Aiden sprawled on the couch, looking lazy despite his business casual attire. He launched into his report.

"So, he used his office computer to offer a sketchy, off-the-books deal to someone named Brann Knighton at the stock exchange. One email isn't enough to convict him, but it's a good starting point for a deeper investigation."

Aaron sat up straighter, his interest piqued. "You suspect insider trading?"

In his past life, his father had never been formally convicted. He was ousted from his company, and the scandal was hushed up to protect Hale Investments' reputation.

Aaron hadn't realized how early the activity began. He hadn't found enough evidence to act until nearly three years after Keeley's death—a delay partly due to Anomaly's late involvement. He wished he'd found Anomaly sooner.

That was water under the bridge now. The hacker was on his side, and had uncovered something potentially usable ten years ahead of schedule.

"Yep. Isn't this great? If I can prove it early, both he and Knighton will go to prison and be ruined. You won't have to worry about your dad giving you grief about Keeley again."

Aiden's brow furrowed, and he looked more serious. "Uh…speaking of Keeley…how did things go on Saturday?"

Subject changing—one of this kid's specialties.

Aaron's expression softened. "Really well, actually. What's your bonus for this idea?"

Aiden was shocked. "You…think it went well? What happened?"

"Well, she laughed a lot while we were shopping…then she had fun with the kittens and treated me like a friend…then we went to an arcade and played games," Aaron said dreamily.

Aiden looked even more confused. "And she still thinks you're annoying?"

The room felt colder. Aaron's sharp command jolted Aiden. "Explain yourself."

Aiden held up his hands defensively. "I overheard! Don't shoot the messenger! I didn't mean to say anything!"

"What. Did she say. Exactly."

"Promise you won't kill me?"

"Aiden!"

"Okay, okay! I ran into her carrying my hamster cage, and that led to a conversation about pets. She said she'd helped 'an ice block nobody likes' choose a cat earlier…"

Aiden visibly paled, blurting out the rest quickly.

"She thinks you're clingy and weird, and that you're only spending time with her to spite her! Did she offend you when you first met? Because she said you're only following her around to teach her a lesson."

Aaron's icy demeanor intensified before he deflated, burying his head in his hands. So it was all a lie? She still wanted nothing to do with him?

He'd thought they'd bonded. Keeley had seemed like her usual self! He'd taken that to mean something!

"I'd accuse you of making it up, but it sounds exactly like her. So she still hates me," he said flatly.

"Yeah…sorry, dude. But she's not being hostile anymore, right?"

"She has to have softened a little," Aaron said desperately. "Look at these texts from before you arrived. They seem friendly."

He showed Aiden his phone. The hacker scrolled through the messages, frowning.

"These are friendly. Is she bipolar? Or did she just change her mind? Maybe she didn't mean what she said…she did look tired. Maybe she was just cranky."

Aaron shook his head.

"No, she probably meant it. It's my fault; I was rash in high school. I'll have to work harder."

She thought he was clingy. He couldn't blame her; he had been desperate for her attention, and she did have a busy schedule.

Stepping back and sending occasional texts, like a friend, was probably best.

Aiden hesitated, unusual for him.

"Boss…there are tons of girls who wouldn't require this much effort. Why does it have to be Keeley?"

An excellent question. To an outsider, his pursuit seemed pathetic. In his sixty-four years, he'd never loved anyone else. All his affection was reserved for her.

The fact that she was the first person to value him for himself, not his family, would never change, regardless of her hot-and-cold behavior. Keeley was his sunshine.

She had loved him deeply and sacrificed much for that love, ultimately her life. He thought of her daily, wishing he could have done better. Now he had a chance, and he couldn't give up.

"I can't love anyone else," he said simply. "She's the one thing that makes me happy."

Aiden sighed, relieved his boss wasn't going to kill him. He clapped Aaron on the shoulder.

"Hang in there, man. She'll come around. So…about that bonus?"

Aaron glared, then conceded. "What do you want?"

"A week off and a plane ticket to Sweden."

"Done. Just get out of here."

Aiden bowed jokingly. "Thank you for your generosity, O Noble Boss!"

"Go!"

Aiden left, leaving Aaron with a headache. He had a long road ahead, both with his father and winning back his wife.

The extraneous website plug was removed. The writing was cleaned up for grammar, punctuation, and flow. Sentence structure was improved for clarity and readability.