I woke up to the sound of a bird tweeting outside my window. “I’m so tired.” I groaned, dragging a pill across my face. “I need a hot chocolate drink.” I rolled off the bed and glanced at the clock–11:47 AM.
I gasped, looking at the clock
“WHAT?!” I gasped, bolting upright so fast I nearly dislocated my spine. The hoodie I had slept in slipp one of my shoulders as I ran a hand through my hair.
“Asher! That idiot must have already gone to school.” I thought, flopping back onto the mattress.
My phone buzzed beside me. I snatched it and saw: 18 notifications, 11 missed calls, 4 texts from Asher, ¿ Dad and 3 from Mum.
I opened Asher’s texts: “Tiny wake up.”
“Are you really missing school?”
“Hey! Answer your phone”
“Mum wants to talk to you.”
I pushed the blanket away and trudged to the bathroom. After splashing cold water on my face, brushing n teeth, and tying my hair into a bun, I returned to my room.
A notification popped up again from Asher:
“I received this; Riverbend Property Ownership Documents.” I used his email address last night.
With trembling fingers, I opened the attachment. There it was–PDFs, title deeds, maps, tax records, historic ownership papers and official purchase confirmation.
“Oh my God…” My breath hitched, a rush of excitement shot through me.
“I need Dad. Immediately.” I opened a chat with Robert.
“Dad. Good morning. I have a… situation.” I attached the deed document. “I acquired this last night at the auction. I know it’s a lot. Can you have your lawyers look it over? Verify everything is in order?”
I hit send before I would lose my nerve. Almost immediately, the three little dots appeared.
Robert: Good God, Aria. I nearly spat out my coffee. It’s a beautiful land
A nervous laugh bubbled out of me.
Robert: Sending it to legal now. They’ll run a full title search and liability assessment. What plan do you have
for it?
Me: Okay. Thank you, Dad. But what do you mean, what plan do I have for it?
Robert: I would have loved to share this news with you but no, your mother said would be happy to share it with you. Congratulations sweetheart. Try to have a quiet day, will you?
A quiet day? I’m going to die of curiosity if Helen does not call me this minute.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed, Helen’s face flashing on the screen. I took a deep, steadying breath and answered, putting her on speaker.
“Aria, darling!” She shrieked excitedly. “How are you doing? Tell me everything! Asher gave me the bare bones, but I want your version.”
I leaned back in my bed, pulling my knees to my chest. “I’m fine mom. And yesterday, it was… overwhelming, Mom. The people, the art, the… the money.”
“But you handled it beautifully, from what I hear.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “Asher said you were a natural. ‘Madam A‘ certainly made an impression.”
“I tried.” I groaned, “I mostly just tried not to bow to anyone.”
She let out a chuckle. “A valuable lesson learned! And the bidding? Asher mentioned you were interested in a historic gown?”
My stomach tightened. I had hoped not to talk about it. “Yeah, the Starlight Rebuke gown. It was beautiful. But bidding is a rich man’s game, the bidding got… out of hand. A man in a silver mask outbid me.”
“A silver mask? Hmmm. I’m sure there were other beautiful things.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, “But none captivated me like the gown did. Then there was the land. The Riverbend property.”
She sighed and kept mute for a moment.
“Aria dear,” she called at last, “your brother told you about grandmama right?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, “I’m sorry I’m the reason she stopped visiting you.”
“Stopped visiting because of you? Where did you hear that from?”
“Asher?” I muttered.
“Lol, that woman stopped visiting us years before we adopted you. That brother of yours needs to get some of his information right.” She hissed. “She’s only angry that we refused to send you over to her.”
“Really?” I felt a little relieved, I was not the reason she stopped visiting. “Erm mum, dad told me you have some news for me.”
“Yes, grandmama already got the news that you bid on that land and she is giving it to you because she’s proud of you. It’s yours so we’re converting the ownership name to yours. Congratulations darling!” She shrieked.
Chapter 84
“Io–own that land?” I stuttered, my heart haminering faster against my chest.
“Yes, darling. It’s truly yours. Now, get some rest. We’ll be home soon, and we’ll celebrate properly. Bye darling, love you.” She blew kisses into the phone and hung up.
My phone slipped down from my hand as drops of tears–tears of joy–trailed down my cheeks. I own a land and grandmama has fully accepted me. I don’t want to ever regain my memories again if it would take me away from here.
Lena appeared a while later with a breakfast tray–fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a latte with a perfect leaf design in the foam. I put the tray on my desk, the official deed still open on my screen.
I took a last sip of my latte, wiped the bit of foam from my lip, and pushed my chair back with a sigh.
“Okay, Aria,” I muttered to myself, tapping the deed on my screen. “You own a whole big ass giant land.” I slid off my chair and walked into the bathroom again.
After a fast shower and a body lotion slathering, I tied my damp hair up and settled back at my desk with a fresh latte and notebook.
“Okay, Aria” I muttered to myself, clicking my pen. “You have a 35 acres of incredibly diverse, fertile land with a river running through it. What are you going to do with it?”
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
