Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

Chapter 184

She loved him, deeply and passionately, right from the beginning. It wasn't a love that developed over time; it was there from the start.

Aaron's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Seven years ago, Serena had entered his life like a beautiful comet, only to plummet swiftly and unexpectedly. It wasn't her relentless pursuit that annoyed him; quite the opposite, he had enjoyed it.

One day, while heading to a basketball game with Frederick, Aaron overheard a conversation in the locker room. Frederick was on the phone.

"Are you sure Serena's only interested in Aaron because of the Vance family's reputation?"

"I was wondering why she was so obsessed with him. Turns out, she's trying to protect her father's legacy..."

Those words pierced Aaron's heart with a cold, unshakeable certainty. Even though he later realized Serena truly loved him, those sentences had become thorns, embedded deep in his mind.

time he saw an antique, he was reminded that he

Serena's game.

notes in front of

call Frederick, intending to find out who had been on the other end of that call all those years ago. But

the red bean and taro dessert soup inside. He sniffed it, his expression shifting slightly. There was

taught Aaron to detect when something had been spiked. He'd attended enough events to become wary of such things.

...

something was amiss. Inside, she found several people

bag is this?" one

replied. "What's going

armband explained, "Miss Frost's earring is missing. We're conducting a search. We've checked everywhere backstage, and yours is the only bag left to

have to do with my bag?" Serena's gaze shifted to Yvonne, standing behind