Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

Chapter 229

Aaron didn't bother satisfying Frederick's curiosity-he simply ended the call with a click.

Frederick stared at his phone, speechless.

Seriously? Stingy much.

He tucked his phone away, but the playful glint in his eyes had vanished. Ever since he'd learned there was a chance Evelyn might still be alive, Frederick had been relentlessly chasing down every lead, determined to find her. He'd lost her once already he wasn't going to let it happen again.

Meanwhile, at his hotel, Aaron stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the city. He was waiting for Serena to show up.

...

The next morning.

Serena got up early and headed straight to the studio. She'd already found a lawyer even more formidable than Nestor Leighton, but today she had a shoot scheduled. She'd have to wait until filming wrapped to meet with the attorney.

in her chest. She forced it down, gripping the steering wheel, eyes set with determination. She couldn't

saw Serena, Cynthia greeted her with sunny enthusiasm. Serena, however, ignored her. Truth be told, she didn't want to be here at all—but

whole interaction didn't go unnoticed. Onlookers exchanged glances, their

I mean, so what if she's dating

nice for her

everyone today-she's so sweet! If I were Aaron,

who doesn't love a

flickering on her lips. But when she glanced in the makeup

what did beauty matter? In

to the chatter. In seven years living in Alderburg, she'd learned one thing: never let rumors dictate your life. You

center stage. To her left and right sat Professor Julian Sterling and Dr. Rosa, the museum director, while

Abby had only briefed them on the format—not the questions. Everything from

began, a problem quickly emerged. The first segment was a rapid-fire trivia round. Given a series of