His Awesome Ex Is Now Uncle's Lady (Alicia and Austin) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48 The Fallout of Betrayal

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Kyana hurried to smooth things over. “Father, these two children were supposed to be engaged anyway. What happened was just… a little premature. I’m sure the Burton family will handle it properly.”

Everyone in the Burton family knew of David’s flirtatious nature. His affairs outside had always been tolerated to a point-but now that it involved the Gibsons, it was different. Even though Kyana wasn’t fond of this union, the two families were already bound by arrangement.

To her, this incident could still be salvaged.

Tasha began to speak gently. “Yes, David has always been a responsible man. I’m sure he’ll-”

But before she could finish, David’s cold voice cut through the air. “Responsible? Why should I take responsibility for a woman who drugged me?”

The room went dead silent, and Aria’s face went pale. “Mr. David, what do you mean by that?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” His tone was sharp, each word laced with contempt. “When I left the Gibson Residence that night, I already felt something was wrong. Then, you conveniently showed up at the club, kept forcing drinks on me, and offered to take me to a hospital-only to drag me to a hotel instead.

“I should’ve known. The Gibsons are all schemers, one more cunning than the next.”

As he spoke, his eyes slid briefly toward Alicia. The sting of betrayal burned in that fleeting glance. She had fooled him-and now Aria had played him too.

Kyana bristled. “Mr. David, do you have any proof it was us? You were perfectly fine when you left. If something happened afterward, maybe it was at that sleazy club you went to! And now you want to shift the blame onto us? You seduced my daughter, and now you want to deny it? How convenient.”

It was a skillful counterattack-twisting the narrative so deftly that even guilt began to sound like victimhood.

Alicia watched quietly, more aware than anyone of David’s true character. Outwardly, he wore the charm of a gentleman; privately, he was a spoiled heir with every bad habit money could buy. And Kyana-desperate to marry her daughter into the Burtons-was now playing her last card.

But Alicia also knew that every word spoken now could one day become a knife aimed at Aria’s back. David was not someone who forgave-or forgot.

He laughed darkly. “If I had to take responsibility for every woman I’ve slept with, I’d run out of seats in this room. And what makes your daughter so special anyway? She’s just an illegitimate girl.”

“Enough!” Steven slammed his cup down, the sound echoing sharply. “Mind your tongue!”

Miguel and Tasha said nothing. If David was telling the truth-that Aria had drugged him just to force a marriage-then she was already unfit. The Burtons wanted a proper alliance, not a scandal. And now that Austin and Alicia had made their match, there was no need for David to marry a Gibson.

Steven turned to Richard, his tone polite but pointed. “Richard, what do you propose we do about this?”

Richard’s mind was clear, even if his expression stayed calm. He knew full well where the fault lay-but to

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Chapter 48 The Fallout of Betrayal

85

Finished

protect his family’s reputation, he couldn’t admit it outright. “Young people make their own choices nowadays, Steven. We old men can’t dictate their marriages anymore. It’s up to them.”

With that, he passed the problem neatly back to the younger generation.

Aria began to sob softly. “Old Mr. Burton, I’ve already slept with Mr. David. A woman has to follow the man she’s given herself to. If he refuses to marry me now, what am I supposed to do?”

David sneered, the careless arrogance of privilege flashing across his face. “Marry you? Do you think I’m a garbage bin that takes anything thrown in? Or do you believe you’re special because you scream louder in bed?”

Alicia winced inwardly. The David she once knew had always masked his cruelty under a polished smile— but this was his true nature. The words cut sharper than any blade.

Aria had walked straight into the line of fire, and he was merciless.

Her lips trembled. Just last night, she had thought him gentle, refined-his good looks and easy confidence enough to make her fall. She hadn’t realized that under that charm was rot, but it was too late now.

“That’s not what you said last night, Mr. David,” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You said you loved me!”

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