The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 339: [ Volume 1] Chaper 339- Setteled score

Chapter 339: [ Volume 1] Chaper 339- Setteled score

Esme paused for a moment, her gaze dropping to Ray’s hands before lifting back to meet his eyes. "We’ve always divided our work, from the very beginning. It wasn’t possible for me to handle everything—security, money, and every other detail—on my own. I had to have help."

Ray nodded, the logic settling in. It made sense. After all, a young girl managing everything would be nearly impossible. He understood that now.

Esme continued, her voice steady, yet laced with a mix of pride and nostalgia. "Aaron and Helga are not just my secretaries, assistants, or friends... or even family. They’re my partners. Everything I do, they have an equal stake in. I own 50%, and they each own 25%. That’s how it’s always been."

Ray’s eyes widened at that, surprised by the magnitude of it all. He had assumed, like most people, that Helga was the one handling most of the security. After all, Aaron was a mer—how could a mer be involved in something like security? It didn’t add up.

Seeing his confusion, Esme lightly ruffled his hair, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "You little fool," she teased, "do you think only you and your brothers are the ones who’ve achieved something as Mers?"

Ray blinked, momentarily taken aback. Esme didn’t give him a chance to respond before continuing.

"You see, you’re a businessman, Rya is a doctor, Kai is a lawyer, and Jay is a scientist," she said, ticking off their professions with a knowing look. "But you’ve forgotten that there are many aspects to this world. And one of those aspects is Aaron."

Ray looked at her, puzzled once again. Esme smiled, a gleam in her eye as she spoke, her tone rich with pride.

"You see, Aaron was the weakest and sickliest of us all when we were young," Esme began, her voice softening with the memory. "He wanted to be powerful, not just for himself, but to protect the people he cared about. So, he started learning martial arts. He trained in every type of self-defense he could find—everything from gun shooting to hand-to-hand combat. If you search online, you’ll find that Aaron is one of the top champions in multiple martial arts disciplines—Taekwondo, sword fighting, and even shooting. He was a national champion for three years in a row, and if he hadn’t gotten bored with the title, he would’ve kept it."

Ray sat in stunned silence. The Aaron he had known seemed so different from the man Esme described. The quiet, often reserved figure had once been weak, but now he was a master of several deadly arts—someone who had worked tirelessly to protect his own and become a formidable force in his own right. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together in Ray’s mind.

He shook his head, still processing the enormity of it all. "I had no idea," he said, his voice filled with awe. "I always thought Helga was the one handling the security... but Aaron, a national champion? That’s... incredible."

Esme nodded, her smile turning fond as she ran a hand through his hair, letting her fingers linger for a moment. "I told you, Ray," she said softly. "There’s so much more to the people you know than meets the eye."

Esme’s voice softened as she continued, her words carrying the weight of unspoken emotions. She held Ray’s hand gently, her fingers tightening around his slightly, as if grounding herself in his presence. "Ray, I know," she said, her gaze meeting his with an unwavering confidence, though her voice betrayed a sadness. "I knew that Aaron might seem a little... scary, even stern at times. He can act stubborn, too."

Ray watched her, his eyes filled with curiosity, trying to grasp the depth of what she was revealing. Esme continued, her words slow, deliberate, but with a hint of sorrow now. "But believe me, Aaron isn’t a bad person. It’s just... he’s like this because he cares. He’s always been worried about me, about us. He cares deeply for the people he loves. It’s just... that he’s lost so much. Too much." Her voice trembled slightly, but she steadied herself, keeping her composure.

"He’s been abandoned by so many people. He loved them too much, but they never cared about him the way he needed. And because of that, he built these walls around himself. He became guarded, distant... it’s how he’s learned to protect himself."

Ray, his brow furrowing, felt a mixture of empathy and confusion. He listened intently, but Esme’s next words broke through the confusion, reaching a deeper understanding in him.

"You see," she continued, her tone now growing more melancholy, "even when Aaron and Helga... when they fell in love, neither of them ever truly confessed, never acted on their feelings. They were too scared. Scared that any mistake would shatter the bond between them, even the smallest one. And because they’ve experienced that loss... they keep everyone at arm’s length."

Esme paused, her expression softening as she looked down at her hands, her mind clearly somewhere far off. "Helga and Aaron, they appear indifferent. Cold, even. Like they don’t care about anyone or anything. But that’s not true at all. Every single relationship they have, it matters. It’s just that they’re terrified of getting too close. Terrified of giving someone a piece of their hearts, only to have it ripped away."

Ray sat silently, taking it all in, trying to reconcile the image of Aaron he had in his mind with the person Esme described. It was hard to imagine Aaron as anything other than the quiet, somewhat intimidating figure he had known. But now, hearing Esme speak so passionately, he understood that there was so much more beneath the surface.

Esme’s eyes grew distant, a heavy weight behind her words as she spoke again. "I tried to help them, but... it wasn’t much. It wasn’t really help at all. They’ve risked their lives countless times for me, for all of us. They never hesitated. Even when it cost them so much." Her voice shook, but she pressed on.