From Heir's Ex to His Aunt novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16 We Meet Again, Falling Right Into His Arms

The next morning, Alicia came downstairs neatly dressed.

Kyana greeted her with an unusual warmth. “Alicia, come have breakfast.”

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Finished

Alicia’s gaze slid over to Aria, who was dressed to the nines. “Going somewhere today, Aria?”

She certainly isn’t dressed for school.

kyana shot a look at Frank, who spoke up, “Take Aria long when you go to the Burtons. She’s shown an interest in learning about incense making. You can guide her.”

Yeah, right. Learning is just a pretext. Kyana and Aria are just afraid I’ll steal their spotlight. They’re always playing tricks in poor taste.

Alicia didn’t refuse and chirped, “Sure.”

After breakfast, the car from the Burtons arrived. Aria pushed past Alicia and got in first. However, Alicia paid it no mind. From the coffee tasting to the incense making, it was just the Burtons‘ way of testing whether Alicia or Aria was a better bride candidate.

Since being brought into the Gibsons at seven years old, Aria had lived in luxury and was pampered like a princess. She wasn’t as scheming as Kyana. She was more of a foil than a rival. The perfect stepping stone for Alicia.

The car pulled up at the Burton Residence. It looked very much like the classical garden estate Audrey picked when she married Frank. The Burton Residence had over a hundred years of history and maintained its original exterior aside from some modernized renovations done for the interior.

It was built along the water. The grounds boasted intricately designed ponds, trees, rockeries, and long corridors. Every hour, each change of reason would transform the light and shadow into a live painting.

That was the charm of classic culture. It was worlds apart from the garish displays of nouveau riche designs.

Aria was dressed in an elaborate haute couture dress and stilettos. She scanned the place with her Himalaya niloticus crocodile Hermes bag in her hand.

She muttered under her breath, “Doesn’t it feel spooky to live in an old house like this when it rains?”

Alicia glanced at the maid leading the way and replied, “We’re in the south. It’s surrounded by water. The mist and drizzle are part of the beauty.”

However, Aria scoffed, “So old–fashioned. Modern architecture is much better.”

Soon, they arrived at the incense room.

The rich fragrance of agarwood enveloped Alicia the moment she entered. On display was a pair of agarwood carvings.

Aria commented before reaching out. “Carvings are so outdated. Crystals would look far grander.”

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4:56 pm P P DD

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Chapter 16 We Meet Again, Falling Right Into His Arms

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Finished

What a fool. Alicia cursed silently. Aria could name every rare purse collection, but was ignorant in the face of real cultural treasures.

She grabbed Aria’s hand to stop her. “This is kynam. A very precious type of agarwood. A few hundred grams is worth tens of millions. This pair should weigh a dozen kilograms. It’s worth far more than crystals.”

Aria gaped. “You must be pulling my leg. These two chunks of wood are worth billions?”

A gentle voice answered her instead, “Alicia truly knows her incense. Few young people can even tell the difference. I’m surprised you could recognize the kynam.”

Tasha appeared with a small smile. She was dressed casually in a silk dress with light makeup but no perfume since it was her home.

Alicia was dressed similarly in a custom white long dress. Her hair was loosely pinned with a clip, looking graceful and poised.

She explained softly, “Kynam and agarwood form the same way, but kynam has a higher oil content. It has a sweeter and richer fragrance. When burned, the top, middle, and base notes each reveal distinct layers. My mom taught me a little when I was young.”

Aria blinked in confusion. Top notes? Base notes? What’re those?

She thought Alicia didn’t know anything and was blowing her horn. That was why she came. She didn’t expect Aria to really know anything.

Tasha’s pleased smile proved otherwise. “Your mother taught you well. Since you know incense, I’ve been trying to make one from a show I watched with my friends, but I was never successful. It’s called ‘Beneath the Canopy‘. Will you take a look?”

“Of course,” Alicia replied gently, unlike her usual demanding self at work. Her soft manner instantly endeared her to the older woman.

Tasha eagerly led Alicia inside while Aria rushed to follow.

However, Tasha paused at the door and glanced her up and down. “Do you know how to make incense, too, Aria?”

Aria’s heart skipped a beat as she stammered, “Mom told me to learn from Alicia.”

“Enthusiasm is good, but your perfume is too strong. It’ll interfere with the incense making. Best to wait for next time.” With that, she closed the door in Aria’s face.

To Tasha, she only had one son. So his wife’s character had to be the best besides her background.

She had thought Aria to be a little shallow the night before and faulted it on her age. That perhaps she would mature more as she aged. However, Aria showed up uninvited. So Tasha didn’t believe she was here to learn to make incense, especially with how she was dressed.

Alicia worked with calm expertise inside the incense room. Her mastery and skill soon won Tasha’s admiration.

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4:56 pm P PDD.

Chapter 16 We Meet Again, Falling Right Into His Arms

B

Finished

After taking the incense from the mold, she could already get a whiff of its faint fragrance. Tasha’s eyes lit up. “You made it!”

“Now, we’ll just need to let it air–dry,” Alicia commented before washing her hands. “It’s getting late. I should go, Mrs. Burton.”

“There’s no rush to leave. Stay for a meal.”

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