Chapter 170 - Something Special To Announce
Aiden was still having his way with the various hors d'oeuvres when the announcement was made by Brann Knighton.
"Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate my beautiful daughter's 25th birthday. We have something special to announce tonight in just a few moments if Lacy could make her way to the stage."
"It's time," Aaron said grimly before dragging Aiden away from the food and standing him up right in the middle of the crowd.
He didn't even have time to finish his glass of water. The saltiness was killing him!
Aaron took a deep breath, a brief look of disgust and regret crossing his face, before he pulled something out of his jacket pocket and got down on one knee.
"I wanted to do this in a more romantic setting but I can't wait any longer. Bethany Carlisle, will you marry me?"
The gigantic diamond on the ring sparkled under the venue's soft lighting and Aiden was about to scream. 'Aaron! You didn't say anything about pretending to get engaged!'
What was he supposed to do? Everyone's eyes were on them. He had promised that he would go along with whatever his boss said but this was too much. However, he knew if he backed down in this crucial moment that Aaron might actually kill him.
"Yes!" he forced out, trying to sound excited.
Aaron slid the ring on his finger once he said the magic word. It actually fit; he must have planned this far in advance and found out Aiden's size. This was so wrong!
He kept a smile plastered on his face but on the inside he was seething. That scoundrel! How could he propose to someone else at the birthday party of the woman who liked him? That was a new low.
The crowd was clearly just as confused and shocked as Aiden was so it took a minute for them to get their bearings enough to begin cheering and congratulating the 'happy couple.'
In the distance, he saw Lacy's mother restraining her. Murderous rage was written all over her face. Aaron noticed too and he actually smiled! It wasn't a happy smile though; it was quite bone-chilling.
Aaron's arm was stiffly around his shoulders right now as other people crowded in on them asking questions. After what he put Aiden through tonight, he owed him a proper explanation for all this. He would definitely get one.
===
Aiden cursed as they headed back to the car after the worst two hours of his life. "What was that?! This was not a part of our deal!"
Aaron shrugged. "I didn't want to propose to the likes of you either but I had to do it before the announcement or I would never get rid of that parasite."
He deflated slightly. Lacy had run off crying after her mother stopped her from marching off and throwing a fit in front of everyone and the announcement was forgotten in the chaos. Some birthday she had.
"Man, that wasn't cool. I get that you hate her but did you have to ruin her birthday like that?"
The ever-present ice crystals surrounding his boss turned into a blizzard. "Did Lacy have to ruin Keeley's birthday by drugging her just because we ate lunch together in high school?"
His jaw dropped. Say what?! That prissy little shopaholic was capable of something like that? Just because they ate lunch together…Wasn't that too petty?
"She seriously did that?"
"You can ask Keeley if you don't believe me," Aaron said frostily. "She ended up in the hospital. If I hadn't found her in time…"
"Why?"
Aaron actually got heated for once. "Because she's a bloody psychopath, that's why! Anybody associated with me gets a taste of her wrath. She's both possessive and completely delusional. I've never liked her at all."
A lot of puzzle pieces clicked into place. Aaron's paranoia. His hatred of the Knightons. Why he didn't let a single trace of Keeley make it into the office. She had been in danger because of him before and he didn't want it to happen again.
Was this why she seemed to hate him so much sometimes? Did she know that Lacy drugged her because of Aaron? Or…had she done more than just that?
"Is that why you couldn't just pretend to get engaged to an actual person you know?"
"It's part of it. I also can't betray Keeley like that."
Betray Keeley? His theory that they dated before only solidified. If Lacy did something so terrible to her just because they hung out at lunch, how much worse would it have been if they had been in a relationship?
"And I don't count as a betrayal because I'm a guy," he surmised.
Aaron nodded. "Right. She can't come after you either because your alternate persona doesn't actually exist. I'm going to tell everyone you're away in Europe and make it a very long engagement before eventually breaking it off when everyone loses interest and moves onto the next bit of gossip. You'll never have to dress up again."
Aiden didn't trust his words after the stunt he just pulled. "Never? Really? Because if this woman is as psycho as you say she is do you really think she'll back down for an absentee fiancée?"
"That's why we have to destroy her."
The scariest part of that sentence was how calmly it was said. Aaron could have been talking about where they should go for lunch.
He gulped. "Destroy her?"
"Yes. Her, both of our corrupt fathers, her lackey Max Lynch, and the person whose involvement I haven't discovered yet."
A mystery person…this must be why Aaron kept having him check on who was hanging around Lacy. But how did he know of this person's existence if he didn't know who it was? None of this made any sense.
And Max? That idiot who followed Lacy around like a puppy? What on earth did he do?
"What does Max have to do with this?"
"He was her accomplice."
This was giving Aiden a headache. He always knew his boss tried to be one step ahead of his enemies but he never fully understood why until this moment. There were a surprising number of people out to get him. And, more specifically, Keeley.
Aaron would do anything for her. Getting revenge for his girl was the one bit of sense in this insanity.