Aria sat in her living room, watching her mother converse with Detective Grey about Zayn and Luna's alleged contract marriage. She sat across from them, listening attentively.
"What do you think about this marriage?" Eloise asked.
"I'm sure it's a contract marriage," he said, looking at Aria. "And we all know, if they do get married, you're done, Aria."
"Done how?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"You know what I'm talking about," he replied coolly.
"Whatever I did, I did for all of us. Most importantly, it was my right. Since my father is dead, I took the opportunity at the right time. I couldn't stand watching her take my position when the odds had shifted."
"Okay, fine," Eloise spoke up. "Grey, what do we do now? My source tells me he doesn't treat her right."
"Okay," Eloise said again, urging him to continue.
"I'll make Kai see good reasons though they'll be like a mirage,why he shouldn't let her marry Zayn."
"Really? And you think he'll agree?" Aria asked
He nodded. "He loves her too much, so I'll take advantage of that."
"Okay, let's see how that goes," Eloise said decisively.
"I hope it goes well," Detective Grey said thoughtfully.
"But what's the contingency plan if he's not able to get her out of the marriage?" Aria asked
"Then we'll keep them under serious watch of course, with Kai's help. But he won't know he's our pawn," Detective Grey replied.
"And what's your benefit from all of this?" Aria asked, gazing at him from top to bottom.
"That Rivera's leadership stays in strong hands,not in the hands of an emotional puppet."
"Puppet?" Aria laughed.
"You're going to hold this house, the wealth, and everything that comes with it," he said, frowning.
"Of course," she replied, a mischievous grin glowing across her lips.
"Alright Aria, it's about time you left for your meeting," Eloise said.
"Okay, Mama." Aria stood up and kissed her mother on both cheeks.
"I never knew attending midnight meetings was part of this job, Mama," she added tiredly.
"You have to work to keep us at the top,even more than Luna did." Eliose said
"Of course I will. You can't compare Luna to me. I'm ambitious," she laughed.
"Okay, get along," Detective Grey said.
After Aria picked up her bag and left, Detective Grey turned to Eloise.
"You never stopped, did you?"
"Stopped what?" she asked, shocked, her fingers beginning to shake.
"Those letters in the old Rivera's estate. Who were they from?"
"How did you get them?" she asked, trying to steady her hands.
"I have my ways," he replied, his face unreadable.
"Your job is to fight for me, not against me!" she barked.
"You know, when you're wrong, you tend to shout to intimidate the other person. But guess what? It's not working on me," he said calmly,too calm for the tension that filled the room.
"You are banned from entering any of the Rivera properties unless invited," she said furiously.
"Of course I am," he laughed.
"Leave at once and don't come back unless you're invited!" she warned.
"Okay," he said, heading for the door. "But you know you need me... like you need oxygen."
That was very close Eliose thought looking around to ensure no one heard the conversation.