Page 48 of The Enemy of My Enemy Is… My Fake Boyfriend?

"I can imagine."

"And Annalise, she's the opposite, tough and always blazing ahead without thought. She just started a new job and she's..."

Aria hesitated, making me even more curious. "She's what?" I prodded.

"I shouldn't tell you this," she whispered. "But she's kind of undercover. She doesn't want people to know who she is, doesn't want to get things handed to her like in the past because of her last name and who our parents are."

"I get that." I had to admire that to be honest.

Aria went off on a tangent, telling me some of her stories about her sisters, how they'd always stayed close, despite some arguments and vicious fights as teenagers, and the unbreakable bond that had held them together through all those years.

"And then there's my mom who drives me kind of crazy. I love her and I appreciate all she's done for me though."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, thinking about the few times I'd seen her and she'd been the epitome of what you'd expect from an uber-wealthy, society woman.

"She's so into the whole charity gala scene that she started her own business, thinking she could do a better job. And she was right actually," Aria added in an amused tone. "And sometimes I'm a little scared that I'm following in her footsteps."

In my head, I did a mental comparison between the two, remembering how Aria's mom had a bit of a judgy tilt to her head, like she was always taking stock of everyone's pedigree around her and finding them lacking. From my research, I knew that she was the one from old money and could probably trace her lineage back to the Mayflower.

"You're nothing like her," I assured Aria, truly meaning it. "You're way more accepting."

"I like to think so." Her voice was quiet and muted.

"You definitely are, babe. You're fake dating me, right? Your mother would never."

That made her laugh. "That is so true. She would die before dating the likes ofyou."

"Hey." I gave her a playful push from across the great divide. "Watch it, or I'll pull you into the abyss."

She laughed some more and scooted as far away from me as she could. After a few moments of silence, she cleared her throat.

"And then there's my dad," Aria said with a sigh, her tone taking on a more serious note. "He's... well, I'm sure you've heard of him."

"Yeah, of course."

There was a pregnant pause, and I could tell Aria was weighing whether or not to ask what I knew. And I was hoping she wouldn't. This wasn't about me, after all.

"He loves us all," she finally went on. "But let's just say he has very high standards."

That was one way to put it. "So I've heard."

Aria nodded, a small smile playing about her lips. "He's always pushed us to be the best versions of ourselves, which can be pretty exhausting. The pressure, you know?"

"I bet."

As we lay there in the dimly lit cabin, a comfortable silence settled between us, but even more curiosity gnawed at me, and I couldn't stand it any longer. So I bit the bullet and decided to just ask her. "What I don't understand is... how did you end up with a jerk like Chase in the first place?"

Aria's deep inhale met my ears. "Honestly? I'm still trying to figure that out myself," she admitted. "I thought he was everything I wanted in a partner. And everyone loved him. But as time went on, I realized that he was just... not the person I thought he was."

"You wouldn't be the first one to be fooled by him.He's a master manipulator."

"He should come with a warning label."

"After we're done with him, he will."

Aria's giggle was music to my ears after such heavy topics. "God, I hope so."

"If the chicken broth smell doesn't scare people away from him first."

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