NovelEndChapter 61 The figure standing in the doorway exuded an air of elegance combined with an intimidating chill. It was Aaron Vance, the man Bella had heard so much about yet never met until now.
"Mr. Vance..." The moment Bella laid eyes on Aaron, she couldn't look away.
He was strikingly handsome.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNo wonder Serena had been infatuated with him for seven long years.
Aaron's gaze fell icily on the jewelry scattered across the table. These were pieces marked by time, astonishingly beautiful, yet they were left carelessly exposed to the air. His eyes narrowed as he strode into the villa, and the atmosphere in the room immediately turned tense and heavy.
Everyone instinctively stepped back, driven by a sudden wave of fear.
Bella, overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, cried out, "Mom! Mom!" Hearing the commotion, Penelope rushed down from the master bedroom on the second floor. Her expression shifted slightly when she saw Aaron.
She had expected Serena might return. But not Aaron.
"Mr. Vance," Penelope greeted with a forced smile, trying to mask her unease, "What a surprise! To what do we owe the pleasure? You should have called ahead..." Aaron lifted his cold gaze to meet hers. "I'm here to see Serena's collection." Penelope's smile faltered. Aaron's words suggested he was here to support Serena, but- Aaron didn't love Serena. Why would he support her? As Penelope pondered, one possibility emerged: Aaron was interested in Serena's antiques. That would explain why he stayed with her despite not loving her.
With this thought, she smiled again and glanced towards Bella. "Mr. Vance, could we speak privately for a moment?" Aaron settled on the couch, his long legs elegantly crossed. "Anything you have to say can be said here." Penelope sighed and took a step forward, lowering her voice. "Mr. Vance, Serena's father left behind quite a collection of antiques... If there's anything you fancy..." Aaron tilted his head, studying the middle-aged woman before him. Thad been kind to her; she was still quite beautiful, and he could even see traces of Serena in her features. But unlike Serena, whose eyes were clear and innocent, Penelope's were calculating.
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"If I recall correctly, those antiques were left to Serena by her father," Aaron remarked, his lips curling into a faint smile as he glanced at Bella, huddled in the corner. "Bella and her accomplices took them from the former chairman's villa. Any one of those pieces is enough to get a conviction."
Bella paled at the mention of a conviction, stumbling over her words, "Th-those antiques were originally ours. How can that be theft?" "Really? Do you think the court will believe that?" Aaron's tone was calm, as if discussing something mundane.
Penelope's smile vanished completely. If this went to court, they would surely lose...
"Return the antiques before Serena comes back," Aaron continuedslowly, each word like @dagger piercing Penelope and Bella's hearts. "Otherwise, I can ensure you spend the rest of your lives behind bars." Penelope's face turned ashen.
The Vance family was a century-old institution in Alderburg, with connections deeply intertwined in society.
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