Chapter 19

"Stand up and greet your sister-in-law. She's Aleeza, my wife," Aron explained in a flat tone, then turned to Aleeza. "Aleeza, meet my sister, Melissa Henderson."

Both women stared at each other with tense bodies. Their anger and jealousy were clearly visible.

Slowly, Melissa stood up. She looked at Aleeza with undisguised hatred. "Don't lie, brother," Melissa said without looking at Aron.

"Why would your brother lie about his wife?" Aron retorted. Then he turned to Aleeza. "Aleeza, where's my avocado juice?"

Without taking her eyes off Melissa, Aleeza approached and handed a glass of avocado juice to Aron. The two women continued to stare at each other as if they were two female animals preparing to pounce to defend their mates.

Melissa appeared puzzled when Aron began to enjoy his glass of avocado juice. "Since when did you start drinking avocado juice? Weren't you disgusted by eating avocado fruit directly without any processing?"

Before Aron could respond, Aleeza huffed in frustration. "Aron is willing to drink avocado juice because I asked him to."

Melissa looked furious because Aleeza answered a question directed at Aron. "Have your parents never taught you that interrupting someone's conversation is rude?"

Aleeza's emotions flared up even more because Melissa dared to bring their parents into the conversation. "It seems they forgot to teach me that. But they always repeated that loving a blood sibling is a vile, disgusting, and shameless act."

"Hey, hey. You two!"

Aron's call was completely ignored by the two increasingly confrontational women. Now they stood facing each other in front of Aron, with only about half a meter of separation.

"You know nothing about my relationship with Aron, so don't even attempt to judge us."

Aleeza raised an eyebrow and smiled thinly. "Well then, was what I knew about you all this time wrong?"

"Absolutely wrong. People only judge from the outside without wanting to know what's really going on."

Aleeza sighed in relief—though not really. She knew from Melissa's eyes that the woman, or rather, the girl, genuinely loved Aron. Aleeza also understood that Melissa's sentence had a double meaning.

"I apologize for misjudging you," Aleeza pretended to smile. Then she turned to Aron, who was still watching them. "Honey, there's some juice on your lips." Without warning, Aleeza leaned down toward Aron and gently kissed his lower lip.

Seeing this, Melissa's anger could no longer be contained. She approached and grabbed the back of Aleeza's clothing. Aleeza, startled, stood up straight and turned to face Melissa. But then, a hard slap landed on Aleeza's cheek.

SLAP.

"Melissa!" Aron admonished loudly.

Melissa ignored Aron and chose to focus her gaze on Aleeza. "You're just like everyone else, judging solely from the outside. Thinking that my love for Kak Aron is just a teenage crush. But the truth is, I love him deeply and immensely."

"You should see a psychiatrist for an evaluation. Clearly, there's something wrong with your mental state." Aleeza retorted angrily.

"You—"

"Melissa, that's enough!" Aron interrupted Melissa. "Your behavior toward your sister-in-law has gone too far. Now, leave!"

"Is my brother defending this slut more than he's defending me?" Melissa asked with tears in her eyes.

Aron's eyes narrowed with displeasure. "If my wife is a slut, then what are you?" he asked in a cold tone that could freeze.

Melissa's tears flowed even more abundantly. Aron had never been like this before. Even though people around them tried to keep their distance, Aron never used to drive her away. He had always been the one she could share her stories with, even after their father passed away. Aron, the older brother she had always seen as the prince charming who would someday marry her.

But now, Aron heartlessly drove her away just because she had mistreated the woman who had seemingly come out of nowhere. Not only that, Aron indirectly insulted her just to defend that woman.

Disappointed, Melissa rushed out of the room. Without realizing it, she headed to Carter's room. Usually, Carter was where she sought refuge when she couldn't be with Aron. Whether it was because Aron didn't want to be disturbed or because their mother, Keiran, forbade it.

Apparently, that habit hadn't changed even after three years had passed. When she couldn't share her sadness with Aron, Melissa ran to Carter's room. And as usual, the room was unlocked, allowing Melissa to enter easily.

After closing the door tightly, Melissa immediately threw herself onto Carter's soft bed. Instantly, Carter's scent filled Melissa's senses. An aroma that always managed to calm her, especially when the strong arms of the owner of that scent embraced Melissa into a hug.

"Carter, Aron treated me so cruelly," Melissa complained to the empty room, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't love me anymore. Where are you? I miss you."

Melissa slipped under Carter's blankets and hugged her pillow tightly. She would close her eyes for a while and hope that Carter would be there when she woke up.

"What's going on?" Aron asked when he saw Keiran, Ines, and Mario looking confused.

The three of them immediately turned their gaze to Aron and Aleeza, who were not far from them in the living room. They seemed reluctant to explain what was bothering them, but Keiran chose to be honest since Aron probably knew something was up.

"Earlier, a servant told me that Melissa had come home. When I checked her room, her big bag was indeed there, but she's nowhere to be found," Keiran explained.

"She came to my room earlier. She initially wanted to meet all of you, but changed her mind when she saw the three of you arguing in the living room," Aleeza added.

Keiran, Ines, and Mario exchanged glances while recalling the events earlier. That must have been when they were debating and blaming each other in their current location.

"So, where is she now?" Aron fell into deep thought for a moment. "I made her cry earlier. She's probably in Carter's room."

"What did you do to make my sister cry?" Mario asked with visible anger.

One of Aron's eyebrows raised. "So, you don't mind your sister—coincidentally, she's also my sister—falling in love with me as long as she doesn't cry?"

Mario clenched his fists. Right now, he really wanted to smash Aron's cold face with his fists. But seeing Aleeza standing behind Aron, Mario's intention waned.

"Mario, stop it! Let's go to Carter's room to find Melissa," Keiran suggested as she pulled Mario to follow her.

Keiran's mind was still in turmoil. Now, with Melissa's return, she felt even more confused. She didn't necessarily miss her youngest daughter, but Melissa's feelings for Aron always worried Keiran. After all, she was a mother. Despite her cruelty to others, Keiran always wanted what was best for her children.

Keiran had known about Carter's affection for Melissa and Carter's hidden resentment towards Aron for a while. Keiran had deliberately incited Carter to help her against Aron, with the intention of arranging a match between Carter and Melissa in return. But it turned out that all her plans had been shattered in the blink of an eye.

Previously, Keiran had hoped that Aron would have left the house before Mario and Melissa returned. But that plan had also completely failed. Instead of making a new plan to get rid of Aron, Keiran was now once again troubled by her two children's behavior: Mario, who could never control himself and always sought trouble with Aron, and Melissa, who had an unusually intense affection for Aron.

After informing Melissa's whereabouts, Aron asked Aleeza to take him to the company. He didn't need to worry about household matters anymore because he had given both bonuses and threats to all the servants in the house to keep an eye on his stepfamily. He wouldn't be lenient anymore.

Everything went as Aron wished at the company. He remained cold and firm, even while leading the company from a wheelchair.

Aleeza smiled lovingly as she saw how Aron was respected by his subordinates. It wasn't because they were afraid, but because everyone had recognized Aron's capabilities, and the rumors about Aron being an incompetent and unreliable leader were nothing but lies.

Well, those rumors had spread rapidly throughout the Henderson Group company. Even though Aron had been leading the company since Jason Henderson's death, it didn't stop those unpleasant rumors from circulating. Aron's disabled condition made all the employees at Henderson Group easily believe those rumors.

"Where do you want to go now?" Aleeza asked as she pushed Aron's wheelchair out of the Henderson Group building. Aron's personal assistant and driver were also present, and Aron had already asked Aleeza not to push him anymore, but Aleeza insisted on doing what she wanted. Eventually, Aron relented and let her have her way.

"Where do you want to go?" Aron asked.

Aleeza's face lit up upon hearing the question. "You're allowing me to decide our destination?"

Aron's lips curved into a smile upon hearing Aleeza's enthusiasm. For some reason, he couldn't display any expression other than being cold and distant in front of others, but he could easily smile when he was with Aleeza.

"Yes, so choose a nice place. I don't want to regret giving you this opportunity," Aron teased half-heartedly.

Aleeza grinned. "I'm tired of healthy food at home. Right now, I just want to eat burgers, fries, and other fatty foods."

Aron raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I thought you'd ask to go abroad or somewhere else that would drain my money. I didn't expect your taste to be so inexpensive."

Their conversation was interrupted as they reached Aron's car in the company parking lot. Quickly, his assistant helped Aron transfer. After they were comfortably seated in the car, Aleeza resumed the conversation.

"Don't get me wrong. Just wait until after our honeymoon. I'll spend all your money."

"Honeymoon?" Aron pretended to be confused.

Aleeza's lips pursed in irritation. "Don't tell me you've lost your memory now."

"No, but as far as I remember, our honeymoon was canceled when you forced me to eat avocado," Aron reminded her.

"When was that?" Aleeza held her head as if experiencing pain. "Did I hit my head earlier? I really can't remember."

"Come here, I'll knock your head against the car door so you can remember," Aron threatened playfully.

Aron moved to reach for Aleeza's head, but she quickly evaded his grasp and instead held his hand. Playfully, she leaned her head on Aron's shoulder.

"It's not good to hit your wife's head. Our child might not want to be born," Aleeza said while caressing her own stomach.

Aron grinned upon seeing Aleeza's hand movements. "I haven't even touched you, and you're already talking about having a child."

"Because of that, we should go on our honeymoon soon."

Aron still wanted to argue with Aleeza, but in the end, he gave in. "Fine, but not now. After that my mind is more at ease and I'm no longer occupied with company matters and household affairs."

Aleeza pouted while looking at Aron. "You said I get to choose where and when we go on our honeymoon."

"But you already exchanged our honeymoon."

"You're so annoying!" Aleeza exclaimed before leaning in to give Aron a quick kiss on the lips.

Aron suppressed a smile and chose not to continue the conversation. He preferred to enjoy the strange fluttering feeling in his chest after Aleeza's brief kiss and their closeness.

A few moments later, the car they were in had entered the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant.

Once Aron was back in his wheelchair, Aleeza, who was already prepared behind him, said to Aron's personal assistant and driver, "You two should join us for a meal."

The driver and the personal assistant exchanged glances, and then the assistant said, "It's not appropriate to eat with the employer."

"Why?" Aleeza asked.

"It's considered impolite to dine with the boss."

"Who said that?" Aleeza asked stubbornly. "Anyway, you have to eat with us."

Aron, who overheard the conversation, chuckled. "Let's just follow her wishes. She won't stop until you have a headache if you don't comply."

The conversation stopped as a woman approached them.

"You're Aron, right?" she asked with uncertainty.

Aron nodded. "And you're Ellie?" Aron asked in return.

The woman called Ellie smiled and extended her hand, which Aron shook. "I wasn't sure if it was you."

"Why?" Aron asked politely. Although his smile had disappeared, Aron didn't show his usual cold and distant expression.

"Because I've never seen you laugh like that before. You look even more handsome when you smile," Ellie complimented.

"Ehem," Aleeza cleared her throat, feeling ignored and irritated because the woman was flirting with Aron right in front of her.

"Oh, right. Let me introduce my wife. Her name is Aleeza," Aron introduced.

Aleeza forced a smile and accepted Ellie's outstretched hand. "I'm Aleeza. I see you're an old friend of Aron."

One of Aleeza's eyebrows raised, and she squinted suspiciously when she noticed Ellie's confusion while describing her relationship with Aron back then.

Seeing Aleeza's gaze, Ellie decided not to discuss what was on her mind with Aron at the moment. So she excused herself and planned to meet with Aron in the near future.

After Ellie left, Aleeza resumed pushing Aron's wheelchair and asked the question that had been bothering her mind since earlier. "What was your relationship back then? It seems like it was more than just friends."

"She's the woman I mentioned. The reason for my argument with Mario three years ago," Aron explained calmly.

Aleeza's movement briefly halted in surprise. But she quickly regained her composure and continued pushing Aron's wheelchair.

Oh dear, just as the issue with Melissa had started, now a new problem had arisen. Aleeza could only hope in her heart that she would be able to control her jealousy when faced with these two women.