Chapter 455: Double trouble

"That was Amber?" Aria whispered, her eyes still unable to believe what she had seen and heard a few minutes ago.

"Yes," Noah sighed, rubbing his head in frustration. He was already having a headache thinking about what lay ahead for them.

There was Jared and his Godfather on one side, and there was Amber. All three people had the same target, and they were people he loved the most. He was beyond annoyed to think that Amber decided to return right at the moment when he was planning an attack on Jared. Joshua was in a vulnerable state, and he could not move around much. Everything was in Noah and Ian's hands, and they had to deal with the troublesome people thoroughly and cleanly.

Aria sensed Noah's frustration, and she held his hand, clasping her fingers with his. "I will always be with you. Don't worry." 

Noah smiled, hearing her words, and he hugged her by her shoulder. "I know, Aria. I know. You are my strength, and I am glad that I have you. Thank you for being here."

"Tell me about Amber," Aria mumbled after some time, and Noah pursed his lips. 

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Everything."

"Amber was an acquaintance Joshua knew from his university. They had not interacted much during his studies. The girl had a crush on him since the time they had met. On the day they graduated, she confessed her feelings to him. But Jo rejected her right away, for he had other things in mind. He had to take over his father's company, and he was not looking for a serious relationship."

Noah sighed, clenching his jaw as he reminisced the days which not many people knew about. "But Amber remained adamant, and she started to visit his office daily, where Joshua's Dad was training him to take over his seat. Though she was not allowed to go beyond the reception, the girl did not kick up a fuss, waiting to catch a glimpse of Joshua. She never requested anything from him nor asked him to spare time for her. Touched by her sincerity, or that was what Jo thought, he decided to give her a chance.

They started dating, and eventually, Jo fell for her. Although I was not against their relationship, I did not like her either. Something in her did not sit well with me. But I did not want Joshua to leave his love just because of my baseless assumptions. If I had warned him the moment I had got this feeling, maybe we could have prevented him from the misery." 

Noha stopped talking, staring at the wall in front of him. Ivy was accompanying Joshua's parents while Ian was inside the ICU. So, Aria and Noah were alone. "While he trained to take over his father's seat, he also opened a small video game company, and he became incredibly busy with work. But every week, he would make time for her and meet her, take her out on dates."

Aria pressed her hand, giving Noah the support and assurance he needed as she continued to listen to him. "We don't know what happened. Amber left him suddenly without even informing him. We could not reach her, and Joshua did everything he could to search for her. However, all his attempts went futile when he finally found her in the arms of another man, kissing him. By then, Joshua had fallen too deep for her."

Aria's calm stance broke, and she was now breathing fire, recalling the woman's loathful face. 

"Joshua went into an extreme state of depression, and it took him a lot of time to come out of it. Since then, he was scared of long term and serious relationship, for he was not ready to hand over his heart and control to someone else lest they should do the same to him. And, Ivy entered, and you know what happened from there."

Aria nodded, staring hard at their interlocked fingers. "I should have killed the girl right then and there." She muttered, making Noah pull away from her in shock.

"What?" He asked, chuckling lightly.

"Yes. How dare she do this Joshua? How can she break his heart and leave him in such agony? How can she do this to such a sweet man?" Noah decided to ignore the way Aria had praised his friend, even though he was getting jealous slightly. "And now, she has the nerve to come back and ask about Joshua and his well-being. I should have killed her and ended this matter once and for all."

"Aria?" Noah let out a helpless laugh.

"What? I am saying what I am feeling right now. My hands are itching to slap that woman's irritating face. At least, I am entitled to slap her. Right?" Aria stared at Noah, putting on an innocent look while her eyes said otherwise. There was clear mischief and anger in them, and Noah rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine, you can do as you please."

"Yes," Aria grinned cheekily, making Noah wonder if he had done a mistake giving her permission. "Now you wait and watch, Amber. If you even think about intruding in Ivy and Joshua's life, I will kill you myself." Aria said with all resolve, and Noah flicked her forehead, making her come out of her stance.

"Ouch," She rubbed her forehead, glaring at the man beside her. "What was that for?"

"I don't think you need to do anything. Seeing the way your sister dealt with Amber, rendering her speechless and making her question her existence, I am sure Ivy can handle Amber on her own. I have never seen such a tough look on Ivy."

"Wasn't she sexy?" Noah stayed silent, waiting for Aria to continue. This was not a question he wanted to answer. "Ivy had to step up to burst Amber's bubble, and as you said, my sister did great. She alone will suffice when dealing with Amber in the future. By the way, I had this one question running in my mind."

Noah raised his eyebrows at her, wondering what she was getting at. "Did you have anyone like Amber before me?"

Aria's question made Noah smirk, and he leaned closer to her. "Why Aria? Are you jealous?"

"Jealous no. Curious yes." Aria replied without any change in expression, and Noah doubted if she was not actually jealous or if she was putting up an act.

"What if I had one? What would you do?"

"I will not do anything because it's your past. But if she were to create troubles in our lives, then I'll put a bullet through her head. Problem solved."