Chapter 15
Elizabeth's POV
I remained silent, waiting for her to speak first.
Bianca's voice was laced with an undeniable urgency. "Did you just say you have a piece from the designer S? Is that true? Hasn't she been off the grid for two years? How could you possibly have gotten in touch with her?"
I arched an eyebrow, surprised by her intense interest in this particular persona of mine.
"I did commission a design from her, yes. Is there a problem?"
Aiden cut in, his voice thick with impatience. "What designer? Elizabeth, didn't I just tell you not to find some random person to try and fool me?"
Before I could respond, Bianca rushed to explain it to him. "S is an incredibly famous jewelry designer. Her pieces are priced in the tens of millions."
"What?" Aiden was stunned.
His world revolved almost entirely around his company; he was oblivious to the realm of luxury designers. The moment he grasped the weight of the name through its price tag, his tone shifted immediately to one of fury.
"Elizabeth, are you telling me you spent tens of millions on jewelry? Your family is bankrupt. Where did you get that kind of money? Did you use my credit card?"
The fact that was his primary concern almost made me laugh out loud. I took a deep breath to steady myself before speaking. "Aiden, the credit limit on the card you gave me wouldn't even come close to covering that. I just happened to have a fortunate connection with S. She didn't charge me much."
"What?" This time, the surprise came from Bianca, her voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. "I tried to buy one of her designs before, but I couldn't even get on the list. How do you know her?"
I didn't answer, but I could hear Aiden on the other end, comforting her with a dismissive tone.
"She's just a designer. What is there that money can't buy? If you want it, I'll make sure you get it."
Bianca countered, "But S hasn't released any new work in ages. If Ms. Spencer really did get something, it would be the first new piece after years of silence. The significance is completely different."
"As long as there's money, it can be bought," Aiden insisted, his voice unwavering.
Listening to their exchange, I had to physically restrain a smile. It seemed Bianca was, ironically, one of my most devoted fans, while Aiden was posturing as if he could grant her every wish.
"Aiden, I'm hanging up now."
This time, I disconnected the call without waiting for a reply, having no desire to listen to their tiresome conversation or to wonder what they would do next. The cloying intimacy between them sounded far more natural than anything he and I had ever shared. They must have been like this often, in all the moments I wasn't aware.
The thought was nauseating.
I forced my attention back to the design sketch on my desk, determined to finish it as quickly as possible.
Half an hour later, my phone rang again. It was Julia.
"Julia, what's wrong?" I asked, my pencil continuing to trace delicate lines across the paper as I held the phone to my ear.
Her voice trembled slightly. "Elizabeth, did news of your comeback leak? Someone just called asking about your new design, and they made a very, very high offer."
"How high?"
"Starting at thirty million."
I let out a soft, knowing hum. "Who's the bidder?"
Julia's answer was exactly what I had anticipated. "They didn't give a full name, but they left a surname. Smith."
Of course. It was Aiden. The second he heard that Bianca wanted it, he was ready to throw money at the problem. An opening bid of thirty million—he'd never been that generous with me.
I did a quick calculation in my head. "Tell him fifty million," I instructed Julia. "If he's willing to pay fifty million, I'll agree to a private commission just for him."
"Really?" Julia didn't question the figure for a second; if anything, she seemed to think it was perfectly reasonable. "Okay, I'll get back to him right away. But Elizabeth… this means you're really coming back."
"Yes. Just message me when you have an answer. If he agrees, I can have the final sketch ready in a couple of days."
"No problem."
After hanging up, I worked with renewed focus. As evening approached, I finally completed the design and sent it to Julia. She responded with a flurry of excited emojis, immediately moving to arrange for its production.
Soon after, another message from her arrived: [I gave Mr. Smith your price. He agreed without a moment's hesitation! If you're good with it, he's ready to pay the deposit now.]
I typed back: [Of course I'm good with it. We'll split it fifty-fifty. And Julia, you have to keep my identity a secret.]
My message must have sent her into a state of sheer ecstasy, because it took her a long while to reply.
Later, I was sitting down for dinner with Grandma when, to my surprise, Aiden returned. He walked straight to the table and sat down beside me, immediately starting to serve me food from the main dishes, his attention seemingly fixed entirely on me.
Grandma watched his performance with a look of deep satisfaction. "This is how it should be," she said, her smile warm. "You two have a child on the way. You should always be this considerate of each other."
I glanced down at the food Aiden had piled onto my plate—all things I disliked—and managed to force a thin smile.
"Alright, Aiden, don't just focus on me. You should eat too," I said, gently stopping his fork with my hand. "I can serve myself."
It was all an act for him, so he stopped at once. Then, he turned his attention to Grandma. "Grandma, I've been thinking. After your birthday party next week, I'll take Elizabeth back home with me. I don't want to disturb your rest by having us stay here all the time."
My brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. So that was it. The whole charade was just a means to his ultimate goal: getting me out of this house.
This time, Grandma seemed less opposed to the idea. She squinted at the two of us, a thoughtful expression on her face, before a smile broke through. "As long as you two are getting along, I'm happy. By the way, when are you planning to get your marriage license?"
Both Aiden and I froze, our heads snapping up to look at her in unison.
Got married? In my current state, that was something I would never agree to. And the woman Aiden wanted to marry wasn't me, so he was surely just as unwilling.
His reaction, however, was far more visceral than mine. "No!" He blurted out.
Realizing his outburst, he quickly cleared his throat and softened his tone. "Grandma, let's not rush things with Elizabeth and me."
"You have a child on the way. How much slower can you take it?" Grandma's voice turned serious. "Do you intend for this child to be born without a legal father?"
Though we presented ourselves as an engaged couple, the legal distinction between a child born in or out of wedlock was significant.
I watched Aiden's profile, feeling as though I could read the thoughts behind his carefully constructed expression. This man, who wanted nothing more than my death, had likely never given the child a single thought. He didn't care if I was pregnant; his mind was consumed with how to use my life to save Bianca's.
"Aiden, I know you don't want to marry me," I said, lowering my head, my voice laced with a delicate, wounded quality. "But this baby was a miracle. I don't want him to be at a disadvantage."
"I won't let the child be at a disadvantage," Aiden replied instantly, his mask of concern slipping perfectly back into place as he turned to me. "Elizabeth, we can take our time. When the baby is born, he can be registered directly under my name."
"If we aren't married, then the baby's legal registration should stay with me, and he'll take my last name. After all, my family now…" I let the sentence trail off, allowing my posture to slump with manufactured sorrow.
My words struck their intended chord with Grandma, who dabbed at the corner of her eye. "You poor child, you've been through so much. This is why I said you two should make things official. Then you would have a real family in every sense of the word."
"Grandma, I don't want to force Aiden," I murmured. "Let's wait on the marriage until he feels ready. It's fine if the baby stays with me for now."
Although I had initially learned of this child's true origins with plans of vengeance, a deeper part of me had already claimed him as mine alone. It didn't matter if the father was Aiden or Alexander; he was growing inside of me, and he would belong only to me.
Aiden turned his head to look at me, his eyes filled with an emotion so complex it was unreadable. I couldn't quite decipher it. There was shock, certainly, but beneath it, was a flash of heartache he had failed to conceal in time?