"Um… what exactly are you planning on having me do?" Aiden asked apprehensively, fiddling with a picture frame on Aaron's desk.

Aaron glared, and Aiden immediately stopped. His father could access this office at any time, so the only picture he kept here was one of Dinah. It still reminded him of Keeley because of her role in acquiring the cat.

"All you have to do is show up, stay near me, and follow my lead," Aaron instructed. "Simple as that."

Aiden remained doubtful. "I dunno, man… this is weird. Really weird."

"You're free to back out if you don't want your vacation."

"Of course I want my vacation! I just don't want to dress like a girl and be your human shield!" he protested, pouting like a five-year-old.

"I haven't had to dress like a girl since I was six and my little sister wouldn't stop crying until I played dress-up with her. She still lords it over me to this day when she's in a bad mood."

He straightened. "You're not allowed to take any pictures! I don't want you blackmailing me later."

Aaron almost rolled his eyes. "I already have more than enough blackmail material on you. I don't need any more."

He relaxed, remembering his boss knew a lot of embarrassing and illegal things about him and never said a word. Aaron was right; he didn't need more blackmail material.

Besides, Aiden was fairly certain he'd never seen his boss tease anyone. He wasn't that type. Cameron, on the other hand…

"When is this party, anyway?"

"Friday, April 12th. Come to my place right after work so the stylist can turn you into a girl," Aaron said coolly, unconcerned about his subordinate's dignity.

Aiden shuddered. It was time to change the subject.

"So… like I said before you asked me the weirdest favor of my life, I found something on Brann Knighton." He pulled up the encrypted file on his phone and showed it to his boss.

"It doesn't have specific information about the insider trading, but their emails mention a merger. What else could they be referring to?"

Aaron sighed. The kid was so smart and yet so dumb. They'd literally just discussed this.

"Me. They're trying to merge the Knighton and Hale families to become even stronger in the financial sector. They're already the two biggest names; I don't know why they have to be so greedy."

This proved they would announce the engagement Aaron hadn't agreed to at the party. The only way to combat this was to publicly get engaged to someone else first.

Aiden wasn't going to be happy. But what else could he do?

Even if he angered his father by skipping the party, they'd still announce it without him. Getting rid of Lacy would be nearly impossible if she made the announcement. He had to act first.

"Oh, duh. Sucks to be you," Aiden said sympathetically. "I'll keep monitoring them and let you know if I find anything else."

He left, no doubt thinking about his upcoming vacation with his girlfriend. He wouldn't be so cheerful if he knew the embarrassment ahead.

Aaron sighed and rubbed his temples. A headache was brewing. Brann Knighton was almost as problematic as his father.

In his past life, he'd never had definitive proof Brann was involved in the plot to destroy Keeley's ability to have children, but he certainly used his wife's connections to keep the police off his daughter and Max's trail after Robert Hall was killed. That alone was reason enough to punish him.

One reason Keeley hated Aaron was because of his investigation into Lacy and the Knightons to get justice for his deceased father-in-law. He hadn't actually cheated, but he'd been seen with Lacy several times while trying to get her to slip up.

When Lacy got pregnant out of wedlock, everyone assumed it was Aaron's because of the rumors. He went along with the lie to get Keeley to safety.

He never understood why they killed Robert if their goal was to get rid of Keeley. Hadn't they done enough to destroy her already?

Even though she eventually recovered from the fake ectopic pregnancy, they used their social circle to crush her spirit. His wife was already a shadow of her former self long before losing her only remaining family member.

Aaron would never forgive himself for unintentionally putting her in harm's way. She was still haunted by those memories, though she tried her best to move on.

Every person involved in destroying Keeley needed to pay: The Knightons, Max Lynch, the father of Lacy's baby, Dr. Rothman, Alistair Hale. Aaron wasn't sure how far the corruption went, but he would find out.

Sweet, naive Keeley. Her only crime was falling in love with someone in a complicated world, and she paid the ultimate price.

Their past life changed them both. She was sharper, less trusting, and burdened by pain. He became more ruthless but finally learned to love properly—too late.

Fate was cruel. What was the point of sending him back in time if Keeley remembered everything and wouldn't give him a chance?

Even if she never forgave him, he could still avenge her. He would show those who hurt her the same level of mercy—or worse.

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