Aiden stared at the meal tray a staff brought in a few minutes ago suspiciously. "Did you ask him to do this?"
Rielle rolled her eyes, staring at the tray before Aiden. He was seated on the couch before her glass table so it was only natural the food sat before him.
"I didn't." she hissed, "It could be poisoned,"
"That's a wild accusation over there," Aiden chuckled. He opened the first plate, and took a bite from the one of the taco.
He chewed slowly. And then, his brows knitted as the taste settled. Then suddenly, he froze. His expression darkened.
Rielle noticed the subtle change in his posture instantly. His shoulders stiffened, and he brought a hand to his throat.
"Aiden?" she asked, leaning forward just slightly.
He didn't respond.
Instead, he began coughing. He coughed hard. Violently. His hand slammed against the table, and his eyes widened in alarm as he reached for his throat again, gasping for air.
"Aiden!" Rielle shot to her feet, knocking over a paperweight as she rushed to his side. "Are you serious? Did you just… Oh my God!" she almost screamed, horrified.
She grabbed the water bottle off the table and unscrewed the cap with trembling fingers, spilling some in her haste. "Here, drink this!" she half yelled, her eyes turning red as some tears threatened to spill.
Aiden couldn't take it. He shook his head, eyes bulging, and then suddenly, he slumped back, motionless.
Rielle froze. "No… Aiden?" Her voice cracked.
She leaned over him, her panic rising. "This isn't funny. Aiden?" she called, her hand frozen on his arm, with no idea on what to do.
Suddenly, Aiden burst out laughing.
Rielle stepped back, blinking. For a moment, she thought he was raised from the dead or something.
Aiden was practically wheezing now with laughter. He curled slightly as he clutched his stomach. "Oh, your face. God, Rielle if only you could see your face." He called her out, almost choking on his laughter.
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "You—" Her voice dropped too low, as she registered what he just did. "You idiot!"
Aiden threw his head back, as tears formed at the corners of his eyes from how hard he was laughing. "You really thought I was dying. You were about to cry."
"I was not," she snapped, snatching a cushion from the nearby chair and hitting him with it. She refused to admit she cared that much for this douchebag before her.
He only laughed harder.
"You absolute jerk." She cursed.
"Hey, come on," he said, wiping his eyes. "I just confirmed one thing."
"What?"
"That somewhere beneath all that ice in your chest, there's still a soft spot for me." He winked at her.
She narrowed her eyes. "If you don't shut up, the next taco might actually be poisoned."
Aiden grinned and leaned back, completely at ease now, as if he hadn't just given her a full-blown heart attack. "Worth it."
Rielle shook her head, turning away so he wouldn't see the smile tugging at her lips. She wondered how two brothers could have such a big difference in their personalities.
The notification sound from his phone got his attention. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and stared at the screen, his jaw tightening immediately.
Rielle blinked. "What's up?" She questioned casually, picking up the taco he took a bite from.
Aiden didn't answer.
She took a large bite from the taco, still glaring at him. She casually reached for the phone in his hand. He snapped back to reality and tried to pull it away, but she raised a single brow — sharp and commanding — freezing him in place.
Rielle snatched the phone from his grip and turned the screen toward her.
Several pictures could be seen from a high-profile entertainment news outlet.
The camera zoomed in on a woman in a body hugging blue dress. She looked lavishly old money, with her long blonde curls perfectly styled. She beamed at the reporters, holding on tightly to the arm of a man dressed in a black tuxedo and thick gloves.
Rielle's jaw stopped mid-chew. Her eyes widened. The taco turned into bile in her throat. The man's face wasn't fully turned to the camera, but she knew him.
She coughed once, hard, her expression shifting from mild amusement to horror. "Is that…"
"Yeah," Aiden said, his voice hoarse.
The camera panned briefly to catch a side view of his face. Half in shadows, but his sharp jawline, that hard frown expression on his side profile, and most tellingly, those signature black leather gloves were unmistakable.
"Xander," Rielle breathed.
Aiden's jaw clenched tighter. His eyes burned holes through the screen. "I don't know why he's getting married to her." His eyes twitched. "I mean he doesn't even like her. He can't even endure her."
"And you knew," Rielle added, her voice hard turned hard. "You knew he was getting married. I asked you, and you told me nothing about him."
There was a brief pause.
Rielle stood frozen, the half-eaten taco forgotten in her hand. Her face drained of color, and for once, the storm in her eyes was replaced by something heavier. There was shock in them. Even betrayal. Maybe fear.
She slowly placed the taco back on the tray.
"Suddenly," she murmured, clearing her throat, "the poison doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Aiden didn't laugh this time. "It wasn't my place to tell you about his engagement." He let out a hard breath. "I don't know anything about the family he was getting into, so I decided to stay clear,"
"Also, you don't like him that much. Do you?" He added, his eyes widening as he stared at her without judgment.
"I don't know," she replied flatly, and returned to her seat. "I just want to understand why he gave me this life if he won't speak to me."
Rielle won't lie, the news hit her so hard like a wrecking ball. She had always felt like running for her life when he was near. Maybe, it's time to run from him too.