"Let it collapse," I said firmly. "Nothing matters more than fixing things between us."

Aria's face softened. I watched her internal struggle—the hurt battling against what we once had.

"When I watch you with Aurora," she whispered, "reading stories, doing her hair... I almost want to forget everything that happened. Just move on."

My heart jumped, but she wasn't finished.

"But then I remember," she continued, voice hardening. "I remember everything, and I can't pretend it didn't happen."

I nodded, taking her hand. "I understand. I don't expect you to forget."

We sat in silence. I needed to address our other problem.

"You worry about Emma. I worry about Matthew."

Her head snapped up. "Matthew?"

"The way Emma misunderstands my gratitude, Matthew misunderstands yours."

"That's different," she protested.

"Is it?" I asked gently. "These relationships complicate things. Maybe we need to resolve them completely before moving forward."

I pulled her close, feeling her tension slowly dissolve. "I don't want you forgiving me because of a momentary emotion. I want us to clear away every problem between us."

She looked up, her eyes mirroring my own hunger. "And then?"

"Then we start over. For real this time."

Aria nodded slowly. "If I forgive you, Blake, it won't be impulsive. It will be because I've truly moved past everything."

"That's all I ask," I said.

She stood up. "I should check on the kids."

I caught her wrist, pulling her back. "Our conversation isn't finished."

"What else is there to say?" she asked, suddenly breathless as I moved closer.

"Nothing," I whispered, my voice dropping. "But we both need to release some tension."

Before she could protest, I kissed her, cutting off her objection. She resisted briefly, then melted against me, her hands gripping my shirt.

I lifted her, carrying her toward her bedroom. She didn't fight me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her lips never leaving mine.

Inside her room, I kicked the door shut. Every suppressed emotion erupted between us. Every touch, every kiss pulled us deeper into something neither of us wanted to escape.

The next morning, I woke first. Aria slept curled against me, breathing deeply. I texted Olivia about the kids' breakfast since Aria wouldn't be getting up anytime soon after last night.

Watching her sleep, I felt hope. We still had problems to work through, but for the first time in years, I believed we might actually make it.

ARIA

One Week Later

I massaged my temples, fighting a headache. Waking at dawn to prepare for Richard and Elaine's arrival had exhausted me. Now I sat with Olivia in JFK's VIP lounge with three restless children.

"You look tired," Olivia said, bouncing Ethan. "Everything okay?"

I nodded, watching William and Aurora play. "Just tired."

Olivia smirked. "Nothing to do with Blake practically moving back in?"

"He hasn't moved in. He's just around more for the kids."

"Right. That explains why you've been walking funny all week."

I threw a magazine at her. "Shut up."

Aurora ran over, tugging my sleeve. "Mommy! When are Grandpa and Grandma coming? I'm STARVING!"

I smoothed her curls. "Soon, sweetie. Their plane just landed."

William approached, serious as always. "They cleared customs fourteen minutes ago."

A security guard hurried over, looking tense. "Ms. Taylor, there's a situation with the Grants. You should send the kids home first."

Cold fear hit me. "What situation? Are they hurt?"

"No, ma'am. But you should avoid media attention and possible... upset."

I kept my voice steady. "William, take Aurora and Ethan home with Mr. Peter. I need to talk to Grandpa and Grandma first."

William's eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong."

"Just boring grown-up stuff."

Aurora's eyes filled with tears. "But I wanna see them NOW!"

William took her hand. "Come on. We'll see them at home later."

Once the kids left, I demanded answers. "What's happening?"

The door opened. Richard and Elaine appeared, looking exhausted. But the third person made my blood freeze.

Emma.

She walked between them, golden hair perfect despite the long flight. Her face looked thinner, but her eyes still held that familiar cruelty.

"Emma," I whispered.

She smiled coldly. "Aria. Been a while."

Olivia stepped closer. "What the hell is she doing here? There's an FBI warrant!"

Emma laughed. "That's been handled. I'm Sofia Grant now." She flashed a passport. "New identity, clean record."

My head spun. "How? You manipulated my parents!"

"Misunderstandings. Richard and Elaine have excellent attorneys."

Richard looked uncomfortable. Elaine stared at the floor.

"Why would you help her after everything?" I asked them.

Emma answered first. "Because I'm their daughter. Their real daughter. You were just keeping my place warm."

She pulled out an official document. "Property transfer agreement. All signed and notarized. Everything you've been enjoying—it's all coming back to me."

The paper trembled as she shoved it toward me. "It's all legal. I win, Aria. I always win."

Shocked, my mind went completely blank, unable to think.