Chapter 235

Arthur Reed sighed deeply. Love could be the most tormenting thing in the world.

"When do you plan to retire from the industry?" he asked.

What else could he do? His son would always have his unconditional support.

Nolan Reed pressed his lips together. "I’ll cancel all my upcoming schedules soon and start familiarizing myself with the company’s operations."

"After finishing my last contracted film, I’ll officially announce my retirement."

He hadn’t even had the chance to share the screen with Aria yet. Since he’d entered the entertainment world, he at least wanted to leave behind a memento.

Arthur nodded approvingly. "Good. Take a couple of days to adjust, then report to the company."

The rare heart-to-heart conversation had brought father and son closer.

When Rebecca Reed came downstairs, she found them still talking.

"What’s going on here?" she asked curiously.

Arthur chuckled. "This kid had a nightmare and woke me up in the middle of the night for drinks and a chat."

Thankfully, he’d been working late in his study—otherwise, his wife would’ve been disturbed too.

Rebecca took a closer look and gasped. Her son’s eyes were swollen like walnuts.

She froze. In all his years, this was the first time she’d seen him cry so hard.

"What kind of nightmare was it? You never even cried as a child," she teased, though her tone softened. "You look awful."

The light jab actually eased Nolan’s tension.

"I dreamed Aria jumped off a building," he murmured.

Rebecca’s face paled. "Nonsense!"

She quickly clasped her hands together. "Dreams are the opposite of reality. Aria will be just fine."

Nolan forced a smile. "Right. She will be fine."

"Mom," he suddenly said, "didn’t you want to make Aria your goddaughter? Don’t wait until next year—do it soon."

Rebecca stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. "You were dead set against it before."

She reached out to feel his forehead. "No fever?"

As much as she was frustrated with her son’s past behavior, seeing him like this still tugged at her heart.

Nolan shook his head. "I’ve thought it through."

"That dream was terrifying. I’m afraid... afraid something might happen to her if she stays with me."

The words cut through him like a knife.

Rebecca sighed. She could tell Aria had truly moved on.

Just like how she herself had once given up on Arthur, some wounds never fully healed.

"It’s good that you understand now," she said, patting his shoulder. "Aria deserves better."

Nolan bit his lip hard. "Yeah."

Rebecca hugged him. "What matters is that you’ve learned."

He returned the embrace. In his dream, after Aria’s death, his mother’s hair had turned white overnight.

This time, he wouldn’t let tragedy repeat itself.

"Be a good brother from now on," Rebecca said gently.

"Okay," he rasped, his heart shattering.

Meanwhile...

Last night, Aria had hacked into the Whitmore and Valmont family systems and uncovered plenty of illegal evidence.

Just as she was about to log off, she noticed someone had launched a targeted attack on Whitmore Group’s stocks.

Tracing the IP address led her straight to her own home.

The next morning...

The aroma of breakfast filled the kitchen as Aria walked in and saw her mother wrapping dumplings.

"Morning, Mom. You’re up early," she said with a smile.

Evelyn Bennett looked at her daughter warmly. "Cooking for you two is my joy."

Casually, Aria asked, "Mom, did you manipulate Whitmore Group’s stocks last night?"

Evelyn didn’t even turn around. "Yes, I did."

Aria’s eyes lit up. "You know how to play the stock market?"

"I used to be a trader," Evelyn replied calmly. "Then I decided I had enough money to live comfortably."

When she first ran away from home, she’d started with just a few hundred dollars and slowly built her fortune.

It wasn’t until she met Aria’s father that she finally settled into a peaceful life.

But now that the Whitmore women had gone too far, it was time to teach them a lesson.