Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 215

Aria's POV

I gazed at the bracelet on my wrist, unable to hide my curiosity. There was something distinctly unique about it compared to mainstream designs.

"Don't you like it?" Aiden asked, his voice dropping to that low timbre that always made my skin tingle.

"No, I do!" I protested quickly. How could I not? It was just so different from anything else I'd seen before, which made me examine it more carefully.

"Let me put it on for you," he offered, his eyes never leaving mine.

I extended my wrist toward him, feeling the warmth of his fingers against my skin. "What made you suddenly buy me a bracelet?"

I rarely wore bracelets or rings when playing piano, preferring to keep my hands unadorned, though my jewelry box certainly didn't lack for options.

Aiden took the delicate chain, his strong fingers working the clasp with surprising dexterity. "I thought it suited Mrs. Carter perfectly," he said, his voice carrying that hint of possessiveness I secretly loved.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

He glanced up, catching my expression. "Don't worry, this bracelet didn't cost much."

I ran my finger along the links, skeptical. "Didn't cost much by whose standards?" Aiden's definition of "inexpensive" and mine had always existed in completely different universes.

"A few thousand," he admitted, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

"That cheap?" I couldn't keep the disbelief from my voice. "Really?"

"Just a small gift," he said with a casual shrug that didn't fool me for a second.

I studied the bracelet more intently. "It doesn't look like a designer piece."

"You have a good eye, Mrs. Carter." His lips curved into that half-smile that always made my stomach flip. He crossed the room and grabbed the remote, closing the curtains with a press of a button.

The bright sunlight gradually retreated as the curtains drew together. Within moments, the room dimmed considerably, casting everything in shadows.

I lifted my wrist, the bracelet catching what little light remained. "What's special about this bracelet?" I couldn't imagine what had caught his attention enough to purchase it.

"You don't like it?" he asked again, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

I shook my head quickly. "That's not it at all." I was simply curious.

Aiden watched me for a long moment before finally speaking. "I bought it from an elderly woman."

My eyes crinkled as I smiled, moving to his side and wrapping my arms around him. "Playing the good Samaritan, Mr. Carter?" I rested my chin on his arm, looking up at him with what I knew was naked adoration in my eyes.

I could tell he loved when I looked at him this way. His eyes softened as they met mine, and I felt that familiar warmth spread through my chest. Even on the darkest days, something about his gaze made everything brighter.

"The bracelet was a gift from the woman's husband," he explained. "Her husband was critically ill and needed money, so she was selling it."

The bracelet wasn't made of anything particularly precious, nor was the design especially remarkable.

Aiden had never been one for charity. "Good deeds" weren't exactly his specialty.

"When she looked at me," he continued, "her cloudy eyes were full of desperation, but I felt nothing." He paused. "I was walking away when something she said stopped me in my tracks."

I listened, completely absorbed in his story.

"She called the bracelet 'Forever.' She said when you give it to someone you love, it binds you together forever."

My heart skipped a beat.

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