Page 78 of Revenge (Corrupt Empire 3)

Chapter Sixteen

Aiden

Avery was still asleep when I woke up. She looked so fucking precious with her hair splayed out across the pillow. She’d been my fucking rock last night. Having to spend an evening with Rick, the man I despised with every inch of my fucking soul, was pure fucking hell. Avery had taken it in her stride. She’d answered his questions about the company and how she was faring since her parents died. I’d barely had to say anything to him at all.

I kissed her forehead, careful not to wake her as I slipped out of bed, picking my phone up on the way. It was before six. Her alarm wouldn’t go off for a while so I decided to get a run in. I pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, heading out for half an hour.

Covered in a sheen of sweat by the time I got back in the flat, I had a shower. When I went back into the bedroom, she was still sleeping. My raven haired princess. She’d clutched the covers in her sleep, looking so fucking adorable. I wanted to crawl over her and wake her up with sex. Worship every inch of her body. My wife. The most beautiful girl I’d ever known.

Looking down at my phone after I tugged my boxers on, my heart fucking stopped in my chest. An alert had come up. I’d set it up to go off when Avery’s name appeared on various tabloids and news sites. Just so we knew what was being said about her. I clicked on the article, clenching my fist as I read it.

Last night heiress and owner of Daniels Holdings, Avery Daniels, was photographed with an unknown male outside of the Ritz in London. The couple looked very close sparking a hot debate about the nature of their relationship. Only four weeks ago, Avery revealed she was engaged to Tristan Shaw, who was tragically murdered a mere five days after the announcement. Requests for a statement from Avery in the wake of his death were denied. It seems Avery has moved on very quickly judging by the photos which surfaced online at around midnight last night.

I scrolled down finding several photos of us. We were holding hands as we left the Ritz. One of them showed me kissing the top of her head as I helped her into the car. What the actual fuck? Who the hell had photographed us? Shit. What the fuck were we going to do?

I sat down on the bed, checking other articles and social media. It was everywhere. Fuck. I realised now just how much of an invasion of privacy it was to have our faces plastered over the internet. I’d known Avery hated it, but this was the first fucking time I was experiencing it myself. They didn’t know who I was, which I suppose was a saving grace, but it still didn’t make it better.

Avery stirred. I felt the bed shift as she moved and sat behind me, wrapping her hands around my stomach. She kissed my shoulder, leaning her head against my back.

“Morning,” she said with a voice still full of sleep.

I didn’t want to tell her about this, but I had to. I ran my hand over hers.

“Princess.”

“Mmm, you smell so good.”

I smiled. Fuck. My heart hammered against my chest. The urge to pin her down on the bed and tear her shorts off threatened to overcome my self-control. Instead, I handed her my phone wordlessly. She took it. I felt her pull back from me followed by the sharp intake of her breath.

“What the fuck?” she said.

“Yeah… another shitstorm for us to deal with.”

“Are they for real right now? Fuck. Do people not have anything better to do than gossip about who I’m with?”

“Apparently not.”

She handed the phone back to me and rested her forehead between my shoulder blades. I heard her let out a long sigh. I popped the phone on the bed next to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“No. We haven’t even had a chance to talk to my uncle since he found out and now this. No doubt they’ll be fucking camped outside the office when I get there. Fuck. Just what we fucking needed.”

“Come here.”

She shifted around and crawled into my lap. I held her to my chest, stroking her hair.

“I’m so fed up, Aiden. It’s like a never ending carousel. One problem gets solved and another turns up. When the hell is all of this going to end?”

I tipped her chin up towards me, staring down into her doe eyes.

“Soon. It’ll be over soon. We’re not letting this go on forever. Trust me, princess, I want it to be over just as much as you. I want to wake up and not worry about whether we’re going to survive this war or not.”

She reached up, cupping my face with her small hand. Fuck. She looked so tiny and fragile. The past weeks since her birthday had left her exhausted and worn down. I could see it in her eyes.

“I want that too. Is a quiet life together too much to ask for?”

I shook my head.

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