CHAPTER 64: LONG TIME LOVE

Aiden POV:

Aiden’s day was far from smooth. After dropping Alexia off at that fancy spa, did I finally get a moment of peace? Not even for a second. I swear, that woman was like a walking migraine. No matter how many times I’d try to leave her behind, she’d find some new way to show up in my thoughts, and not always in a good way. But hey, I guess that’s what I signed up for, right? A contract, a marriage, a life with a woman who couldn’t seem to do anything without making my head spin.

So, there I was, driving to work, trying to shake off the chaos. I could almost feel the tension in my shoulders relax as I made the turn into the parking garage, like I was going to have a moment of sweet, sweet solitude—but no. Not today. Not in this lifetime.

I tried to focus on the work ahead. Business. Numbers. Deadlines. That’s what I usually enjoyed. But the damn emails, calls, and the endless chatter from Tobias about some upcoming project just wouldn’t let me breathe. Hell, I couldn’t even get five minutes of peace to just sit in my office and think about the damn report that was due. Every time I tried, there’d be someone else in my face, asking for something. The staff, the board, the clients—all of them had an opinion and an urgency that made me want to scream.

Then there was Tobias. He’s a good assistant, don’t get me wrong. But the guy just doesn’t know when to stop. Every time I thought I could take a breather, there he’d be, talking about some new partnership, or how wonderful the investors were—it was enough to make me want to throw my coffee mug at the wall. Seriously. It was like no one could take a hint. I just wanted five minutes to myself without having to be "Aiden Timberlake, the successful businessman."

The worst part? That damn event I had to attend tonight. I was still brooding about it. I

never liked these stupid things. Sure, it was a networking opportunity, but they were exhausting. Pretentious, too. And now that Alexia was "officially" my wife, I’d have to parade her around like some prized trophy—all while dealing with the public’s intense fascination with our "perfect" relationship. It was a circus, and I was the clown stuck in the middle.

I pushed all those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the real issue at hand. Alexia. I’d barely made it through breakfast without her acting like a child, and I knew the event would just be another Chapter in our ongoing saga of misunderstandings and unresolved tension. But, again, I wasn’t going to let her ruin the whole damn day. I had to go to that event—so I might as well make the most of it.

I figured I’d just work through lunch and get some of these stupid emails done before the madness started again. But, as usual, it was impossible to concentrate. Even with the paperwork stacked on my desk, the thought of what Alexia was doing—what she was probably wearing, what she was probably thinking—kept popping up in my mind. It wasn’t supposed to matter, but it did. It always did.

Around noon, Tobias brought in another stack of papers, and I got a quick update on some important mergers that were coming down the pipeline. But I couldn’t focus. Not really. Every time I looked at my watch, I realized I was running out of time to get myself ready for the event. And sure enough, it wasn’t long before the clock hit 5 p.m., and I had to get dressed in something that screamed "business mogul" without screaming it too loudly. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and I wasn’t about to cross it.

But seriously, I needed a break. A moment where I could just step away from it all—away from her, away from the damn event, away from all the fakeness that came with being a public figure. It was a day I could’ve done without, but hey, that’s life. And at the end of the day, no matter how much I tried to escape it, I couldn’t avoid the fact that I had a wife now—a wife who liked to stir things up, act all mysterious, and make me feel like I had no control over anything.

So, after another round of grueling meetings and phone calls, I finally found myself getting into the car to go pick her up. The only relief I had was that the night would end, and I could go back to my peaceful, quiet existence... until tomorrow.

If only peace existed in my life.

As I was driving to fetch my conniving wife, I couldn’t help but think about how today was going to play out. Sure, I was hoping the professional team did a decent enough job making her look presentable—she was a street rat turned wife after all. But honestly, the clothes, the makeup, and the hair didn’t matter as much as how she’d behave in front of the crowd. That was the real challenge. I could dress her up like royalty, but getting her to act like a sophisticated, elegant woman? Well, that was a different beast entirely.

She was from a poor background, and I knew it. I knew that despite how hard she tried to play the part, the finer details of high society, the unspoken rules, the etiquette... they weren’t exactly second nature to her. I didn’t expect her to be perfect. Hell, I didn’t even expect her to blend in right away. But she had to try. For my sake.

I shook my head, trying to refocus. The night ahead was going to be a public spectacle, and I had to make sure she didn’t ruin the carefully curated image I had spent years building. I wasn’t asking her to be flawless, just... presentable. Well-behaved. And for the love of god, don’t screw up at dinner. It wasn’t much to ask. Right?

I pressed my foot down on the gas as I pulled into the main road, but something up ahead caught my eye—a car swaying slightly in front of me before coming to a complete stop. Another driver with a puncture. I sighed. This wasn’t my problem.

I was in no mood to deal with roadside issues, so I checked my rearview mirror and started to move around the stalled car. But then, she walked out.

It didn’t take me a second to recognize her, even though her back was turned to me.

Elizabeth.

My long-time crush. My first love. The woman who had turned my world upside down all those years ago. She was as fiery and passionate as ever—walking out of the car, cursing under her breath like a sailor. I don’t think I ever realized how much I missed her sharp tongue, her wild nature, until I saw her there again. Just seeing her, even from a distance, did something to me.

I hadn’t seen her in years, not since... well, not since the day everything changed. I was about to get out of the car, about to approach her, but before I could even think about it, she turned her head. Her eyes met mine, and time just seemed to freeze for a moment.

It was strange, how life works. Here I was, about to meet my wife, a woman who had only just entered my world, and yet Elizabeth—this woman I had never truly gotten over—was standing right in front of me.

She wasn’t part of my life anymore, but damn, it still hit like a wave crashing against a shore. The memories. The feelings. They all came rushing back in an instant.

But I couldn’t. I had to keep my focus. Alexia. My wife. My new life. All of that had to come first now. Yet, as I locked eyes with Elizabeth, something in me stirred. I couldn’t help but feel this weight pulling at me, like a part of me was being pulled in two different directions.

I stayed in the car, the engine humming quietly. I needed to go, to get to Alexia, to deal with the public circus ahead.

But god, Elizabeth had always been that one person who could make my heart race like it had when I was younger. I was foolish back then, too naive to realize how fleeting things were. And here I was again, caught in that old, familiar pull.

What was I supposed to do now? What did this mean for me?