Chapter 285: Night Affairs IV
Who would dare infiltrate the Thorne mansion, with all the security agents and tools functioning? Athena couldn't
help but wonder, stepping out of her bed slowly as if the intruder was lurking in a hidden section of her room.
With the sstealth, she walked to her wardrobe, opened it slowly, and touched the black bag resting atop the
bag of clothes she had brought when she arrived at the mansion.
She exhaled in relief when she felt her registered gun nestled inside the bag, yet that didn’t calm the racing in
her heart or the marching feet in her head.
"Calm down, Athena. You need your wits about you," She muttered to herself, grasping the gun tightly as she
moved toward the window where she believed the sound was coming from.
But if she judged by the noises she was hearing, it meant that the intruder was already inside the compound—
which indicated that the person had bypassed the security measures in place. How was that possible?
Unless... she paused in her steps. Unless the person was a spy in their midst, maybe part of the security detail
guarding the mansion.
Exhaling visibly again, she clutched the silky purple nightgown against her body tightly while her mind raced in
different directions. Was the safety of her children compromised too?
The thought brought a mix of unsettling rage and nerves pooling in her belly. Without a second thought, she
retraced her steps to the wardrobe slowly, donned a robe over her flimsy gown, tied it with its belt, and closed
the distance between her and the window.
Once there, she inhaled deeply, her heart thumping louder inside her chest as she could hear the intruder’s
ragged breathing on the other side.
The intruder had climbed to her window—maybe to kill her? Abduct her? She wasn’t sure. But she will see for
herself.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNot wasting any more time, her hand holding the trigger steadily, she opened the already-ajar window suddenly
and pointed the gun downwards, her face contorting in anger when she saw who was looking at her blankly.
Aiden.
"Damn you!" She cursed aloud, hitting the window pane.
What was he doing here? Couldn't he take the hint that she didn’t want him any closer?
She stepped aside as he threw himself into the room smartly, landing with a thud on his two feet.
Athena sneered at the unnecessary display. He could have simply continued climbing in and stepped into the
room more subtly, but he had to showcase sridiculous show of strength. Did he think she was someone to
impress?
Silence descended upon them, thick enough to sap the willingness to speak from the air.
"What are you doing here, Aiden?" Athena demanded finally, folding her arms across her chest, her expression a
board of unconcealed annoyance and irritation.
Aiden pursed his lips, slipping his hands into his pockets. On second thought, he pulled them out, unsure of how
the image of that gesture would resonate with the reason he was here. "Can we talk?"
His voice was steady, but the faint tremor in his posture betrayed his unease.
"Are you sure you want to do that? You might be subjected to childish ramblings... surely your matured brain
might not be able to handle that," Athena snapped without hesitation, meeting his gaze strongly, fire burning in
her eyes.
Then her shoulders deflated.
"Just get out, Aiden. | was about to sleep before you barged in. | had a very long day and night..." She spoke in a
resigned tone, stepping back toward her bed. "You can close the window after you..."
But Aiden didn’t leave his apartment at three in the morning to be chased back into the cold night. He had come
here to talk, and talk he would. "Athena, let's talk like two mature adults..."
"But | am not an adult, old man," Athena interrupted sharply, the fire rekindling in her eyes as she pointed
toward the window. "Get out."
Yet Aiden remained steadfast. He stepped back when Athena grabbed the gun from its resting place on the
dresser.
"What are you doing?" He inquired, his brows furrowed.
"We can settle this matter amicably. You don’t need to resort to extremes like this..." He continued, wishing he
had waited until morning. But he had been too restless, so he had no choice but to brave the dangers of the
night to chere for her. Hence, he couldn't leave until he had spoken his piece.
"Just givea chance..."
Athena laughed scornfully. "A chance?" She scoffed, still brandishing the weapon. "Why didn’t you givethat a
year ago, or even months ago?"
"I was trying to protect you. | couldn't afford for you to sink into depression over the truth," Aiden replied hastily,
lifting his hands as if in surrender.
But Athena clicked her tongue, shaking her head ruefully. "How noble of you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"You are a real saint, Aiden."
Aiden inhaled deeply for control and strength, never feeling happy or in the mood to contend with this side of
Athena. "I am sorry then, Athena. It won't happen again."
"Of course it won't happen again, because no one is dying again, nor will | give you the leverage to misbehave
again!" Athena raised her voice, flinging her arms wildly.
"Enough with all this, Athena. We have more important things at stake here than your pride!"
"And what do you know of pride? You've never seemed to have a problem with yours, despite it being
suffocating."
Aiden took another deep breath, as if steadying himself in an emotional storm. "I was wrong. | should have
trusted you, and | didn’t. My stubbornness and foolhardiness have placed our friendship on the brink of chaos,
and I'm sorry for it."
"Do you think a simple apology will fix this?" Athena muttered, incredulity shining in her eyes.
"You messed up and had the audacity to berateon top of it. What sort of messed-up pride is that? And how
c| have never seen this side of you? If | had, | wouldn't have been friends with you in the first place."
She clicked her tongue. "You judged Ewan months ago for his pride, yet you are just like him. You are a
hypocrite."
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