Alan doubted Saira and asked, "Was she drunk on that day?"

Rowan tried to remember but shook his head, "I don't remember seeing her. She always sat in corners and watched us. And I was already married at that time and Amelia never allowed me to drink more other than in the home so I had returned a little sooner to home with her once Oliver left."

​​

He remembered Aria and asked in a panic, "Does Aria know this?"

Alan rubbed his forehead as he spoke, "There are many things to resolve and everything becoming a heavy mess. Aria isn't ready to believe her father could do all this."

Rowan sighed in resignation, "Actually that was the only time he was drunk and he repented it. At least I had gone through many arranged dates but he was a one-woman man, once he chose Sister in law, he wanted nobody other than her. It's hard to believe that past and I can understand it is difficult for Aria. That child… she is going through a lot one after the other."

Alan got up to leave but paused hearing Rowan ask, "Bring her home. We will all cheer her."

Alan thought for a second and shook his head. "No, her mood is really sensitive now. A small thing will trigger her. It's better for her to stay with Aunty Sophia."

Rowan knew Alan would do everything best for Aria so he hummed and saw him exit the room.

---

Alan sent his men to check on DNA reports before going to Cooper mansion. Aria had dozed off in Sophia's room.

He knew Aria would accept Calvin as her brother but not what her father did.

Could Oliver really ask Saira to abort?

Was he so self-centered that he went to get him after losing Emily?

Did he really kill himself?

Or are Saira and Calvin playing a game?

Seeing her swollen eyes, flushed face, his heart ached for her immensely. He whispered in her ear, "Dummy, I will be with you."

He didn't get any reaction which he always got. He wanted to carry her back to their room but scared she might wake up and cry so he didn't do it.

Sophia suggested in a low voice, "Young master, why don't you rest with Young miss here?"

Alan shook his head standing up. If she needed Sophia to comfort her, he didn't want to interfere. If she wanted him, he knew she would find him the very next second.

Alan went to the bedroom struggling to sleep thinking about Aria and what she was going through. Failing to sleep, he got up and started working.

Sophia rested next to Aria who was snagged in a nightmare.

Aria was trying to hold Emily but she vanished in thin air.

Standing in confusion, she saw Lucas Cooper chasing after her. Her breathing turned heavy as she started running away from him.

She wasn't sure how long she was running, then she saw Oliver and ran up to him happily calling 'Dad' but her father's face turned dark and tossed her away.

She cried, fell on the ground running behind him but he didn't stop. She got up and tried to hold him but he disappeared leaving her in the dark.

It was so dark that she was scared, she started trembling, her heartbeats were rising higher and higher.

She desperately searched for the light. She didn't like the darkness. She screamed on top of her lungs to help her out but nobody helped her.

She thought it ended, she couldn't make it. She felt suffocating to breathe and laid on the floor trying to breathe.

Just then she saw a beam of light.

She tried to get up and walked slowly towards it. She increased her speed and walked faster and ran towards it entering the light to see a soft, mesmerizing smile of a man who was stretching his hand to hold her.

She hesitated but she still gave her hand because she didn't want to stay in the haunting darkness.

She started smiling at the man who gently caressed her head.

But her smile started to fade seeing the man's face turn cold looking away from her. She followed his line of sight and turned to see darkness quickly enveloping towards her.

She turned to her light to realize she lost the hand she was holding and he was fading in the light.

She trembled continuously as the darkness quickly reached her. She screamed, 'Alan' as darkness covered.

Aria jerked up on the bed breathing irregularly, sweating all over, reddened eyes, her face streaked with tears, her hands trembling profusely.

She checked next to her to see Sophia and got down from the bed.

She wanted to see Alan and nothing else. She ran upstairs on her barefoot, disheveled hair. She barged in the room to see Alan working on his laptop.

Alan had turned towards the door as soon as it opened. He got up to go near her but Aria ran into his arms wrapping her hands tightly around his waist.

Seeing her tremble, Alan held her back and heard her muffle, "I will not let you go... I will not let you go..."

Alan cupped her face as he responded, "I'm not going anywhere."

Wiping her cheeks and helping her to drink water, he calmly asked, "What happened? Why are you scared?"

Aria tried to speak without stuttering, "I… I had a dream. All left me in the dark and I got you but you... You also left me seeing the dark. It was so scary."

Alan embraced her seeing her still sniffling, he asked in a gentle mellow voice, "Will I ever leave you?"

Aria shook her head in response and added. "I will not let you leave either."

Alan kissed her on the crown. He was glad that she was determined about him in any situation. He was content to hear her say she wouldn't let him leave her instead of 'Don't leave me'.

"Aria! However you are or whatever you are, I just need you. Not the past, not the wealth. It's always only you. I will be there for you in whatever problems it might be."

Aria obediently hummed with a nod.

"Do you want to sleep? Or how about taking a quick shower? You will be comfortable." She had broken in sweat due to her nightmare so he suggested knowing her discomfort.

Aria again nodded and took a hot shower. Alan closed his laptop and coaxed her to sleep in his arms.

He whispered in her ear, "We will solve it together."

Aria lightly hummed in the asleep state clutching his nightshirt tight.