Chapter 161 - Sucks To Be You
"Um…what exactly are you planning on having me do?" Aiden asked apprehensively as he played with a picture frame on Aaron's desk.
Aaron glared at him and he stopped messing with the frame immediately. His father could access this office at any time so the only picture he kept in here was one of Dinah. It still reminded him of Keeley every time he saw it because of her role in acquiring the cat.
"All you really have to do is show up, stick near me, and follow my lead," he instructed. "Simple as that."
Aiden still seemed doubtful. "I dunno man…this is weird. Really weird."
"You're free to back out if you don't want your vacation."
"Of course I want my vacation! I just don't want to dress like a girl and be your human shield!" he protested before pouting like a five-year-old.
"I haven't had to dress like a girl since I was about six and my little sister wouldn't stop crying until I played dress up with her. When she's in a bad mood she still lords it over me to this day."
He instantly straightened. "You're not allowed to take any pictures! I don't want you blackmailing me later."
Aaron nearly rolled his eyes. "I already have more than enough blackmail material on you. I don't need any more."
He relaxed instantly, remembering that his boss knew a ton of not only embarrassing but illegal stuff about him and never said a peep. Aaron was right; he really didn't need any more blackmail material.
Besides, Aiden was fairly certain he had never seen his boss tease anyone. He wasn't the type. Cameron on the other hand…
"When is this party anyway?"
"Friday, April 12th. Come over to my place right after work so the stylist can turn you into a girl," Aaron said coolly, not caring about his subordinate's dignity.
Aiden shuddered just thinking about it. It was time to change the subject.
"So…like I was saying before you asked me the weirdest favor of my life, I found something on Brann Knighton." He pulled up the encrypted file on his phone and held it out for his boss to see.
"It doesn't have specific information about the insider trading but their emails talk about a merger. What else could they possibly be referring to?"
Aaron sighed. The kid was so smart and yet so dumb. They were literally just talking about this.
"Me. They're trying to merge the Knighton and Hale families to become even stronger in the financial sector. They're already the two biggest names; I don't know why they have to be so greedy."
This basically proved they were going to try and announce the engagement Aaron hadn't agreed to at the party. The only way he could possibly combat this was by publicly getting engaged to someone else at the party before they could announce it.
Aiden was not going to be happy. But what else could he do?
Even if he enraged his father by not going to the party they would still announce it without him there. Getting rid of Lacy would be nearly impossible if she managed to make this announcement. He had to strike first.
"Oh, duh. Sucks to be you," Aiden said sympathetically. "I'll keep monitoring them and let you know if I find anything else."
He left the office with a spring in his step, no doubt thinking about his pending vacation with his girlfriend. He wouldn't be so peppy if he knew the embarrassment he would have to go through to get there.
Aaron sighed and rubbed his temples. A headache was brewing. Brann Knighton was nearly as problematic as his father.
In his first life, he never had any definitive proof that Brann was involved in the plot to destroy Keeley's ability to bear an heir but he certainly used his wife's connections to keep the police off his daughter and Max's trail after Robert Hall was killed. That alone was reason to punish him.
One of the reasons Keeley hated Aaron so much was because of what he had done to investigate Lacy and the Knightons to give his deceased father-in-law justice. He hadn't actually cheated but he had been spotted with that vile woman in public several times as he tried to get her to slip up and reveal something.
When Lacy got pregnant out of wedlock, everyone in their circle assumed it was Aaron's because of the rumors floating around. He went along with the lie so he would have an excuse to get Keeley out of his life and away to safety.
He never understood why they bothered to kill Robert in the first place if their ultimate goal was to get rid of Keeley. Hadn't they done enough to destroy her already?
Even though she had eventually recovered from the fake ectopic pregnancy incident, they used the social circle to crush her spirit completely. His wife was already a shell of her former vibrant self long before losing her only remaining family member.
Aaron would never forgive himself for unintentionally putting her in harm's way. She was clearly still haunted by those memories though she did her best to move on and live out the dreams she couldn't before.
Every single person involved in destroying Keeley needed to pay. The Knightons. Max Lynch. The father of Lacy's baby. Dr. Rothman. Alistair Hale. Aaron wasn't sure how wide the web of corruption went but he would find out if it killed him.
Sweet, naïve Keeley. Her only crime was falling in love with someone who lived in a complicated world yet she paid the ultimate price.
What they went through in their first life changed them both. She was sharper, less trusting, and burdened with all of that extra pain. He became more ruthless towards his enemies but also finally learned how to love someone properly when it was too late.
Fate was cruel. What was the point of sending him back in time to fix his mistakes if Keeley remembered all of them and wouldn't give him a chance?
Even if she never forgave him, he could still get revenge for her. He would show those who dared to hurt her the same level of mercy. Or worse.