At first, Aaron had been full of excitement, but the moment he heard her words, most of his interest faded.

Seeing this, Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly by his ear, her breath warm against his skin. “Aaron, it’s just that I’ve been wronged lately, so I wanted to talk to you about it. Normally, I could put up with it, but I’m already with you, and there are still people who dare to bully me. The more I think about it, the harder it is to swallow.”

“There’s something like that?” Aaron frowned, anger flaring up as he looked at her pitiful expression. She was right–she belonged to him now, and someone dared to treat her this way? That was clearly a slap in his face.

As if reading his mind, Tessa continued gently, “I don’t mind being treated unfairly, but since I’m your woman now, if someone bullies me, isn’t that the same as disrespecting you? In my eyes, that’s no different from insulting you outright.”

Aaron’s mind cleared a little, and he found her reasoning convincing. “Who’s the one who did this? Tell me, I can’t believe someone’s that stupid–to pick on you of all people. That’s a direct insult to me.”

“Honestly, I wasn’t planning to complain, but my sister’s been getting worse lately. She’s been blocking our company’s projects, making sure I can’t close any deals. And she’s been badmouthing me in front of my mother too.” Her voice trembled slightly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “In front of my mother, I’ve been keeping my head down, but she only listens to my sister now. Aaron, I really don’t know what to do anymore. That’s why I came to you.” She deliberately softened her tone, lowering herself to stir his sympathy.

“I didn’t expect your sister to be that overbearing,” Aaron muttered, his face darkening. Aaron was a little surprised when he heard it, then spoke with righteous anger. “You’re both her daughters. How could your mother treat you so differently?”

“Maybe it’s because my sister’s more capable than I am,” Tessa said softly, lowering her gaze, looking as though she’d suffered some great injustice. In truth, it was nothing more than a tactic to gain Aaron’s sympathy and draw him to her side against Aurora. She knew perfectly well she couldn’t handle this alone. Only with someone else’s help could she turn things around. Aurora had Lucas behind her–Tessa needed someone to counterbalance that, someone she could use as a shield. And Aaron was the perfect choice.

“Alright, leave this to me. I’ll take care of it,” he said, his voice softening as he looked down at her. After all, Tessa now carried his name–he couldn’t just stand by and watch her be bullied by someone else. Just as she’d said, letting that happen would be an insult to him.

Aaron pressed closer, his voice low by her ear. “So, tell me, Tessa, what do you want me to do?”