Chapter 947

Had she misstepped somewhere, leading Aaron to misunderstand? The thought was absurd. If word got out, what would people think of her? They’d assume she was shameless, unworthy of respect. Even if Aaron publicly declared no blood ties to the Ace family, in everyone’s eyes, they were uncle and niece. A relationship between them would violate moral norms and societal expectations. Aaron had lost his mind to say such things.

But she wouldn’t follow his madness. She needed to extinguish his thoughts, and the only way to do so was to start a relationship with someone else. But who could she choose? Nate? No, absolutely not. She couldn’t treat him like that—calling him when she needed him, only to leave him when she didn’t.

For a moment, Lena was at a loss. She slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the roadside, rolling down all the car windows. The cold wind rushed in, chilling her to the bone, helping her regain clarity.

Keira was working on a leaf carving when Lena arrived. Recently, she had seen online videos of people making intricate carvings on leaves, and she was intrigued enough to try it herself. Lena sat across from her without saying a word. Focused on her carving, Keira didn’t look up and simply said, “Wait a bit. Let me finish this one.”

“Be my matchmaker,” Lena suddenly blurted out, startling Keira. Keira’s hand slipped, and the blade ruined the leaf she was carving. By now, she’d grown used to ruining leaves, so she wasn’t particularly upset. She simply set the blade aside and looked at Lena. “What’s gotten into you now? Or is there really an urgent need for it?”

Lena looked troubled. “Let’s just say there is.”

Something was clearly wrong. “What’s going on? Spill it.”

“It’s just that my family is pressuring me to get married. I figured I might as well start dating. It’s boring being alone anyway,” she said, avoiding Keira’s gaze.

As her longtime best friend, Keira knew when she was lying. “If you really want my help, tell me the truth.”

She raised her eyes to meet Keira’s. “Fine. Aaron confessed to me.”

Now Keira understood her sudden urge to find a boyfriend—it was to make Aaron give up.

“I don’t think this will work. Aaron seems dead set on this. You won’t be able to shake him off,” Keira told her honestly. Aaron wasn’t impulsive. If he’d spoken, it meant he’d already thought everything through. Lena likely wouldn’t be able to escape this time.

“I don’t want this! What can he do, force me into it?” she said, then froze at her own words. A moment later, she sighed, exasperated. “Ugh, I’m so fed up! Just help me find someone suitable already!”

“How about I lend you my Hayden for a few days?” Keira teased her.

“Be serious!” she shot back. After a moment of thought, she said, “Give me Ron’s number.”

Keira stared at her, shocked. “If you want to escape, do you have to drag someone else down with you?”

“Are you giving it to me or not?” Lena demanded.

Just then, Hayden walked in. “Dr. Lane, why are you bullying my wife?”

Lena turned to him directly. “Give me Ron’s number.”

Keira was about to speak when Lena glared at her, her eyes practically daring her to defy. Hayden glanced at Keira, and she sighed, finally speaking. “She wants to date Ron.”

“Well, that’s great. We should support her,” Hayden said, surprising Keira with how readily he handed over Ron’s number to Lena.