The Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 145: [Volume 1] - - Jay Aron!

Who in their right mind would dare manhandle his brother like this? And not just anyone—Aron, of all people, the one who had no real connection to their family.

His eyes flickered from Jay’s disheveled state to Aron, who stood looming over them, his chest heaving with barely contained rage. Ray’s fists clenched, and he took a step forward, ready to intervene, but before he could speak further, Aron’s gaze snapped to Jay.

Aron’s voice was ice-cold as he growled,

"What the hell have you done, Jay Aron?" The accusation was sharp, cutting through the tension that had filled the room. His eyes were filled with something dark—something none of them had seen in him before.

Jay, still rubbing his sore neck, looked up at Aron with wide, bewildered eyes. "What are you talking about?" he snapped back, his voice shaky but defiant. He winced as he shifted his position, still trying to understand why he was being thrown around like a rag doll. "I haven’t done anything!"

Aron’s face twisted with frustration, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Don’t play dumb, Jay. You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to? Everything’s spiraling out of control, and it leads back to you."

Ray, unable to take it anymore, stepped in. "Aron, stop this!" he demanded, his voice filled with authority. "You can’t just walk in here and start throwing accusations like that! Jay’s our brother—what are you even talking about?"

Aron’s eyes flicked to Ray, his lips curling into a mocking smirk. His voice dripped with venom as he spoke.

"Why don’t you ask your brother what he has done, Ray?" His words cut through the thick silence like a knife, turning all attention toward Jay. "Ask him what he did that made Esme end up in the hospital."

The effect was immediate. The room fell deathly quiet as Ray, Kai, and Ryan stood frozen, their faces mirroring the same shock and disbelief. They all turned toward Jay, their eyes wide with confusion and growing suspicion.

Jay’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing. Esme? Hospital? His pulse quickened as the words sank in, but he couldn’t make sense of it. What was Aron talking about? He opened his mouth, his voice frantic as he tried to explain,

"I—I don’t know what he’s talking about! I didn’t do anything! What do you mean Esme’s in the hospital?" His voice cracked with desperation, confusion etched deeply into his features.

But Aron wasn’t buying it. He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming as he loomed over Jay, his gaze hard as stone. "Now you’re playing innocent?" Aron spat, his voice rising with anger. "You’re here, acting like you have no idea what’s going on? Then explain to me—why would Esme be in such a bad condition after meeting you?"

Jay flinched at the accusation, his breath catching in his throat. He felt like the ground was crumbling beneath his feet. "After meeting me?" he repeated, disbelief flooding his voice. He shook his head violently. "I don’t know what you’re talking about! I didn’t do anything to her!"

Ray took a step forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked between Aron and Jay. His confusion slowly morphed into something darker—an uncertainty, a crack in his trust. "Jay..." Ray’s voice was low, but the weight behind it was clear. "What’s going on? Did something happen with Esme?"

Kai and Ryan, standing beside him, were just as baffled, their gazes boring into Jay, waiting for some kind of explanation, some kind of answer that would make sense of Aron’s accusations. But Jay’s head was spinning. Esme? Hospital? How could this even be possible?

Aron, his patience worn thin, took another step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "You’re telling me you don’t know?" His voice was cold, almost a growl. "That after meeting you, Esme was so shaken up, so distraught, that she collapsed? She ended up in the hospital because of you, Jay! So don’t sit there and act like you’ve got nothing to do with it."

Jay’s mouth went dry, his heart hammering in his chest. "No..." he whispered, shaking his head again, more to himself than to anyone else. "No, I swear, I didn’t do anything... I don’t know what happened." He looked up, his eyes wide and pleading, searching Aron’s face for some kind of clue, for something that would explain what was going on.

But all he found was Aron’s rage.

Ryan stepped forward, his expression a mix of determination and calm. He positioned himself firmly between Aron and Jay, acting as a barrier to the escalating tension. "I’m sorry, Mr. Aron," he said, his voice steady, cutting through the chaos like a knife. "But it seems you’ve misunderstood something here."

Aron’s eyes narrowed, skepticism etched across his features, but Rayan pressed on, unflinching. "Our brother may be quite the troublemaker, but he isn’t someone who would intentionally hurt anyone. I think there’s been a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Aron scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "You think this is just a joke, Rayan? Esme is in the hospital because of him! What else would you call it?"

Ryan held his ground, refusing to be intimidated. "I understand your anger, but before you go pointing fingers, we need to get to the bottom of this." He turned to Jay, his gaze softening slightly. "Jay, what happened? Did you have an argument with Esme? Did something happen when you were with her?"

Jay looked between his brothers, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel their eyes scrutinizing him, searching for answers he didn’t have. "I... I don’t know," he stammered, his voice trembling. "We had a conversation, but nothing out of the ordinary. I never hurt her, I swear!"

Ray’s expression shifted from suspicion to concern. "What do you mean, a conversation? What was it about?"

Jay bit his lip, lowering his head as he felt the intensity of their stares. "Um, I just asked her..." he started, his voice shaky. "We were having a conversation about why she should agree to work with Florence’s family without even telling us. And honestly, I thought it was a valid concern. But I don’t know what happened after that. When I left, she seemed fine."