Maybe

Chapter 15 Money

[This chapter contains unpleasant viewpoint]

Third Person's POV:

"Is everything proceeding smoothly?" inquired someone.

"Yes, my dear Aiden," replied the old man.

"Where is she, Mr. John?" Aiden pressed, following him to a dimly lit basement. As they descended, Aiden spotted a small table and two chairs. Seated in one was a woman, tightly bound.

"How have you been, Mother? It's been too long," Aiden greeted her with a mix of concern and regret.

"Damn you, Aiden! You've destroyed your family for money!" she retorted bitterly, her words laced with years of hurt and disappointment.

"I can't believe this! My family? My family?! I never had a real family, damn it! Why didn't father put anything in my name? Am I not your son? You've completely abandoned me!"

"We didn't abandon you! You were deeply addicted to drugs from such a young age! We tried everything to help you!"

"So you erased me from the family to protect your precious reputation? After Dad died, I thought if you married his friend Anthony, he might support me. But pushing you into that marriage did me no favors. He betrayed me in the end."

In a tense moment from the past, 

Aiden issued a stark ultimatum, "If you don't marry her, I will kill both of you," his words laced with an unsettling seriousness.

Taken aback by the threat, Anthony responded with disbelief and a hint of anger, "How can a son speak of his mother like that?" His eyes bore the weight of an impossible decision

In the end, circumstances forced them into a marriage neither wanted. Aiden had assumed that control of the family fortune would naturally fall to him, but to his astonishment, Anthony instead entrusted everything to Ethan. Consumed by bitterness, Aiden turned to gambling and quickly became addicted, further harming the family's reputation. Eventually, his behavior became so destructive that he was disowned by his own family.

Nina and her family chose to move to another country, hoping to leave their troubled past behind. Over time, Nina, who was quite young during those turbulent years, nearly forgot about the upheaval they had endured. Little did they know, fate had plans to reunite them once again. years later, they unknowingly crossed paths once more. Unknowingly, Aiden's interest in Nina ignited by this reunion, which created the conditions for another potentially explosive meeting.

Present

Aiden grinned mischievously as he spoke, his voice tinged with excitement. "You have no idea how badly I've wanted Nina, but she's always with Ethan. Now, the tables are turning, haha! I'm even going to track down Nina's mom," he declared confidently.

With a self-satisfied nod, Aiden headed out, leaving behind a trail of his mother's disapproving words as he locked the door behind him.

_Nina_

The morning sunlight streamed through the window, gently waking me from my slumber. As I stirred, I noticed Ethan still peacefully asleep beside me, looking remarkably handsome in the soft glow of dawn. "You haven't changed at all, Chris," I mused silently to myself, a fond smile tugging at my lips.

After freshening up, I lazily prepared a simple breakfast for both of us, the clatter of dishes punctuating the quiet morning. Placing the plates on the table, I suddenly felt warm arms envelop my waist from behind, startling me with his unexpected presence. Ethan buried his face into my neck, inhaling deeply as if savoring my scent, causing me to instinctively turn around and push him away.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a mixture of surprise and amusement in my voice, though my heart raced a bit faster.

Ethan smirked, advancing closer as I attempted to step back, only to find myself pinned against the kitchen counter by his strong frame. "I was just trying to have my breakfast," he replied playfully, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

 Before he could say anything more, my phone suddenly started ringing, cutting off his words abruptly. I instinctively pushed him away, apologizing silently with a quick glance, and hurriedly answered the call.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Hey, dear, how are you?" It was mom on the line.

"I'm totally fine," Nina replied warmly.

"Good to hear. Okay then, see you later," mom responded, before hanging up.

"Uh..." I hesitated, her thoughts momentarily interrupted.

"That's so random," I muttered to myself.

After breakfast, I idly scrolled through my phone, deliberately ignoring him. He approached me and casually suggested, "Let's go out." Without looking up, I responded dismissively, "I'm busy."

"What kind of busy?" he pressed, sitting beside me.

"Really busy. Go ask your girlfriend; she probably has all the time in the world for you," I quipped, my tone tinged with jealousy.

"Girlfriend?" he asked, seeming surprised.

"Yeah," I affirmed.

"Oh... I see. She's busy too, huh? And she isn't important," he remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

I was hoping he would deny having a girlfriend, but his response left me deeply disappointed. He snatched my phone abruptly, causing me to glare at him with frustration.

"What the heck, Ethan?"

"You seriously thought I had a girlfriend and that's why you ignored me? Seriously? And you thought I'm some kind of playboy?"

His expression suddenly turned sorrowful, catching me completely off guard.

"Uh, no, I was..." I stammered, caught off guard.

"Yeah, you were just playing hard to get?" he interrupted.

"No, I..." I struggled to find the right words.

Wait, what am I even trying to do? Damn it.

"Yeah, so what? I thought these 'so what?'" I retorted with a hint of attitude.

"So that's why you ignored me? You were jealous, weren't you?" he asked, his voice teasing.

"Of course not," I denied quickly, feeling flustered.

He smirked knowingly at me, and I found it hard to maintain eye contact. My gaze shifted away from him.

God, how can someone be that handsome? Damn it!

"Alright, let's make this interesting. let's play a game. If I lose, I promise I'll never see you again. But if you lose, you have to do whatever I say," he proposed with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Um, okay. What game are we talking about?" I inquired cautiously.

He smirked at me once more, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"Quit smirking like that, Ethan," I retorted, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

"Why? Does it give you goosebumps?" he teased.

"No, I mean... just stop smirking and tell me what game you have in mind," I insisted, trying to maintain my composure.

"Well, it's a win-win game for me," he replied cryptically.

"What do you mean?" I pressed, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension.