Is this destiny?

Aiden exhaled while thinking that it would be better if Sarah came here with him. She could handle this pesky woman and he would enjoy the show.

He always gets a thrill while watching Sarah claim him as her own. It never gets boring.

"I am Mr. White. The current owner of this house. My Uncle sold this property to me.", Aiden said coolly. 

A bright smile bloomed on her face. "Oh… I didn\'t know."

"It\'s OK. We didn\'t publicize it. Can I help you or is your visit specific to my Uncle?"

She ignored his question. The fact that this hottie (aka Aiden) is living here instead of that old Marcus or lecherous (and disgusting) Lukas, made her day. She decided to get close to Aiden. Well, she should know her neighbor, and Aiden being super-handsome is a big bonus.

She extended her hand for a handshake. "Pardon my rudeness. I am Darlene Payne, your neighbor."

"Neighbor?", Aiden repeated like he is surprised, but he knows that there is only one neighboring house, at the one at the peak of the peninsula; that property is larger than the one they got from Marcus. Aiden and Sarah checked the files of the people who live in this area. Other than the Payne family, there are four more properties nearby, on the other side of the road, and all of them are typical rich families with businesses which span for generations, full of money, and dark secrets. However, none of that explains her presence.

"Yes. Next door…", Darlene gestured in the direction to the South-East where their house is. "And your name is…?"

Aiden glanced at her hand which is still hovering in the air and shook it briefly. "Aiden, Aiden White."

Her smile widened how much her cheeks allowed it. "Aiden. Please, call me Darlene. I would be delighted if you come for a visit so that we can get to know each other better. I didn\'t see you before, so you must be new in the area, I will be happy to show you around."

"That is very generous of you. I am confident that my wife would love to get to know you better."

Darlene was unable to hide her disappointment. "Your wife?"

Aiden smiled and didn\'t respond. He can see on Eve-vision that Sarah is going to join them in three… two… one…

"That would be me.", Sarah said as she stepped into the entry hall.

Darlene looked at Sarah and she was sure that the temperature fell by few degrees together with her mood.

Sarah didn\'t bother to smile. "I am Sarah White. Aiden\'s wife. It\'s always nice to meet the neighbors. Did you know that we are here, and you came to greet us?" Sarah looked at Darlene\'s empty hands. "Ah, since there is no housewarming present I guess this a random visit."

Darlene inhaled sharply. How come this turned out into her being rude by not bringing a present?

Darlene\'s eyes widened at the sight of Kitty. Why is she not on a leash? That huge creature is dangerous, and it does not look friendly at all!

Darlene was not ready for this. The Payne family is aware that yesterday afternoon there was a party (they heard the music and saw boats on the lake), and then this morning they noticed many young people jogging, and she wanted to ask Marcus (or Lukas) if they know something about it. After all, Marcus and Lukas were mostly keeping to themselves and these boisterous parties are not their style. The Payne family is aware that Marcus hosted a number of events, but they were always classy ones, entertaining the elite and not a bunch of teenagers.

Also, Darlene didn\'t expect to see Aiden, who is an absolute heartthrob, and then to find out that he is married, and his wife (aka Sarah) does not look pleasant.

\'Why is Sarah so hostile?\', Darlene thought. \'I was just looking!\'

Darlene bit her lower lip and blinked a few times seductively at Aiden while thinking how to respond. Sarah is unwelcoming, and as a gentleman (and a good neighbor) he should help her, right? But unfortunately, he is looking at Sarah who is scratching Kitty\'s head.

Darlene wondered, \'is it possible that Aiden can resist my charms to the point of ignoring me completely?\'

Darlene decided to respond to Sarah\'s question with a half-truth.

"We noticed a number of young people jogging close to our property this morning and I came here to check if you know anything about it."

"Yes. That would be our kids.", Sarah responded flatly.

Darlene frowned, obviously confused. "Your kids?"

Sarah smiled and hooked her hand around Aiden\'s waist. "Well, as you should be able to tell, they are not our real kids, but they are staying with us, and are close like a family. They are healthy youngsters who exercise in the morning. Did any of them go on your property by accident?"

"No. They were not on our property.", Darlene responded.

"So, you came here because someone was outside of your walled-in property? On a public trail?"

Darlene can hear that Sarah is mocking her, but Darlene believes that she has a point. "Our property is secluded, and we don\'t see a lot of traffic. So, when we saw a sudden influx of people, we got concerned."

"There is no need for concern, Miss Payne. None of our kids will come to your property. If we need more space, we will go to the public park. Is there anything else?"

Darlene\'s eyes flashed in disbelief. Is Sarah telling her to leave? Why did Sarah show up? She really wanted to talk to Aiden more.

Darlene forced a smile and spoke to Sarah while glancing at Aiden. "I see. It appears that we worried about nothing. With the music and so many of them, we thought that maybe a youth camp opened here."

"You are overthinking. This whole area is residential and anything that can generate income is prohibited. We are not foolish to break the law.", Sarah said with irritation apparent in her voice.

"I see…", Darlene exhaled.

"Anything else?", Sarah repeated her question while wondering if this woman has any intention to leave. Can\'t Darlene see that she is not welcome?

Darlene was not sure how to answer. Why are they not inviting her inside? Isn\'t that a polite thing to do? Her sight landed at Aiden again, silently asking him to help her out.

Sarah was irked by Darlene\'s behavior. How dares she look at Aiden like that?

Kitty felt Sarah\'s irritation and let out a growl at Darlene. Unexpectedly, that improved Sarah\'s mood. Her baby is channeling her frustration. How sweet!

Sarah cupped Aiden\'s cheeks in her palms and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Sweetheart, why don\'t you go inside and continue your work. I will show Miss Payne out."

"Don\'t take too long.", Aiden murmured and gave Sarah one more kiss before turning to Darlene. "We will gladly accept your invitation and stop by sometimes. I heard that your family is in real estate, we have a property we are considering buying and maybe your father can help us evaluate it. I admire a man who can keep his business on the rise in this shaky economy."

Darlene watched dejectedly as Aiden walked down the hallway, back into the living room.

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