Chapter 364: Where You Disappointed When You Lost Stuart?

Aaron couldn’t resist laughing. "You understand me, so explain to me. How does a mother not understand her child? She had no idea of what type of boy I have become. She showed no interest in me. I was treated like a servant child and was exploited, even up until I was an adult. The servants loved me more than my own mother did this; I knew to be a fact." His voice was deep with pity and resentment.

Edie studied him for a moment. She could see him struggling with his emotions, forcing them down. "It’s not Stuart’s fault, so why do you have to keep fighting with him? Put an end to it and let it go?" she blurted out.

"No, it’s not his fault. Does that mean it’s mine?" Edie could see the pain in his eyes as he fixed his eyes on her. Then the corner of his mouth curved upward into a faint smile. "Stuart has everything. A business, a wife, and soon you will have children. What do I have? I have nothing. I am slowly drowning in my own hatred, not so much hatred for my mother, but for the world. I have endured a life of misery with a woman who never loved me. I don’t even know how to love. Is that fair?" Aaron’s voice was low but intense.

Shock rendered Edie speechless. She tried to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat. ’It isn’t Stuart’s or Aaron’s fault.’ Is what she wanted to say. She finally got the courage to speak. "There has to be another way?" Edie said in a small voice.

Aaron smiled bleakly. "All these years, I’ve been searching for another way, but I can’t find it." He paused and looked out the window as if he was contemplating something. "Please tell how I can set both of us free?"

Edie waited for a moment, not knowing how to answer the question. "I..." she stuttered. "Were you disappointed when you lost to Stuart all those times.?"

His entire body began to shiver violently. It took him a moment to get the words out, and he finally answered, "Not at all." Aaron saw Edie looking at him, and he looked at her, his face infused with a complicated expression.

Edie looked at him with confusion, "Why wouldn’t you be upset?"

The sadness on his face disappeared immediately and was replaced with the usual sinister smile. He spoke clearly and slowly. "Not once did I ever regret anything I’ve done. Why should I play by the rules?" He has destroyed what should have been mine, and now it’s my turn to destroy everything of his."

Edie’s face was frozen in a silent scream, a look of complete terror permanently etched on her face. She found her voice slightly breathy. Aaron’s eyes rolled over to meet her gaze, and a slight smile pulled at the edge of his lips as his eyebrow raised, "I’m a demon, remember?"

Edie took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She stared straight into his eyes. "You’re right. There are no rules. Aaron Yates, you do things your way, and so do I. Everyone in the world is selfish, and if you push me too far, I don’t care who gets hurt. All I care about is Stuart." Bitterness flickered in her eyes.

"That’s truly touching. You would put someone’s life in jeopardy when it comes to Stuart’s safety," Raising one eyebrow and looking at her unyieldingly, he continues, "That makes you almost as bad as me." There was something slightly odd about the way he spoke.

Edie never responded. She stood up and said, "Are you trying to starve me? Could I have something to eat?"

"As you wish," he said and opened the door.

Edie walked away, not looking at him. Not wanting to see his face or the expression it carried. Aaron watched her leave, and his eyes grew deep with sorrow. His thoughts were scattered: his brain disoriented from the pain. ’Stuart is a lucky man. He found a woman who loves him with all her heart, but I have never known what it’s like to be loved. All I know is how to fight and scheme.’’ He struggled to separate the millions of thoughts that were running through his mind. "Why does Stuart have everything, and I have nothing?" he asks himself, but deep down, he already knows the answer.

Edie returned to the dining room, and Anne quickly rushed over to her. "You look a little better," she said, looking a little worried.

Edie looked at Anne and immediately thought about what Aaron tried to do to her. ’He almost killed her, but he pretends to care about her? How could he be so cruel?’ She couldn’t resist the temptation, and she had to know. "Anne, what do you think of Aaron?" she asked.

Her eyes widened in confusion. "You mean Childe?" she replied.

Edie nodded her head and said, "Yes."

"He’s really good to me," Anne answered earnestly. She tilted her head, inquisitively. "He pretends to be happy, but I know he’s sad, and that makes me sadder, so I don’t know what to do."

"How....do you know, he’s so sad?" Edie seemed hesitant, but wanted answers.

"It’s in his eyes," Anne sighed deeply. "He smiles, trying hard to pretend that everything is okay. He’s trying to forget the feelings inside. Inside he is tired and sad." She paused and looked quizzically at Edie, "Why does he show a happy face on the outside when his face on the inside is angry?"

"You amaze me at how smart you are," Edie’s surprised reaction caused her to take a step backward. "I think it’s because he feels alone," she replied.

"I like seeing him smile at the butler and me. I know it’s fake. It’s just his heart that doesn’t feel as if it’s ready for smiling yet. You’re right, though, and he’s very lonely. At least he has me now," she said with a muffled excitement.

As Edie listened to Anne, she had a weird feeling in her stomach. If Aaron hadn’t told her about his past, she would have thought Anne was simply over imagining things, but Anne was right. His life was filled with unpleasantness and bad luck that never showed mercy. Anne knew all of this by looking into Aaron’s eye.

Rubbing Anne’s soft hair, Edie asks, "What if he were to do something bad? Would you be able to forgive him?"

"There would be a good reason why he did it," Anne answered.

Edie remained silent for several seconds, thinking about what Anna said. "You’re young, and one day, you will understand and be able to make your own decisions. When people do things badly, they can’t get away with it. There is always a price. If Childe tried to hurt you, maybe even try to kill you. Would you forgive him?"

Anne raised her head and looked at Edie with pitiful eyes. "I will forgive him. It doesn’t matter what he does to me."

Aaron walked down the stairs as he heard Anne’s voice. He stopped. He was speechless and just stared at Anne.