Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 165

"I was able to find Moonhaven because someone sold me the information," Aaron declared, his voice unwavering.

Serena's heart skipped a beat. Although she had guessed the answer, she couldn't help but ask, "Who was it?"

"Joy."

Serena's expression changed instantly. It really was Joy. But why would Joy do such a thing? They had no quarrel, no reason for betrayal.

"So what?" Serena snapped back, meeting Aaron's intense gaze. "Even if his sister sold me out, it was her mistake. How did I wrong him?"

"You being with him and having conflicts with his sister-in-law—isn't that harmful to him?"

Serena looked at Aaron, suddenly bursting into laughter so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.

Aaron frowned. "What's so funny?"

It took a while before Serena could control her laughter, but her eyes still glistened with tears. "When Vivian made things difficult for me, I used to think of you, Aaron, as someone above it all, untouched by the mundane dramas of family squabbles. I thought if I could endure some grievances, it would spare you any discomfort. Turns out, you knew all along."

Her voice wavered on that last sentence. But soon, a gentle smile appeared on her face. Thankfully, it was all in the past. She had no ties with the Vance family anymore.

Aaron felt a pang from the indifference in Serena's gaze. He had known about the friction between Serena and Katherine Vivian, but had always dismissed it as petty disputes among women, never giving it much thought.

Serena waited until she heard the elevator doors close before she walked over and shut the door. Finally, he was gone.

She headed to the kitchen and looked at the nearly empty fridge. Only some pasta remained, and she was tired of eating it every day. She decided to make some pies. If she made enough, she could share them with Samuel. It was a good excuse to chat with him.

And so, Serena sprang into action. After a quick wash, she headed downstairs to the local breakfast café to buy some pastries and coffee. Once she finished eating, she visited the market to pick up fresh meat and vegetables.

By the time she got home, it was already ten o'clock. Serena took out the flour and began kneading dough and filling pies. The last time she went to such great lengths was six months ago when Aaron suddenly expressed a craving for pies. The housekeeper had brought pies from a dozen different places, but none satisfied him.

Finally, Serena had painstakingly asked Aaron about the kind of crust and filling he wanted, and only then did she manage to make a pie that Aaron found barely acceptable. She had worked tirelessly, not sleeping for an entire day and night. When Aaron finally gave his lukewarm approval, her heart felt like it had plunged into a snowbank, instantly wide awake and far from tired.