Chapter 273 I’m going to see the Old Man

Chapter 273: Chapter 273 I’m going to see the Old Man

Aria’s POV

After we finished, Damian pulled me close, his arms refusing to let go. His voice was rough, almost pleading. "From now on... every night... can we do this more than twice?"

"Damian, you’re absolutely insane."

I laughed softly, biting my lip as heat rushed to my cheeks. But the moment the word "insane" left my mouth, I saw something flicker in his eyes—a brief moment where he seemed to drift somewhere far away.

After we showered and got dressed, I finally brought up what I’d been dreading to tell him.

"I have to go overseas next week. For work."

"Overseas? Where did this come from?" Damian’s tone sharpened instantly.

V&A Group’ operations were mostly domestic. But I’d just told him I was going to the Italy.

"Don’t worry, I’ll still be here with you the next few days..." I tried to keep my voice light. "And the trip won’t be long. Two, maybe three days at most. I’ll be back before you know it."

I was being deliberately vague, and I knew it.

Damian knew it too.

His hand shot out and caught my wrist just as I reached for the hairdryer.

"Tell me the truth. What’s going on?"

"It’s just a business trip, I told you—"

"Aria."

His grip tightened. Not painfully, but firm. His gray eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip.

I couldn’t keep pretending. Not when he was looking at me like that.

I forced a bright smile and quickly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way—your grandparents want to have dinner with us tomorrow night. I told them you couldn’t go out yet, so they’re coming here instead. I thought I’d cook. I’ll invite your mother too, and we can all—"

"Wherever you’re going, I’m coming with you."

He didn’t take the bait. His voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it.

"You can’t." I exhaled slowly. "You need to rest. You’re still recovering. You shouldn’t be traveling that far."

"I’m fine. I can manage." His jaw tightened. "I’m not letting you go alone."

"Damian, it’s just work. There’s nothing to worry about—"

"You’re lying."

The warmth drained from his expression. His eyes went cold, sharp.

"I’m not—"

"You’re hiding something from me."

He was right.

When I lied, I couldn’t hold his gaze. My voice got a little too bright, a little too rushed. If this really was just a routine business trip, I wouldn’t be acting like this.

Damian’s hand shifted, his fingers gently tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to meet his eyes.

"What is it you’re not telling me?"

I caved.

"Alright. Fine. You win."

There was no point trying to hide it from him. I wasn’t bad at lying—I just couldn’t bring myself to lie to *him*.

"I’m going to see the Old Man."

My voice came out quieter than I intended.

"Victor’s father?" Damian’s expression darkened immediately. "Alpha Edmund?"

I nodded.

Alpha Edmund was the former Alpha of Crescent Moon Pack—had been living in Italy for years. He’d left the country long ago, and rumor had it he hadn’t spoken to Vincent in over a decade.

They’d had a falling out. A bad one.

Some said the Alpha Edmund hadn’t even come back when Vincent was dying. He’d only returned for the funeral, and even then, he’d left the same day.

"I heard he left the country because he and Vincent couldn’t stand each other," Damian said slowly. "You’ve been back with the family for weeks now. Why does he suddenly want to see you *now*?"

Damian always cut straight to the heart of things.

I’d been wondering the same thing myself.

Victor had told me a little about it. Vincent and the Alpha Edmund had never agreed on how to run the business.

Vincent had been stubborn, cold, uncompromising—just like his adoptive father. The two of them clashed constantly, and eventually, the Alpha Edmund had packed up and moved to Italy to live with his daughter.

Once he left, Vincent barely spoke to him.

When Vincent died, it caught everyone off guard—including the Alpha Edmund. The revelation about me, the illegitimate daughter, had been just as shocking.

Victor said that when the Alpha Edmund came back for the funeral, he’d been furious.

He’d ranted about how Vincent hadn’t told him he was sick, how he’d left behind a will that was completely absurd, how he’d been completely shut out as a father.

He’d declared he wanted nothing to do with V&A Group anymore.

Whatever happened to the company, happened. If Vincent wanted to throw everything away on some reckless decision, that was his problem.

Victor had advised me to give the Alpha Edmund space. Wait until he cooled down before reaching out.

But apparently, time had softened him.

Maybe it was age. Maybe it was guilt. Or maybe Victor had been reporting back to him, telling him I wasn’t as bad as he’d assumed.

Either way, the Alpha Edmund’s tone had shifted.