Debby clung to her son as if her life depended on it. “Aaron, whether our family makes it through this or not—it’s all up to you now!”
She gripped his arm tighter, desperation thick in her voice. “Didn’t Anastasia used to care about you? She didn’t want to marry into Rosewood Manor. She even tried to run away with you, remember? I know she still has feelings for you!”
“I didn’t approve of you two before, but things have changed. I’m willing to step aside now. Go see her—tell her I no longer care about her family background. You have my blessing to be together!”
“But Aaron, there’s one condition. If she wants to be with you, she has to put in a good word for us with Mr. Harrison Lancaster. That’s the only way our family stands a chance…”
Aaron listened, his mind wandering back to Anastasia’s cold indifference once she married into Rosewood Manor, and the way she seemed to light up around Harrison—her bright smile, the way she playfully leaned toward him.
But—
“Fine…!”
Aaron gritted his teeth. He refused to believe she no longer cared. After all, not so long ago, she was willing to risk everything—even face Harrison’s wrath—to run away with him.
Barry hesitated, weighing the risks. In the end, he sighed, “Just be careful. Don’t let Mr. Harrison Lancaster find out.”
After all, Anastasia belonged to Harrison now. If Aaron was caught trying to win her back…
Even imagining the consequences sent a chill down his spine.
But what choice did they have? This was the only shot left.
If Aaron played it smart, maybe—just maybe—this could be their salvation.
Meanwhile, Anastasia had no idea the Lancaster family was plotting to use her as their lifeline.
So the next morning, when Aaron cornered her at the front gate of the university, she was genuinely taken aback.
The Lancasters still weren’t finished? Where did Aaron get the nerve to show his face in front of her?
“What do you want?” Her beautiful brows drew together, openly displaying her disgust.
Aaron felt a flicker of discomfort under her gaze. He glanced quickly at her friends—Juliet, Maggie, Sandra—then lowered his voice. “Anastasia, I need to talk to you. Alone. It’s important.”
Before, he would have stormed off in a rage. But not now. He couldn’t afford to.
He saw Anastasia striding away without a backward glance, and fear of failure pushed him on. He hurried after her, lowering his voice to a desperate whisper. “Anastasia, I was wrong. Let’s start over—please, let’s be together again.”
The plea was so sudden, so brazen, that Anastasia froze in her tracks.
Juliet stared at Aaron in disbelief, then tugged urgently at her cousin’s sleeve.
Her cousin-in-law was a hundred times the man Aaron would ever be. No way could Anastasia fall for this loser’s tricks again!
Anastasia signaled Juliet to calm down. She turned and looked Aaron straight in the eyes. “What did you just say?”
Seeing her pause, Aaron’s spirits soared.
He’d been right—she hadn’t moved on. She still had feelings for him.
He softened his tone, trying to sound sincere. “Anastasia, I was wrong before. I never cared about Penelope. I never cared about Shirley, either. Penelope was the one always chasing after me. As for Shirley, my family needed her family’s influence. I had no choice but to sacrifice my own happiness.”
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