Leaning her head again his shoulders, Kylie spoke up, "So, I've got an assistant."

"Who?"

"Faith Cruz. I don't think you know her. She had been very famous before, but then suddenly disappeared for a period of time."

Ethan slightly lowered his head and asked with a heavy tone, "Is she reliable?"

"The battle has just begun, it's a test for me, and also for her!"

"How! What!? This is too risky!" Ethan sometimes struggled at the risks Kylie took being a man who liked order and control.

"Don't worry, I've got a strong patron, right? Uncle Ethan?" Kylie smirked. "If there's anything unexpected that I have to face, I could always turn to you for help!"

A trace of displeasure appeared on Ethan's face, "How dare you call me Uncle? Do I look like an Uncle to you?"

Kylie was immensely enjoying pissing Ethan off; the man was too easy! "Of course not! Though I have to admit if there were more uncles like you in the world… I sure would not mind…" she trailed off.

"Don't even fucking finish that sentence!" Ethan growled as he captured her lips in a searing hot kiss.

That night, both Kylie and Ethan were relaxing in their bed, with him reading his documents as usual and Kylie browsing Instagram on her tablet. Even though the two were focused on their own activities, to an outsider, it would seem like they were very close and intimate. Kylie was snuggled up against Ethan's shoulders while Ethan would lovingly stroke Kylie's hair in between his reading.

There was an understood and unspoken understanding and love between Kylie and Ethan, something that was seldom seen between couples nowadays.

***

Aiden did not know that Khloe was going to stay overnight. When he had arranged everything, he walked inside the bedroom to find Khloe lying, posing seductively on his king-sized bed.

"Khloe?" Aiden asked confusedly. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Khloe sat up, with her delicate shoulders half exposed. She said, somewhat embarrassed and shy, "Aunt Taylor invited me to stay. If…if you don't like it, I can go now…" Khloe covered her shoulders and moved to get off from the bed with a sad and longing expression on her face.

Aiden immediately sighed and walked forward, "No love, that's not…I'm sorry, that came out wrong," he said and grabbed her arms, pulling her closer to him. Khloe hesitated, playing the part perfectly, and just as she suspected, Aiden walked her towards the bed and sat down, pulling her on his lap.

"I want you to stay. I missed you so much, God, I want you now." Aiden breathed in her scent and leaned in, kissing that sweet spot behind her ear.

Although Khloe was dying to marry Aiden, she did not want to get pregnant accidentally before her wedding. Her career was on the rise if the future was as promising as it seemed, she did not want to drown everything due to having a child out of wedlock. She would not let anything become the barrier to achieve what she wanted most in this world, not even Aiden.

Aiden was a man; after all, a man with certain needs. And what Khloe was NOT giving him was literally driving him crazy! As soon as Aiden had leaned over, Khloe had responded vaguely and moved her head the other way. Why was she giving him mixed signals like this? Feeling frustrated, he got up and started unbuttoning his clothes while walking to the bathroom.

Khloe discreetly smiled as she saw Aiden walking away, whew, she was saved from making an excuse this time, though it bothered her a little. Shrugging her shoulders and reminding herself of her end goal, Khloe walked to one side of the bed and laid down, quickly falling asleep in the silky soft covers.

After showering, Aiden walked out, frowning when he did not see Khloe. Thinking she must be downstairs, Aiden grabbed his shirt and was about to open the door when his eyes fell upon her sleeping figure on his bed.

"Really?" He muttered to himself. Was she here to just fall asleep on his bed? There were other things they could do other than intimacy. Aiden shook his head and turned towards the other side though sleep was the furthest thing from his mind.

Khloe did not know what time it was when her eyes opened. Judging from the dark windows, she assumed it still to be in the middle of the night. Cozying in further into the warm duvet, she turned and switched her side when something caught her bleary eyes. Aiden! He was up! Aiden was up and browsing his tablet quietly with his bedside lamp turned on.

"Aiden! Why are you still up?" Khloe asked as she reached out her hands toward him. Aiden looked up, surprised, and smiled, "Just not sleepy. You've had a long day, I'm sure. Go to sleep." He grabbed her hands and kissed them while rubbing her hair to lull her back to sleep. A surge of guilt went through Khloe as she saw Aiden being so tender towards her. At that moment, she felt like an absolute bitch for not giving him what he wanted. She was lucky that she had someone like Aiden in her life. She thought to herself as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Little did she know that her happiness would go down the drain pretty soon.

***

There was nothing like the blissful feeling of waking up naturally on a Saturday morning. Khloe's eyes opened up to bright sunlight streaming through the blinds casting a warm halo right beside her side of the bed, which made her smile. She turned over, wanting to see Aiden but frowned when again, she saw he was already up and sitting on the loveseat. However, what alarmed her was the way he was sitting.

"Aiden? What's wrong?" Khloe asked in a soft tone with dread filling her heart, and she hoped it was nothing bad.

Aiden looked up, and Khloe gasped at his disheveled appearance. His skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess as if he had been running his fingers through, tugging at the ends. He looked at Khloe with a dead expression in his eyes and simply tossed her his tablet.