After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 329

A flash of genuine admiration appeared in Aldous's eyes.

It was true. When Gideon was first compromised, Aldous had fully intended to pay to make the scandal disappear. He hadn't wanted Gideon tied down by a forced marriage and a child. To a billionaire, problems that could be solved with a checkbook weren't problems at all.

But he hadn't expected the woman involved to be Aria. He had been investigating the elusive medical genius 'Dawn' for a long time. While he didn't have absolute proof at the time, Aria was the only logical candidate. The moment he realized who she might be, his strategy shifted from paying her off to ensuring the two of them got married.

"I do have the agreement," Aldous confirmed.

He signaled his assistant to fetch the document.

Eveline blinked, unable to help herself. "Aria, we're doing you a massive favor here. We can't just do this for free, right? What are you bringing to the table?"

The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere in the dining room turned to ice.

Aldous's chest heaved with fury. Aria had literally just saved Gideon's life a few days ago, and the Evernights hadn't even begun to repay that debt. Aria was finally extending an olive branch, and Eveline was ruining it with her unparalleled stupidity.

Aria's lips curled into a sharp, mocking smile. "What exactly do you want from me in return?"

Realizing she had vastly overstepped, Eveline immediately tried to backpedal.

"Oh, I was just joking! We're all family here, there's no need to be so transactional—"

"We are not family," Aria cut in flawlessly. "Since you brought it up, state your terms. I prefer to keep things professional, and I don't like dealing with people who constantly demand more after they've already taken advantage of a situation."

"Here is the agreement, sir."

The assistant carefully placed a leather folder next to Aldous.

"Aria, regarding what happened back then... I think it's time you heard the full truth," Aldous said, his voice laced with regret.

"When Roxanne came to see me, she wasn't looking for a peaceful settlement. She demanded that I severely punish whoever drugged Gideon."

Aria felt a bitter pang in her chest, though it didn't completely surprise her. Based on the security footage, it looked as though she was the one who handed Gideon the spiked drink. In everyone's eyes, she was the culprit. Logically, if anyone was going to pay hush money, it should have been the Rowan family. Yet somehow, Roxanne walked away with a hundred-million-dollar payout.

"She heavily implied that you were dead to the Rowan family, meaning whatever happened to you was none of their concern. But the moment she realized I actually wanted you and Gideon to marry, she immediately pivoted and demanded a hundred million dollars as a 'blessing' for the union. I knew something was deeply wrong, which is why I forced her to sign this agreement."

Aldous looked at Aria with profound pity. The poor girl had been manipulated and sold out by Roxanne from the very beginning, and she was only just now learning the truth.

And he, too, was guilty. He had fully enabled Roxanne's greed, perfectly willing to use a hundred million dollars to permanently bind Aria to the Evernight family.

Aldous let out a slow, heavy sigh.