Third Person's POV
The second time, Aiken was greeted by Hadwin helping Chelsea home.
"Ms. Chelsea, your house is so big," Hadwin had said, his tone full of admiration as his eyes swept the room.
Aiken had stepped forward and took Chelsea from Hadwin’s grasp. He was about to thank the young man when Chelsea cut in.
"If you like it, I can arrange something for you another day."
Aiken’s brows had furrowed, but he kept quiet. Meanwhile, Hadwin had shaken his head shyly, though his gaze lingered on Chelsea with something close to awe. "No need, Miss. Just take care of yourself and drink less."
Chelsea had chuckled softly, almost indulgently. “Alright, Hadwin. Next time, you can supervise me.”
Such a doting tone had immediately unsettled Aiken. He then had asked Hadwin to leave, then took care of Chelsea, helping her freshen up.
As he had ran his fingers through Chelsea’s soft, silky hair, he couldn’t shake the memory of the admiration in Hadwin’s eyes—a feeling he couldn’t hide.
'Chelsea, you’re sharp as a blade, you must’ve noticed it, too,' Aiken had thought.
Yet the next day, she had said nothing about Hadwin.
Chelsea was never the type to forget what happened after drinking, but at that time, she had claimed she couldn’t remember a thing.
Later, curiosity got the better of Aiken, and he had checked Hadwin’s social media. That’s when he had noticed that all those business connections Hadwin had been bragging about were people Chelsea had introduced him to.
Chelsea’s mother noticed his distraction and called to him softly. “Aiken, are you alright?”
Aiken shook off the heavy feelings weighing on him and handed her an envelope.
“Mom, here. This is for you. It’s $70,000.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately shook her head. “Oh, Aiken, you didn’t need to do this. Chelsea has already given us plenty.”
“Chelsea is Chelsea, and I’m me,” Aiken replied gently. “This is just a little something from me to you.”
Chelsea’s parents had always treated him well, never looking down on him despite Chelsea’s success. They had even supported his marriage to their daughter wholeheartedly. Now, with everything going on, Aiken had decided it was time to do right by them.
With a smile, he insisted on handing over the money. "Mom, please take it. Don’t make me worry."
“You sound like you’re about to leave for good,” she said, her tone a mix of concern and resignation. Still, she accepted the money when she saw how determined he was.
Unexpectedly, Chelsea walked in just then, carrying gift bags—and right behind her was Hadwin.
“Aiken, what are you doing here?” Chelsea’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and she hurried over to link her arm with his. “I got home earlier and didn’t see you.”
"That’s right. Ms. Chelsea was quite disappointed," Hadwin chimed in, his tone ambiguous.
Aiken forced a slight smile but said nothing. He withdrew his gaze from Hadwin and silently pulled his arm from Chelsea’s grasp.
Chelsea frowned, visibly unhappy with his reaction, and reached out to grab his hand again, but Hadwin’s words distracted her.
"Auntie, what’s that you’re holding? It looks like such a fancy envelope," Hadwin asked curiously, placing the gift bags aside to get a better look.
Aiken’s heart tightened. He wanted to change the subject, but Chelsea’s mother answered before he could.
"Aiken gave it to me."
"What's going on with you? Why are you giving Mom money out of nowhere?" Chelsea looked at Aiken inquisitively, sensing that something wasn’t right.
“The bank notified me about a deposit maturing, so I withdrew it,” Aiken explained, unwilling to make a scene here. He wanted to resolve things with Chelsea in private and end their relationship with dignity.
"Really?" Chelsea was skeptical, though unease began to creep into her heart. Recently, Aiken’s unusually quiet demeanor had been unsettling.
"Take it back," she said, unable to calm her growing irritation. Then, she grabbed the envelope from her mother and shoved it back into Aiken’s hands.
"I’ll transfer the money to you later, Mom," Chelsea said softly.
Aiken sighed quietly. It seemed he’d have to try again another time.
