His Green Eyes

Episode 4

AIDEN's POV

The moment she said my name, my brow furrowed instinctively. How the he*l had she guessed it? Out of all the names in the world, how had she landed on mine? For a split second, I wondered if she knew me, if this was more than just a random guess. My mind was racing through the possibilities, but I forced myself to shrug it off. Maybe it was just a stupid coincidence, a lucky shot in the dark.

I stepped outside the bar, the cool night air hitting my face. Every time I saw that girl, she got under my skin. My path had crossed with this bar by pure chance—a series of unfortunate events had led me here, and then there she was, for the second time. I hadn’t come looking for her. She wasn’t on my mind at all. If anything, it felt like some cosmic coincidence. And I hated those.

Lucian buying Adeline’s dress for the ball had been one of those so-called "fateful" coincidences. That da*n ball gown had been a sign, and it had led to him marrying my first love because their union was destined. Ever since I realized that, I’d despised anything that smelled like fate or destiny.

Running into this girl again felt like one of those moments, but I could only chalk it up to one thing—I was supposed to help her. She was just like me, an orphan, looking out for her brother and grandmother, barely getting by. She didn’t deserve to be paying off a debt that wasn’t even hers. It was cruel, even for me, to squeeze her for money.

I took another drag from my cigarette, blowing the smoke into the dark night. I’d been standing outside for minutes, wrestling with my thoughts like an idi*t. If anyone could hear what was going on in my head, I’d lose whatever edge I had left.

I pushed open the door and glanced at her over my shoulder.

“Can you step outside for a moment?”

She looked at me, clearly not thrilled with the idea, but she nodded and followed me out with slow, reluctant steps. Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave me a look that screamed annoyance—she wasn’t even bothering to hide it.

“You scared off all the customers,” she said, her voice sharp with irritation. “If I lose this job, I can’t pay off my debt. When are you leaving?”

I smirked, letting the arrogance drip from my words. “Am I not enough of a customer? I’m worth a hundred men. Besides, I could make sure you work here for as long as I want… if I wanted.”

She scoffed, unimpressed. “You’re definitely not. You had one glass of whiskey,” she shot back, the flickering streetlamp casting an uneven glow across her face. Despite her tough exterior, there was an odd innocence about her, something that didn’t quite match her harsh words. She reminded me of a child trying to act like an adult—her defiance almost endearing.

“How old are you?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Nineteen… what does that have to do with anything?”

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Are you in college?”

“No… I had to drop out after the first semester.”

I nodded, feeling a strange weight settle on my chest. “I’ve told you before, I’ll wipe your debt clean. You don’t have to pay a thing. Go back to school, live your life like the others your age.”

She shook her head, and the vacant, hollow look in her eyes sent a chill through me. Those weren’t the eyes of someone with hope. She was young, but her gaze was full of weariness. It was the look of someone who had stopped believing in better days. I’d seen it before—too many times. But why did it bother me so much that she looked that way? Was it because I knew she had no parents? Did I feel some twisted connection to her because of my own past?

“Even if you erase the debt, I still need money,” she murmured, more to herself than to me. “I need enough in the bank to make sure Leo can stand on his own one day.”

“I’ll wipe the debt, and I’ll find you a decent, high-paying part-time job,” I said, my tone firm but softening slightly. “Over time, you’ll make more money, and when you graduate, I’ll even help you find a full-time job.”

“I don’t have that kind of time,” she replied, pouting slightly, her full lips pressing together in frustration.

“Why not?”

“I want to be rich now. I can’t waste time on school.”

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. “And how exactly do you plan to pull that off? Working part-time jobs around the clock?”

“That’s none of your business,” she shot back. Then, with a defiance that caught me completely off guard, she added, “What do you want in exchange for wiping the debt? You want me to sleep with you?”

I couldn’t help myself—I burst into laughter. Real, deep laughter. It was probably the first time in years that I’d laughed like that.

“I would never sleep with you. Go find someone your age, live a normal life with some ordinary guy.”

“Tell me what you want.” she shot back, her voice sharp.

I shoved my free hand into my other pocket, leaning back a little. “Alright, here’s what I want: let me rent your house's view.” Her eyes narrowed as I continued. “Whenever I feel like it, I get to sit in your yard and enjoy that view. And if you’re home, maybe you’ll bring me coffee. Think of it as part of the service.”

She blinked, processing my strange request, but after a beat, she nodded. “Deal. Now, go. I don’t want my boss to fire me.”

“You’re really going to keep working here?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Yeah, like I said… I don’t have time to waste.”

Without waiting for my reply, she turned her back to me and walked into the bar, her determination palpable. It was strange, but knowing she’d accepted my offer—even in that odd, roundabout way—eased something inside me. It felt like, for once, I’d done something right.

As I stood there in the quiet night, I felt a shift, like a single drop of white paint falling into the pitch-black well that was my heart.

The darkness was still there, thick and suffocating, but now there was a faint glimmer of something different. Something lighter.