Ryan's POV
I hadn't meant to linger. But there I was, hidden in the dimness of the library, watching Mia come to grips with the truth I'd finally laid bare. It felt both necessary and regrettable, like tearing open an old wound that still hadn't healed. A bitter part of me wondered if I had just sealed my own fate.
When I handed her Aaron's bank statement, I could see her eyes shift, see something hardened in her. She'd been through so much already, more than anyone should. But now, beneath the pain, I saw resolve building in her expression. A dangerous mix of emotions that could either sharpen her strength or break her entirely.
But why? Why are you telling me all this now? Mia inquired, her voice was a rough whisper, barely audible but razor-sharp. She looked up, eyes blazing with a mix of fury and something else I couldn't place.
I swallowed, pushing aside the gnawing guilt that lodged in my chest. "Because you need to know what you're up against". I replied, my words sounded hollow even to me. We both knew I'd waited too long to act, watching from the sidelines as Aaron dragged her into his games.
"Aaron's been after this for years," I continued, keeping my voice low. "He doesn't just want control of the Montgomery empire. He wants you… and me… erased."
Mia blinked, processing each word. "I don't understand, Ryan. This was just supposed to be a business deal." Mia spoke, her voice was soft, yet strained, carrying the weight of her disbelief.
"It's revenge," I explained, unable to hide the bitterness from my tone. "Aaron's using you as a pawn. Marrying you wasn't about any company, it was about making sure he took everything. From you. From me."
As she clenched the bank statement, her knuckles turned white. "He's… he's not just draining my company, is he?"
"No," I murmured, hesitating, knowing what the next revelation would do to her. But she needed to know. "There's a clause in our father's will. It gives Aaron control over certain parts of the family business only if he marries someone from a rival family… like yours. By marrying you, he essentially stole my inheritance too."
Her mouth opened slightly, a mixture of horror and fury flashing in her eyes. "So… I was his backup plan? The perfect puppet?"
"In Aaron's eyes, that's all any of us are. Chess pieces. Resources. To him, none of us matter." I answered with a grim smile tugged at my mouth.
The silence that followed was thick, punctuated by the distant ticking of an old library clock. Mia's breathing grew shallower, and the sound filled the small space. I could almost hear her heart pounding, the realization sinking in that she was nothing more than a tool in Aaron's game.
But she surprised me by squaring her shoulders, a new fire sparking in her gaze.
"Then he underestimated me. If he thinks I'm going to just roll over and let him destroy everything I've built, he's wrong."Mia spoke, with an intense confidence in her tone.
I nodded slowly, feeling the beginnings of hope.
"That's the spirit. But if we're going to stop him, we need to be smart about it. Aaron's planned this for a long time. One wrong move, and he'll know we're onto him."I informed Mia.
Her brow furrowed as she absorbed my words.
"I understand. I won't make a move until we're ready. But, Ryan, I need to know everything. No more secrets. If we're taking him down, I need to know exactly what I'm up against." She spoke, with a fierceness in her tone, a new authority I had not seen before.
Now I'm confident, I had made the right choice telling her. Meeting her determined gaze, I felt a strange relief. It was the first time I had felt like I had an ally in all this.
"Fine there's more," I took a breath. "It's not just about the money. Aaron's planning to dismantle Hartley Enterprises piece by piece until there's nothing left for you to fight with."
"Piece by piece…" she echoed, her voice a whisper of controlled anger. I could almost feel the tension building within her, could see the delicate balance between her vulnerability and her strength.
I nodded. "Exactly. He's working from both ends. Stripping your assets, consolidating control over mine. He's leaving no one out. Not you, and certainly not me." I didn't tell her how thoroughly Aaron's manipulation of our father had poisoned our family. I didn't need to; her eyes said she understood enough.
She shook her head, disbelief mingling with anger.
"And he's doing all this… to what? To secure his own legacy?" she asked.
"To secure his power. He wants everything, Mia. He doesn't care who gets hurt in the process." I stated..
"We'll need to move quickly, start gathering everything we can on him, financial records, email, anything that links him to his dirty deals in your company. I'll handle things on my end with the Montgomery empire."
But Aaron's ruthless, Mia. We'll have to be careful." I warned her.
Her laugh was low, devoid of any amusement. "Careful, right. That's gotten me this far." She swallowed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "No. I'll do whatever it takes."
The determination in her voice almost made me forget why I had waited so long to tell her. "If we're going to do this, we have to be smart. Move quietly. Once Aaron realizes we're working together, he'll come after us both."
"Let him come," she said fiercely, defiance gleaming in her eyes. "I'm not afraid of him."
I studied her, a mixture of admiration and worry tightening in my chest.
"Still it will cost you nothing to be careful, Mia, please" I insisted.
For a moment, she seemed to waver, caught between her own strength and the shadow of fear that was all too real. But after a second, she squared her shoulders.
"I'll be careful. But I won't back down,"she replied.
I nodded, feeling a strange respect rise up in me, mingling with the protectiveness that had been growing ever since I had the decision to go this path with her.
She held my gaze, her expression guarded but vulnerable, and it struck me that I hadn't anticipated this part, the connection we were forming, even in the face of shared danger. She was a fighter, and, for better or worse, we were in this together.
After a pause, she looked at me with something I couldn't quite read. "And what happens after all this? When is it over?" The question hung in the air, tense and uncertain, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to hear my answer.
Her words hit deeper than I expected. I hadn't thought beyond this. Everything about this situation was unpredictable, a tangle of risks and secrets with no clear end in sight.
"I don't know," I replied honestly, feeling a strange vulnerability in admitting it. "But we'll figure it out."
She held my gaze, her eyes searching mine, as if looking for some hidden reassurance. I wasn't sure what she found, but after a long moment, she nodded, her expression softening slightly. "We'll figure it out," she repeated, almost to herself.
For a while, we stood there in silence, the weight of everything pressing down on us in that dimly lit library, the scent of old books and dust mingling with the tension between us. Shadows draped the room, hiding us from the outside world as we made this quiet pact.
In this small, fragile alliance, I felt the danger more acutely than ever. I knew Aaron well enough to understand that if he sensed us working against him, he wouldn't just try to ruin us. He would make us pay in ways we couldn't yet imagine. This wasn't just a family feud anymore. It was survival.
My mind returned to Mia. She was tougher than she looked, stronger than anyone would guess. But as brave as she was, she didn't fully understand Aaron's ruthlessness.
"You'll need protection," I said, the thought hitting me hard. "When Aaron finds out…"
Her laugh was cold. "Ryan, I can handle him." She cut in.
I shook my head. "Mia, he's more dangerous than you think. He won't just go after your business. He'll go after you personally. He doesn't leave loose ends."
Her eyes hardened, but I could see a glint of something else, something I could only name as fear. She took a deep breath, her hand brushing against mine for the briefest moment.
"Then let him come. I won't be scared into silence." she spoke, more determined than ever.
Her courage both amazed and worried me. As I looked at her, I couldn't shake the feeling that this moment was only the beginning. We were stepping into a web of deception Aaron had carefully spun, and one wrong move could destroy us both.
The air around us seemed charged with unspoken words, and I knew the stakes had never been higher. This was our last chance. Our only hope was to stay two steps ahead of Aaron, to gather every scrap of evidence we could before he realized what we were planning.
The game had begun, and there was no way out now.