Amelia's eyes flashed with disbelief when she heard the words slip from Aaron's mouth. Her father had a heart attack because of the Zhao family mess? "There's so much I missed," she muttered, her voice tinged with regret.
Aaron, standing close by, gave her shoulder a soft pat, his eyes sympathetic. "Your dad didn't want you to know. You were deep in your thesis at the time, and he didn't want to distract you." He glanced away, as if the weight of the secret was still hanging between them.
"Honestly, I'm just happy to see how much Nick's changed, though. I kinda saw it coming." He hesitated for a second, as though swallowing something bitter. "Before everything blew up... you know, when he found Olivia at my place... Nick had already started to show interest in you."