CHAPTER 95: MY BESTIE IS A BITCH

Aiden’s POV

I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me.

I was acting like some hormonal teenager, getting worked up over things I shouldn’t even care about. The fact that I was attracted to my contract wife was already bad enough. But getting jealous over random guys calling her? That was an entirely new level of pathetic.

It didn’t sit well with me. None of it did.

And to make things worse, she had the audacity to call me a hypocrite.

Her words still echoed in my head. "You’re mad at me over a simple phone call? Seriously? But when Liz calls, it’s perfectly fine? You don’t see the double standard here?"

I had clenched my jaw so hard I thought my teeth might crack. She wasn’t wrong—but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it. It only made the anger burn hotter, twisting into something I couldn’t even name. But instead of lashing out, I forced myself to stay quiet.

That silence stretched through the rest of breakfast, turning it into the most awkward meal I’d ever had. The clinking of utensils against plates was the only sound between us, each second dragging on painfully.

She didn’t look at me. And I sure as hell wasn’t looking at her.

But even without looking, I was too aware of her. The way her lips parted slightly when she took a sip of her coffee. The way her fingers curled around the fork, delicate but sure. The way a single strand of hair kept falling in front of her face, and how badly I wanted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.

I hated this. Hated her for making me feel this way.

But mostly, I hated myself—because no matter how much I tried to ignore it, the truth was painfully clear.

I wanted her.

And that was a problem. A very big problem.

Even as I drove her to campus on my way to work, the silence between us was suffocating.

The tension from breakfast still lingered, thick and unspoken, stretching through the car like an invisible wall. She sat beside me, staring out the window, her fingers occasionally drumming against her lap—probably lost in thought. Or maybe she was just deliberately ignoring me. Either way, I wasn’t going to be the first to break the silence.

I pulled up to the campus entrance, bringing the car to a smooth stop. Finally, she turned to me, her voice even but distant.

"I might be a little late today. I have some school stuff to finish up."

I didn’t like that.

I didn’t like any of it.

School stuff? Fine. But the thought of her staying back—possibly alone—with her professor? That didn’t sit well with me. I needed to know who this professor was. His name. His face. Everything.

I clenched my jaw, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. But I didn’t say a word. I wasn’t about to sound like some possessive, overbearing husband when I had no right to be.

She didn’t wait for a response. Just unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her bag, and stepped out without looking back.

The moment she shut the door, I sped off.

Not because I was in a hurry.

But because if I stayed there any longer, I might’ve said something I wasn’t ready to admit.

Alexia’s POV

I had to admit—Lucy’s plan of finding me a li worked wonders. I was definitely buying her lunch.

Was it wrong that I felt a little too happy about Aiden being mad over another man calling me? Maybe. But honestly? I didn’t care. He deserved a taste of his own medicine.

He had been completely fine when Liz called him. No guilt. No hesitation. Like I was supposed to just sit there and accept it. But the moment a man—who wasn’t him—called me? He had clenched his jaw, his eyes dark with something he refused to name, barely masking his irritation.

Hypocrite.

But as satisfying as that little moment of pettiness was, my mood soured when I thought about who had called me.

Professor Sinclair.

How the hell did he even get my number? And why was he calling me so early in the morning?

I bit my lip, my fingers tightening around my phone. I really hoped Aiden hadn’t pissed him off with the way he had spoken to him. That tone of his—cold, clipped, possessive—had been impossible to miss.

And then Sinclair had hung up.

Meaning... yeah. He was definitely mad.

God, this was going to be awkward.

I needed to find Lucy. Immediately.

She was the only one who could help me figure out what to do because, honestly? I was not about to ruin my studies—or my entire school life—just because I wanted to make Aiden jealous.

Sure, it felt good seeing him fume over another man calling me. It was satisfying, even. But was it worth the possible consequences? The last thing I needed was unnecessary drama with Professor Sinclair, especially if he was mad about how Aiden had spoken to him.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair as I walked through campus.

This wasn’t supposed to be this complicated. It was just a harmless plan to make Aiden see what it felt like—not an invitation for chaos.

I needed Lucy’s advice, and I needed it now.

Spotting her near the cafeteria, I picked up my pace.

"Lucy, we have a huge problem," I said the moment I reached her.

She raised a perfectly shaped brow, sipping her iced coffee like she wasn’t the mastermind behind my current dilemma. "Let me guess—Aiden actually got jealous, and now you’re panicking?"

I scowled. "It’s not funny. Professor Sinclair called me this morning, and Aiden was rude to him. Now Sinclair’s mad, and I don’t know what to do."

Lucy’s eyes widened slightly before a slow smirk curled on her lips. "Well, well, well. Someone’s playing with fire."

I groaned again. "Lucy, help."

She laughed, linking her arm with mine as we walked. "Relax, babe. We’ll figure this out. But first, tell me exactly what Aiden said to Sinclair."

"He snatched my phone, called him an asshole, and then the professor hung up," I told Lucy, crossing my arms in frustration.

For a second, she just stared at me. And then—she barked out a laugh. A full-blown, unapologetic laugh.

I glared at her. "It’s not funny, Lucy!"

She clutched her stomach, barely able to catch her breath. "Oh, babe, it’s hilarious! Aiden actually lost his shit over this? I knew he was possessive, but damn."

I huffed, running a hand through my hair. "This isn’t what we planned! We should have gone for a student, not a professor."

Lucy wiped away a stray tear from her eye, still grinning. "Okay, okay, I see your point. But you have to admit—this is way more entertaining."

I shot her a deadpan look. "You mean disastrous."

She shrugged. "Tomato, tomahto."

I groaned. "Lucy, focus! What do I do now? If Professor Sinclair holds a grudge, I’m screwed. I don’t want my grades to suffer because Aiden decided to act like a caveman."

She smirked, sipping her iced coffee like we weren’t in crisis mode. "Well... you could go talk to Sinclair. Play innocent. Apologize for Aiden’s behavior and say it was a misunderstanding. Maybe even flirt a little—"

I smacked her arm. "Lucy!"

She giggled. "Relax, babe. I’m kidding... mostly."

I groaned again, already regretting everything.

Lucy tugged my arm, dragging me toward the classrooms with an excited bounce in her step.

"Come on, let’s see how bad the damage is before we do anything drastic," she said, practically thriving off my misery. "Thank God it’s Professor Sinclair’s class next. We won’t have to wait long to find out."

I groaned, my stomach twisting at the thought. "Yeah, lucky me."

Lucy chuckled, completely unbothered. "If I knew today was going to be this fun, I would’ve brought popcorn."

I shot her a glare. Great. This was my so-called best friend. The one who had allegedly been helping me.

I withdrew my vow—I was definitely not buying her lunch anymore.

Sure, she helped me teach Aiden a lesson... but at the expense of my entire academic dignity. Now, I had to sit through a class with a professor who probably hated me thanks to Aiden’s temper tantrum.

Yeah. Best. Plan. Ever.

"Tell me, why did I listen to you?" I groaned again, rubbing my temples as dread settled deep in my stomach.

Lucy, completely unfazed, chuckled. "Because you love me and because, admit it, this is way more exciting than your usual boring mornings."

I shot her a glare. "Exciting? Lucy, I might have just tanked my academic career because of Aiden’s jealousy issues! And you’re over here acting like this is some kind of soap opera."

She just smirked, unbothered. "Babe, this is premium drama. I’d pay to watch it unfold."

I let out another exaggerated groan as we entered the classroom. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I spotted Professor Sinclair already at his desk, flipping through some papers with that usual unreadable expression of his.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

The last thing I needed was sitting anywhere near the front, where he could glare at me every time he looked up.

Lucy, the absolute traitor, was already making a beeline for the front row.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" I hissed, grabbing her wrist and yanking her toward the back.

"Alexia, come on," she whined, laughing as I practically dragged her to the corner end of the class.

"We are not sitting up front like idiots so he can burn holes through my soul every time he makes eye contact," I snapped, shoving her into the seat beside me.

She pouted dramatically. "You’re no fun."

"You’re no help," I shot back.

She just smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Oh, babe, this is gonna be good."

I buried my face in my hands. Why did I listen to her again?