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2024-12-04 15:23:18Aria stormed inside the villa, her heels clacking angrily against the polished marble floor. She had enough of Ethan’s ridiculous lies and smug attitude. However, just as she turned to close the door, her eyes widened when she saw Ethan casually walking inside the villa just behind her.
“Are you insane?! What do you think you are doing right now?!” Aria snapped, her voice laden with irritation and anger.
“Are you going to keep up your stalker activities here?!” Aria asked angrily, glaring at Ethan fiercely.
Ethan stopped walking and stared at Aria with annoyed expression on his face. He always prided himself on being calm, but with the constant barrage of accusations from Aria, even he could not help but lose his patience.
“I’ve told you already, I’m not a stalker, and I’m here to meet someone.” Ethan replied angrily.
“Oh? And who exactly are you here to meet?” Aria instantly crossed her arms, glaring at him.
“My fiancée, Aria Whitman.” Ethan replied firmly.
The words hit Aria like a sledgehammer, and her jaw dropped. For a moment, she couldn’t form any words, her mind still reeling from the shock of his words.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me,” Ethan replied, his voice cold.
“I’m here to see my fiancée, Aria Whitman, who I am engaged to.”
Aria blinked in disbelief, her hands falling to her sides.
“That’s impossible, because I’m Aria Whitman.”
“What?!” Ethan exclaimed. This time around, it was his turn to reel from the shock of her words.
A very uncomfortable and apprehensive silence filled the luxurious hallway as they stared at each other, both barely processing the gravity of what had just been revealed. However, before either of them could speak, a new voice broke the stillness.
“Ah, there you are!” An elderly man, dressed in a fine red suit, entered the room with a warm smile.
“Ethan! You’ve arrived just as expected.”
Aria turned her attention toward the elderly man in shock.
“Grandfather? You know this man?” Aria asked in disbelief.
Henry Whitman, the elderly man, smiled at his granddaughter, then turned his full attention to Ethan.
“Your father told me you’d be here today, so I’m glad to see you’ve found your way in. Welcome, Ethan.”
Ethan gave a polite nod to the elder, his calm demeanour never faltering, despite the amount of shock he was feeling at the moment.
“Thank you, Mr…” Ethan trailed off, as he did not know the name of the elderly man.
“Henry Whitman, but you can call me Henry.” Henry smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake. Ethan accepted his stretched hand and gave him a firm handshake, putting a smile on Henry’s face.
“Well, this is a happy day! I cannot begin to express my joy! After all, the engagement between you and Aria is what you would term a match made in heaven!” Henry clapped his hands together, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.
Aria’s heart sank as her grandfather’s words echoed in her ears, and the gravity of the situation she was in dawned on her.
“Grandfather, wait! There’s been some kind of mistake! There’s no way—”
“No, no, Lily,” Henry interrupted, smiling as though he hadn’t heard her.
“Today’s an important day for both of you. I want you to inform your parents that the engagement is officially happening.”
“Grandfather, you can’t be serious,” Aria protested, panic rising in her chest. “There’s been some kind of mistake. I don’t want to—”
“Aria, this is what’s best for you. For the family.” Henry said, his warm expression hardening slightly.
Aria bit her lip, the irritation and anger she felt towards Ethan rising.
She could see the determination in her grandfather’s eyes, and it was the same stubbornness she had inherited.
What he had told her was not a suggestion; it was a command.
Ethan, on the other hand, remained silent, watching the entire exchange with an unreadable expression. He didn’t want this engagement any more than Aria did, but he couldn’t call off the engagement now. After all, his fiancée, Aria Whitman, was tied to the truth behind his mother’s death.
Aria’s thoughts were spinning rapidly. She absolutely had to find a way out of this. This engagement couldn’t happen! There was no way she was going to be engaged to such a poor person like Ethan!
Henry, ever the gracious host, gently guided Ethan toward the main hall. As they walked, Henry continued to shower Ethan with praise, showing respect to Ethan’s father and expressing his excitement over Ethan joining the family.
Aria followed behind them, her mind desperately racing for a solution. Neither of them wanted this. She could tell that Ethan was only playing along with her grandfather because of some hidden motive.
Just as Henry was about to add another word about the engagement, another voice interrupted the ceremony.
“I object to this engagement!” declared Margaret Whitman, Aria’s grandmother, who entered the room with a look of determination on her aged face.
The atmosphere in the room froze at her sudden appearance, and Henry turned toward his wife, surprised by her sudden entrance and bold statement.
“Margaret, what are you talking about?” Henry Whitman asked in a cold voice, but the reply he got from his wife was not one he expected to hear at all.
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"Aria will marry Gregory Holden," Margaret declared in a firm voice.The tension in the room became extremely suffocating, and Henry Whitman stood tall, his arms crossed as he stared down at his wife, Margaret, who had just made an outrageous declaration. Her statement that Aria would marry Gregory Holden had shocked everyone in the room, and Henry’s expression instantly turned to one of pure disgust.“Gregory Holden? That hypocrite’s son? You must be out of your mind.” Henry sneered, his voice filled with disdain.Margaret remained unflinching at her husband’s harsh words, her posture stiff and resolute.“Greg is a fine young man, and he works for the powerful Crestwood family. It is surely a connection that will be invaluable to us one day.”Henry shook his head, his patience wearing thin.“The Crestwood family may be powerful, but Greg himself is nothing. His father is a mere lackey who can’t even manage his own affairs, and you want our Aria to be engaged to such a person?”“He’s
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Before Ethan could get another word in, Aria walked off and approached a sleek, black Porsche. The car's door opened, and a beautiful girl stepped out. Her designer outfit clung tightly to her slim figure, and every inch of her oozed wealth and privilege. “This is my best friend, Natalie.” Aria said.Ethan extended a polite hand, "Nice to meet you."Natalie didn’t even look at his outstretched hand. Her eyes flicked up and down, taking in his simple clothes with a disgusted sneer.“So, this is the guy?” she asked, her voice dripping with contempt. Ethan withdrew his outstretched hands, but he didn’t comment on it. After all, he had no interest in playing their petty games.“We’re heading to Gregory Holden' party. You should come,” Aria said."Why not?" Ethan shrunk his shoulders.“Come on, it’ll be fun. Besides, Greg is dying to meet you.” Natalie said in a nice tone. But actually she had told Greg earlier. Greg was going to let Ethan know the result of stealing his girl.Everyone
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"Are you crazy? How dare you set your sights on that car?" Aria interrupted. "Exactly, is that car even something a person like you deserves to drive?" Natalie chimed in. "If you have the ability to win, then it's yours," Greg said with a smile.The limited edition Lamborghini was regarded as a family heirloom in the Holden family. However, Greg was so confident of his victory in this fight that he bet it without any hesitation. “Big mistake, man.” Ethan sneered.Greg stood in the center of the arena, a smug grin plastered across his face. He glanced over at Ethan and asked in a mocking tone.“Is this your first time fighting?”“Yes.” Ethan replied curtly.Greg’s grin widened as he cracked his knuckles, stepping into the center of the ring. There was no way that Ethan, a complete rookie fighter, was going to emerge victorious over him.“This is his first time fighting? He must have a death wish!” one of the people in audience muttered.“A death wish is too mild! By the time Greg i
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As Ethan stepped out of the combat room, the crowd that had gathered in the underground fight club was buzzing with shock and disbelief. "He's cheating!" someone shouted from the back, followed by murmurs of agreement."Of course he won, look at that suit! No wonder he managed to pull off those moves. He didn’t beat Greg fairly!" another voice joined in.Ethan ignored the accusations, his expression impassive, but Victoria, standing beside him, stepped forward and glared at the crowd.“Mr. Ethan did not choose the excellent equipment I provided. His skills are what decided the fight.”The crowd erupted in laughter at her words.“Yeah, right. Do you expect us to believe some random guy just walked in and beat the Gregory Holden?” One of the onlookers sneered.Aria, who had been watching from the front row suddenly stood and sauntered over with a smirk on her face.“Greg will have his revenge soon enough,” she said in a mocking tone.“This win means nothing. You cheated, Ethan. Everyon
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“What a joke!” Aria sneered after hearing Ethan’s words. There was no way that his words would be true. She thought Ethan was bluffing. After all, why would someone like him be an important guest at a dinner hosted by the powerful Crestwood family?Just looking at his poor outfit alone, he didn’t even fit in among the city’s elite. How then would he be the important guest to the powerful Crestwood family?It was obvious that he was blatantly lying to their faces. He was a boastful fraud after all.It appeared that it wasn’t just Aria who thought the same way, as the crowd joined in and started to insult Ethan.“Do you really expect us to believe that?” one of the audience uttered, and the rest of the crowd murmured in agreement, with several of them glaring at him with disdainful sneers.“You have quite the imagination.” Greg, ever eager to humiliate him, remarked with a mocking smirk.“It’s not too late to back out of this lie you’ve told before you embarrass yourself even more.” Gre
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Just as Ethan was about to respond to her unexpected offer, his phone rang loudly in his hand. He brought it out glanced at the screen briefly, furrowing his brows slightly. Several of the nearby guests craned their necks, catching a glimpse of the name, and within seconds, the ridiculing began.“Seriously?Is this guy serious?” Greg scoffed haughtily.“Is that supposed to be a joke? Edward Crestwood? In your wildest dreams!” Another person in the crowd sniggered.The crowd erupted instantly with mocking laughter. They clearly believed that Ethan, being the boastful fraud that he was, had resorted to cheap tricks like creating fake names on his phone to impress people. The idea that the head of the Crestwood family, one of the most powerful men in the city, would call someone as unremarkable as Ethan was too far-fetched for them to entertain.Aria and her friend, Natalie, crossed their arms and stared at Ethan with an amused expression on their faces. They were eagerly waiting for Eth
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Meanwhile, the luxury car that picked up Ethan pulled up in front of the magnificent Crestwood Villa. The driver parked neatly and stepped out, opening the door for him. Ethan alighted calmly and started walking towards the imposing manor doors. He could see the anxious expression of the butler standing at the entrance, and it was very clear to him that he had been waiting for his arrival.“Master Ethan, thank you so much for your quick response.” The butler responded, bowing his head respectfully.“It’s nothing.” Ethan replied casually.“Mrs. Crestwood is waiting for you inside. She insisted you see her daughter immediately.” The butler said.“Lead the way.” Ethan ordered calmly.The butler nodded and entered inside the massive villa, with Ethan following him closely. They walked hastily through the elegant hallways, which were filled with expensive artwork and luxurious decor, his haste giving Ethan no time to admire them even if he wanted to.The butler led him to the second floor,
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“I can’t believe how self-centered you are! You’re so delusional!” Aria cursed at Ethan angrily.“What would it take for you to leave me alone? Can’t you just stay out of my way? Is that so hard for you to do?” Aria asked sharply, her eyes filled with frustration. She had gone tired of his constant boasting and fraudulent behaviour. She was fully convinced that he was delusional, and she wanted nothing to do with him.To her, Ethan was nothing more than a nuisance. He was a boastful liar, a fraud and a parasite who had wormed his way into her life without bringing any real value to her, and her current impression of him were the worst it could be.Ethan could tell what Aria was thinking, as it was as clear as day. However, he remained quiet, not telling her a single thing. He decided that there was no need for him to reveal his real identity to her. It was obvious that Aria would not even believe him anyways.Moreover, the most important thing was to him was finding out the truth behi
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Ethan’s calm response hung in the air. His tone was cool and composed, and he didn’t offer any further explanations. Still, his response inflamed Mrs. Whitman.“Your own business?” Mrs. Whitman scoffed, her eyes narrowing in disbelief at his words.“And what exactly would that business be? I bet it’s something fitting for someone as worthless as you, which is scavenging for scraps?” Mrs. Whitman sneered, her voice laced with mockery and disgust as she leaned back and crossed her arms, impatiently waiting for his response. Mr. Whitman sat beside his wife, a condescending expression on his face as he glared at Ethan. He was clearly enjoying the insults that his wife fired at Ethan.Ethan maintained his composure and remained calm at their harsh jabs and insults. He was fully aware that nothing he said would be able to change their opinion of him, so there was no need for him to be bothered by their harsh comments and remarks.“The nature of my business is nothing you need to concern you
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“Now, Aria, it’s very good that you managed to secure VIP invitations to Miss Crestwood's charity party, and I think it’s only fitting that Ethan is there to assist you at the event.” Henry said calmly. His tone was casual, as though what he just said was a simple suggestion.“It would be perfect for him to accompany you to the event since he’s your fiancé. After all, you two will eventually get married and have to work closely together in the future.” Henry concluded with a broad smile on his aged face.Aria, who was feeling quite proud for getting the VIP invitation tickets to Miss Vivienne’s party, felt her smile wipe away from her face, and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t believe her grandfather’s words.Aria was horrified. Ethan was nothing but a worthless poor church rat, and a lot of the elite from Tussauds University would be in attendance as well. If they ever saw someone of her status walking hand in hand with Ethan, she would never be able to live
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“Thank you very much for your consideration, Mr. Whitman.” Ethan said calmly, his tone extremely polite and respectful.“It’s nothing.” Henry dismissed his words with a kind smile.Meanwhile, Aria, who had been standing outside the room and eavesdropping on their conversation, could not believe her ears. Although her grandfather had suggested something many male students at Tussauds University would not hesitate to jump at, Ethan calmly refused his request, and she was extremely delighted at that.Ethan was nothing but a poor and worthless rat. There was no way that she would think of even getting married to him, so she was extremely relieved that he rejected her grandfather.The very thought of living with Ethan had been totally unbearable, but now that possibility seemed far away. At least for now, she could breathe easier and rest easy.Aria returned to the sitting room with the bank card in her hand. She was still very annoyed at Ethan, but it was somewhat bearable now that she ov
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Aria sneered disdainfully as Ethan made his way inside the manor. She seemed to believe that he was just being boastful, like the fraud he was. There was no way ten thousand dollars was not a huge amount of money for him. In fact, she was sure that he was just pretending that it wasn’t a significant sum of money to him.Inside the manor, Aria sat across from Ethan, her arms crossed with a cold expression on her face. She looked like she couldn’t stand Ethan at all. She didn’t even want to be in the same room with him. She just wanted to dismiss him quickly and let him leave her life immediately. His audacity and cunning attitude were extremely unbearable, and the sooner she could get rid of him, the better for her.“Just take the ten thousand dollars and leave my life for good. How hard is that for you?” Aria asked angrily with a frown on her face.“Ten thousand dollars? That’s a miserable amount of money to offer someone of my caliber.” Ethan replied in an amused tone.“Someone of y
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After Ethan left the Whitman Estate, he immediately boarded a taxi and went to the Eastville Manor, which was the villa that Edward Crestwood gave him the keys to as a token of gratitude for him saving his daughter.The drive to his new residence was uneventful, and in less than twenty minutes, he arrived at his destination, the Eastville Manor.The Eastville Manor was located in one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods. It was a symbol of wealth and influence, and not just anyone could own or purchase a building here. It was a well-known fact that only the wealthiest and most influential people could manage to live in Eastville.It was the kind of place that not anyone could just buy, even if they had the money to do so. One still needed a certain amount of influence and connections before they could live there, and yet, Edward Crestwood had effortlessly gifted him the keys to such a manor.The manor itself was extremely beautiful, with ancient architecture that had a lot of
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“Like I said earlier, only Greg can do such a thing for Aria! You’re just an insignificant ant. There’s no way someone like you could make such gestures for Aria!” Natalie spat in a mocking tone.Ethan remained calm, his hands resting casually in his pockets as he stared at Natalie. Despite how harsh Natalie's words were, he didn’t seem fazed at all. His calm demeanour only served to irritate Natalie more, especially since she was already convinced of his insignificance.Meanwhile, Aria was confused at Ethan’s words. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not. After all, he had always acted like a con man and a fraud.“Alright, Ethan. If you claim to know so much, why don't you tell us what was inside the package?" Greg said with a raised eyebrow, looking amused at Ethan’s attempt to steal his efforts.Natalie smirked at Greg’s question. Since the packages had been repacked before Ethan came, there was no way he would know what the contents of the packages were. She was looking for
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“What do you think is in the package, Aria?” Natalie asked, her voice full of curiosity and excitement. Her eyes were sparkling as she admired the luxurious packaging.“I don’t know, but I guess there’s only one way to find out.” Aria replied, her voice filled with excitement.She took the package from Greg and began untying the intricate bow. The silk ribbons fell apart easily, and she gently lifted the lid, revealing a dark velvet box inside. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened the velvet box, only to be greeted by the sight of a stunning set of jewellery.It was an exquisite diamond necklace paired with matching earrings. The gemstones gleamed brilliantly in the light, each one expertly cut and displaying their extravagance.Aria’s eyes widened, and she held her breath as she gently lifted the necklace from the box. The delicate diamond jewellery sparkled with every movement she made, glittering beautifully under the gleaming chandeliers.Natalie, who was right beside her, could
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The moment Carl and his mistress Cassandra exited the store, Edward immediately turned to face Ethan.“Master Ethan, I’m genuinely sorry for the behaviour of my staff. Please pardon them.” Edward apologised and bowed sincerely to Ethan.The sight of someone as powerful as Edward Crestwood bowing to someone unknown and seemingly ordinary like Ethan was completely stunning to Jennifer, the saleswoman. After all, Edward had just sent her powerful manager packing by firing him on the spot! It didn’t take a genius to know that Ethan’s identity and background must be insanely powerful!“Once again, I am truly sorry, Master Ethan.” Edward apologised to Ethan and then turned to Jennifer.“Package the jewellery that he picked out, and make sure to use the best packaging available.” Edward ordered.“Yes, sir.” Jennifer nodded meekly and quickly obeyed his instructions. A few minutes later, she came back with the jewellery neatly packaged in a luxurious box, just like Edward requested. The packa
