Chapter 0023
“With the family gathering coming soon, you must bring Afia,” Mom continued, either not noticing or not caring about my clear discomfort. “It’s the perfect opportunity for the two of you to make up!”
“I’ve had a lot on my plate lately,” I said “But I’ll consider it.”
Huffing a harsh breath, Mom crossed her arms. “If you always treated Aria with this indifference, I could see why she would be dissatisfied.”
“Dear…” Dad said to Mom, as if trying to calm her, but Mom only became more fired up..
“I’m telling you, Lucian, if you continue to treat Aria like this, one day you will regret it!”
She’d been so furious then, that even now, as I was back in my personal office in my home, her words still lingered in my mind.
Regret it? Maybe I already regretted it.
Looking down, I still had the comparative analysis between Dr. A and Aria on my desk in front of me. Again, I looked between the two sides. The one labeled Dr. A and the other labeled Aria.
Ben, standing nearby, watched me curiously. “Do you still believe them to be the same person, Alpha?”
“There is a connection,” Max whispered in my mind, though I could tell my wolf was as confused as I was about how it all fit together..
“My intuition tells me that there is definitely a relationship between them,” I said.
“Well,” Ben said, “The information we’ve gathered says that Dr. A has an important case to tend to, that should overlap with the party. If Luna really is Dr. A, then she will not be able to attend the gathering.”
I might not know if I loved Aria, but there was one thing I was sure of — I cared about Aria more than I had previously thought I did.
Because of that, I was looking forward to tomorrow’s gathering – and potentially seeing her again – more than I wanted to admit.
Though, if my intuition was right, and Dr. A and Aria were truly one person…. maybe I wouldn’t see my wife after all…
Aria’s POV
Early evening the night of the party, as I was putting the finishing touches on my Dr. A disguise, Cathy was giving me a sympathetic look.
“Are you sure you are making the right choice?” she asked.
I gave her a questioning look. “You hate Lucian. Why would you suddenly want me to go to his family gathering?”
“I don’t hate him,” she said. “I just dislike how he’s treated you. But, I don’t know. If he’s the one you want, then
“He’s not,” I said. “Besides, there’s no use even thinking about it. This case tonight is too important to postpone.”
“The client isn’t dying,” Cathy said. “I’m sure he would postpone.”
“Dr. A is diligent,” I said. “I won’t give anyone any more reason to doubt me. I can’t cancel or postpone, and 1 won’t especially not for a party that Lucian probably doesn’t even really want me to attend.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0023
Even as I said it, I thought of that one additional written word, Please.
“If you are sure…” Catly said, watching me like a hawk.
Carefully, I schooled my face, making certain to hide all trace of disappointment.
Just then, the phone started to ring. Cathy went into the hallway to grab it.
“Hello? Oh, hi, Piper. Dr. A? Yes, I know how to get a hold of her. What’s up?
Hearing my alter–ego’s name, I came out into the hallway.
Listening to the phone call, Cathy’s eyes went wide. Looking at me, she said, “Yes, I’ll tell her at once. Thanks, Piper.” Cathy hung up the phone.
“What is it?” I asked, once the handset was on the cradle and the line disconnected.
“Something came up, and your client for tonight had to cancel.”
