Chapter 142: She’s not my biological sister

The evening arrived, and Aaron found himself seated across from his date.

To his surprise, the woman was none other than Nora Ford.

At first, he thought there had been some mistake. But after listening to her talk nonstop about herself and watching her make every effort to impress him, he quickly realized there wasn’t.

Aaron had never liked women who tried too hard to gain his attention. The moment he saw Nora waiting for him, one question immediately came to mind:

How did she even agree to something like this?

He didn’t know much about Ivy’s relationship with her family, but after spending only a few minutes with Nora, he could already tell that the two sisters were nothing alike.

Ivy was straightforward. What she felt was reflected in both her words and expressions.

Nora, on the other hand, seemed carefully crafted—a beautiful woman doing everything she could to leave an impression.

Still, Aaron wasn’t about to voice his opinion. He had agreed to this dinner for a reason. If Nora was going to be part of his life in any way, he needed to know whether she was someone he could trust.

"I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Emerson."

The moment the title left her lips, Aaron’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

The Emerson name alone was enough to make countless women swoon.

So that’s what this is about, he thought. She’s interested because I’m an Emerson.

"Is that so?" Aaron set his wine glass down and met her gaze. "That’s interesting, because the only thing I know about you is that you’re Ivy’s sister."

For a brief second, Nora’s smile stiffened.

Beneath the table, her fingers curled into a fist. A flash of irritation crossed her eyes before she quickly masked it.

She hated being referred to as Ivy’s sister.

But if using Ivy could help her get closer to the Emerson family, then she was willing to tolerate it—for now.

"That’s true," Nora replied with a polite smile. "I’ve always preferred to stay out of the spotlight. I’m a rather private person."

Aaron studied her carefully before nodding.

"Hmm. That certainly makes you very different from her."

Nora immediately caught the implication behind his words.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind.

If she couldn’t have Xander, then getting close to Aaron wasn’t a bad alternative. More importantly, Aaron could become a useful bridge to Xander.

All she had to do was slowly turn him against Ivy.

"It’s not surprising we’re different," Nora said with a soft laugh. "After all, she’s not my biological sister."

Aaron paused.

That was news to him.

He kept his expression neutral, but his mind immediately began connecting pieces he hadn’t understood before.

So that’s why...

He already knew that Xander had signed an agreement with Ivy’s mother, allowing Ivy to move in with him and Leo.

At the time, Xander had insisted it was for Leo’s sake.

But now Aaron wasn’t so sure.

The more he learned about Ivy’s family, the uglier the picture became.

Did they really agree so easily because she wasn’t their own?

His jaw tightened slightly.

Or was it because Xander offered them money, status, and connections?

Across the table, Nora mistook his silence for interest.

A small smile tugged at her lips.

She had no idea that instead of damaging Ivy’s image, she was only making Aaron question her family’s motives even more.

By the time dinner finally came to an end, Aaron had reached one conclusion.

Nora was nothing like the person she was trying to portray.

Throughout the evening, she had subtly criticized Ivy while presenting herself as the caring and understanding sister. Every compliment she gave herself was somehow followed by a remark that painted Ivy in a negative light.

It was subtle enough that most people wouldn’t notice.

Aaron did.

He had grown up surrounded by influential families and business circles. He had spent his entire life watching people hide behind carefully crafted masks, pretending to be kind while pursuing their own interests.

Compared to them, Nora’s act wasn’t particularly convincing.

Still, he allowed her to believe she was succeeding.

Sometimes people revealed far more when they thought they had already won.

"Thank you for dinner, Mr. Emerson," Nora said sweetly as they stood outside the restaurant.

Aaron offered a polite smile.

"You’re welcome."

The response was courteous, but distant.

Before Nora could continue the conversation, Aaron gave a brief nod and headed toward his car.

Watching him leave, the corners of Nora’s lips lifted.

Maybe I actually charmed him, she thought smugly.

After all, he had remained polite throughout the entire evening and hadn’t challenged anything she said.

To Nora, that could only mean one thing.

The date had gone well.

Unfortunately for her, the reality was quite the opposite.

As Aaron slid into his car, the first face that came to mind wasn’t Nora’s.

It was Ivy’s.

"How can she talk about my sister-in-law like that?" Aaron muttered under his breath as he drove away from the restaurant.

The more he thought about the dinner, the more irritated he became.

Instead of heading back to his apartment, he found himself turning the car toward the Emerson Mansion.

For some reason, he suddenly missed Leo.

By the time he arrived, Butler Rupert was already waiting near the entrance.

"Young Master Aaron," Rupert greeted respectfully.

"Where’s Leo?" Aaron asked as he handed over his car keys.

"Young Master Leo is studying, sir. He specifically requested not to be disturbed."

Aaron’s face immediately fell.

"Seriously?"

"I’m afraid so."

Aaron gave the butler a pitiful look.

"Ever since he met Ivy, that kid has become more disciplined than the rest of us."

Rupert merely smiled.

Since Leo was busy, Aaron decided to head to his room. He assumed his nephew would come looking for him once he finished studying.

However, the moment he noticed that his bedroom door was unlocked, he frowned.

Aaron pushed the door open and froze.

"What are you doing here?"

The surprise in his voice was unmistakable.

There, sitting comfortably on his bed, was Ivy.

She was completely focused on the large television screen, a controller in her hands as she aggressively pressed buttons while playing one of Leo’s video games.

The sight instantly eased some of Aaron’s frustration.

Without waiting for an invitation, he walked over and dropped onto the couch beside her.

He picked up the second controller lying nearby and joined the game.

A few moments later, Ivy’s character was sent flying off the screen.

Aaron smirked.

"You’re still terrible at this."

Ivy shot him a glare.

"Says the guy who spends half his life gaming."

"I call it maintaining my skills."

"You call everything a skill."

Aaron chuckled while continuing the match.

Despite herself, Ivy found her annoyance from their previous encounter fading. After losing to him the last time, she had tried very hard not to snap whenever he teased her. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Leo looked up to both of them, and the last thing she wanted was to set a bad example in front of the boy.

So she had decided to be more mature.

Unfortunately, Aaron seemed determined to test that patience.

"Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?" Ivy asked, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Why are you here bothering me instead?"

"Bothering you?" Aaron placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "I came here to spend time with my favorite gaming partner."

Ivy scoffed.

"You literally started insulting my gaming skills the second you sat down."

"Because they’re terrible."

"Get out."

"No."

Ivy rolled her eyes.

"What happened to your date anyway?"

Aaron’s grin slowly widened.

"Oh, that?"

His tone immediately caught her attention.

"Do you want to know who my date was?"

Ivy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Why do I feel like I’m about to regret asking?"

"Because you probably are."

Aaron looked unusually amused.

Meanwhile, Ivy suddenly had a bad feeling about where this conversation was heading.

"It was Nora Ford."