Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 184

She loved him, deeply and passionately, right from the beginning. It wasn't a love that developed over time; it was there from the start.

Aaron's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Seven years ago, Serena had entered his life like a beautiful comet, only to plummet swiftly and unexpectedly. It wasn't her relentless pursuit that annoyed him; quite the opposite, he had enjoyed it.

One day, while heading to a basketball game with Frederick, Aaron overheard a conversation in the locker room. Frederick was on the phone.

"Are you sure Serena's only interested in Aaron because of the Vance family's reputation?"

“I was wondering why she was so obsessed with him. Turns out, she's trying to protect her father's legacy...”

Those words pierced Aaron's heart with a cold, unshakeable certainty. Even though he later realized Serena truly loved him, those sentences had become thorns, embedded deep in his mind.

This was why Aaron disliked Serena's involvement with antiques. Every time he saw an antique, he was reminded that he felt like nothing more than a pawn in Serena's game.

Now, these notes in front of him laid bare his foolishness.

Aaron reached for his phone to call Frederick, intending to find out who had been on the other end of that call all those years ago. But his attention was caught by a nearby thermos. It was in pristine condition, suggesting it had just been placed there.

He unscrewed the lid and immediately noticed the red bean and taro dessert soup inside. He sniffed it, his expression shifting slightly. There was something else in there – medicine.

Years of experience had taught Aaron to detect when something had been spiked. He’d attended enough events to become wary of such things. Serena had hidden this here, but why?

Serena didn’t need to open her bag to know the missing earring was inside.

“Serena, if you didn’t take my earring, just let them check your bag,” Yvonne said, her voice laced with false sympathy, though the slight tilt of her eyes betrayed her smugness.

“You’re afraid to let them check because you’re guilty, aren’t you?”

Serena reached for her bag, but a student blocked her. "Serena, please cooperate with us."

Serena chuckled coldly. "Cooperate? Are you the police? Without any legal authority, you have no right to search my bag. If you proceed, you’ll be violating my privacy. Are you sure you want to continue?"