Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Cleared Aria Hartwell.

Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Cleared Aria Hartwell.
Chapter 45
Cleared
Aria Hartwell.

I had been looking at apartments all morning when I saw them. Two men standing beside my car in the underground parking garage of the third building. I recognized the closer one immediately — Viktor's man. It was then that it clicked in my mind that I hadn't completed the second half of the payment yet, and I didn't realize the time was almost up.

"Miss Hartwell." He nodded once as he made his way towards me. "Mr. Viktor sends his regards."

"Tell Mr. Viktor I'll have something for him by the end of the month," I said calmly.

"That's the third time we've heard that from your emails." He tilted his head slightly, and I squinted, not remembering anytime I sent any email to Viktor. "Mr. Viktor's patience has reached its limit. He'd like to wrap things up cleanly before the week ends."

"I said end of the month."

"And he's saying end of the week." He looked at me pleasantly. "You have a salary now. You have an inheritance coming. You have resources available to you that most people don't. The money isn't the problem, Miss Hartwell. Your priority is."

This wasn't entirely true. I had already budgeted my first salary for the down payment of this house. The inheritance was still months away, and frankly, I doubted that I was going to get it at the end of the day with the way things were moving between the board members.

"Aria." Ethan appeared from behind me, hands in his jacket pockets, completely unbothered. He looked at both men without changing his expression. "Is there any problem?"

"This is a private conversation," Viktor's man said. "Mind your business." He added sharply before turning towards me. "You should stop hiding behind men for your loans or people like him would get really hurt. After your flimsy threat from last time, my boss is ready to—"

"No one needs to know anything about that." Ethan cut him off immediately. "Now, this conversation is my business and it stopped being private when you cornered her beside her car." He looked at me briefly. "How much?"

"Ethan, don't—"

"How much?"

Viktor's man named the figure and Ethan pulled out his phone, made a transfer in under a minute, and turned the screen around.

"Check it."

Viktor's man checked his phone. He nodded at the second man and they walked away up the ramp without another word. We both watched their backs as they began walking away.

"Ethan." I turned to him. "You can't keep doing things like that."

"But it's already been done." He shrugged. "There's no reason to cry over spilt milk."

"That was my problem." I pressed my fingers to my forehead. "I had a plan for it."

"What was the plan, Aria?"

I didn't answer because the honest answer was that I was still working on the specifics.

"Consider it a loan," he said simply. "There's no timeline or any pressure added. Pay at your own convenience, trust me. I have more money to spend."

"I'm already in debt to one person because of Viktor. I'm not adding another name to that list." I looked at him. "Where is this money even coming from, Ethan? The shares purchase, now this? What exactly are you doing with your life that—"

"My family inheritance." He said it as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "Old money that I've had sitting quietly for years. I didn't earn it, I won't pretend I did." He shrugged. "But I can use it."

I watched his face carefully and he held my gaze without flinching.

"I don't want anything from you in return," he added. "I want you to stop owing people who frighten you. That's it."

I debated on continuing the argument, but I was already exhausted.

"The third apartment," I said after a moment, looking over the property we had been looking at. "I'm taking it."

"Good choice." He walked beside me toward his car. "The one with a private entrance?"

"Yes."

"Good."

We walked in silence for a while before he brought up the conversation.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're going to anyway." I smiled at him, my eyes shining knowingly.

"True." He almost smiled. "Do you trust Cassian?

I paused and thought about that question. Did I really trust Cassian?

"I trusted him," I said carefully. "I'm currently reviewing that decision."

"Is it because of the honeymoon? Because he left the company just to enjoy a few—"

"No. No." I shook my head. "It's definitely not that. C'mon, he just got married. He's allowed to have some fun with his wife. I'm saying I'm beginning to distrust him because of several things." I looked up at him. "Why do you ask though?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Because whatever is happening around your family right now has someone behind it, and whoever this person is has done a good job with hiding in plain sight where no one can suspect it's them." He looked at me steadily. "I just want to make sure the people closest to you are actually on your side."

"Are you on my side?" I stopped in front of the car and turned around to gauge his reaction.

"I'm here, aren't I?" The corners of his lips lifted imperceptibly in a smile as he replied quietly.

"True..." I chuckled and shook my head, allowing him to be a gentleman and opening the door for me. I thanked him when he did and hopped into the car, waiting for him to slide into the driver's seat.

When we were both settled, he turned on the ignition of the car.

"So, how are you preparing for the audit on Monday?"

I didn't think about the answer. "I'm not preparing for anything. Everything is already in place. In fact..." I thought about this part. "I think this Viktor's sudden appearance has something to do with the board. What if they wanted to catch me in the act of doing something illegal, or being in a serious debt, or something..."