Chapter 278 - Aaron's Address
Aaron was in trouble with his father once again. He hadn't shown up for the Christmas or New Year's Eve parties he was expected to attend. There was nothing Alistair could do but yell at him though. He had nothing to threaten his son with.
He had enjoyed a quiet New Year's Eve at home with Keeley and the Singletons. They played board games he had never even heard of until midnight hit. And for the first time since 2007, he got his kiss at midnight. This was going to be a great year!
The babies' growth was on track as well and Dr. Chapman encouraged Keeley to continue to rest as much as possible. She followed those instructions strictly. The only thing she even had to do within the next week was attend her graduation ceremony.
Everything was looking wonderful. Which put Aaron on guard because things never worked out this well for him.
He was right to be paranoid—Aiden found proof that his father was snooping around his office again. But he wasn't sure what Alistair was looking for.
He was fairly certain he knew. He was looking for Aaron's address. Aaron had noticed more than one person following him home from work in the past couple of weeks. He always managed to shake them off by going the long way home but it was still worrisome.
Why did Alistair suddenly want to find out where his son was living? It couldn't be good. He likely realized his control over Aaron was slipping and he wanted to get it back.
That wouldn't be happening. He was finally living the life he had wanted for so long. His father could not be allowed to interfere.
He wouldn't allow the man within a mile of his wife and children. Keeley was stressed enough about being discovered as it was. He had to depose him as quickly as possible.
Aaron worried about all of this as he left the office because he felt someone following him yet again. Even worse, it was the last person on earth he wanted to see. When she put a hand on his shoulder from behind he ripped it off viciously.
"What are you doing at Hale Investments?" he asked Lacy furiously.
She pouted before putting on her most innocent look. It made him sick. "I missed you. I haven't seen you in months."
"You have no reason to see me. I'm engaged to someone else. You're no one to me."
What was she trying to pull? Was she trying to figure out where he lived too? That would be an absolute nightmare.
She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Society functions aren't the same without you. You need to come back. You're the king of the younger generation; you can't just leave on a whim."
"Whether I choose to leave or not is absolutely none of your business. I'm done with this conversation. You have three seconds to get out of here before I report you for stalking," Aaron said flatly.
Lacy lost her composure completely. "Aaron Hale, you listen to me! You are supposed to marry me and we're supposed to rule the circle together! What on earth is wrong with you?! Why are you abandoning all of your responsibilities?"
Abandoning his responsibilities? What a joke. If anything, he had abandoned those horrible people in order to fulfil his responsibilities. The ones he had to himself and his growing family.
She never really wanted him; she wanted to be married to the best of the best. She refused to settle for anyone else because she wanted to be the top socialite with the top CEO husband. He couldn't think of anything in this world that sounded worse.
High society had never done a thing that made him happy. Happiness came from spontaneous laughter, a dazzling smile, and experiencing things through Keeley's eyes. He wouldn't trade what he had now for the world.
"I haven't abandoned anything worthwhile. I have far better things to do than play power games with the likes of you. You're pathetic, Lacy. You always have been. I almost feel sorry for you. Go find someone else to live out your delusions with and leave me alone."
"Me, pathetic?" she hissed. "You're the pathetic one! What happened to the Aaron Hale I knew? The one that knew his role in the world and looked down on those who didn't act according to their station? He knew what he was doing. You…you're crazy!"
He nearly snorted. It was unbelievable that he ever used to think that way. But that was before Keeley came along and lit up his life. He would never go back to being such a blind fool.
"The only crazy person here is you to think that you know anything about me. You don't. You never have. The Aaron Hale you built up in your head all this time has been a delusion of grandeur. I don't care about any of that. I'm a simple person with simple needs that the likes of you could never understand," he said derisively before turning on his heel and marching to his car.
Aaron didn't have time to deal with this psychopath today. He needed to get home. Keeley was waiting for him.
He noticed one of the people tailing him back to his apartment but unfortunately did not notice the other that found him right as he shook the first one off. It was a car he had never seen before so he didn't register that it was following him.
Once he parked, he rode the elevator all the way up to the penthouse and greeted his wife. She was watching TV under the blanket she got for Christmas, which had quickly become her new favorite.
She smiled at him after he kissed her cheek. "Hey Aaron. How was work today?"
"Tiring," he admitted. But seeing her helped all of his fatigue melt away in an instant. "How are my babies doing?"
"They've been kicking me most of the afternoon. It's like they're wrestling in there or something," Keeley said with a laugh. "If you wait long enough they'll probably do it again and you'll be able to feel it."
It never ceased to amaze him when he felt the babies move. Proof that they were alive in there tended to make him emotional. He was going to be a dad and nobody could take that away from him this time.
"You'll have to let me know when they do. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"No, I was waiting for you so we could eat together."
Warmth filled Aaron's heart. Having someone waiting for him to come home never got old. He kissed her again before going to change into something more comfortable so they could eat dinner together.