Chapter 4 4

The automatic doors of the supermarket slid open, unleashing a blast of conditioned air. Aria grabbed a cart, the wheels squeaking in protest. Harland walked beside her, looking around with a mix of curiosity and unease.

"Okay," Aria said, pulling out a list on her phone. "We need essentials. Rice, beans, pasta."

She steered the cart toward the discount aisle. Harland followed, his hands in his pockets.

"Why not steak?" he asked, eyeing the meat counter.

"Because steak is forty dollars a pound," Aria said, not breaking stride. "We are on a beer budget, Harland. Actually, tap water budget."

She stopped in front of the produce section. She picked up a carton of strawberries. They were bright red, plump, and perfect. She looked at the price tag. 8.99.

She sighed and put them back.

"What's wrong?" Harland asked.

"Out of season," she said. "Too expensive."

She turned to weigh a bag of potatoes. Harland watched her. He looked at the strawberries. He looked at her back.

Quickly, stealthily, he grabbed the carton and buried it under the bag of onions in the cart.

Aria turned back. "Do you eat spicy food? Chicken thighs are on sale. I can make curry."

Harland's pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone. The screen read Silas.

"Bathroom," he muttered. "Be right back."

He walked briskly to the back of the store, near the dairy coolers. He checked to make sure no one was within earshot.

"Talk," Harland said, his voice dropping an octave, losing the casual rasp and gaining a razor-sharp edge.

"The board is panicking," Silas's voice came through the earpiece. "The rumors of your 'disappearance' are working. Stock is down three points."

"Let it drop another two," Harland said, staring at a wall of yogurt. "Then trigger the buyback. Use the shell companies in the Caymans. I want fifty-one percent by Friday."

"Understood. And the Young acquisition?"

"Hold on that," Harland said. "I'm... gathering intel."

"Harland?"

He froze. Aria was standing at the end of the aisle, holding a bag of frozen peas.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked, tilting her head. "You sounded... intense."

Harland lowered the phone. He forced his shoulders to relax. "Debt collector," he lied smoothly. "I told him to back off. I told him I'm good for it."

Aria's face softened instantly. The suspicion vanished, replaced by pity. "Oh, Harland. I'm sorry. Once the lawyers process the marriage certificate, I can help."

"Don't worry about it," he said, slipping the phone away. "Did you get the peas?"

"Yes. They were two for one."

They walked to the checkout. Aria unloaded the cart. When the cashier scanned the strawberries, Aria gasped.

"Wait, I didn't-" She looked at Harland.

He shrugged, looking at the ceiling. "Must have fallen in. Just take them."

"Harland, we can't afford-"

"I have ten bucks," he said. "My treat."

Aria looked at him, then at the strawberries. "Thank you."

They walked out to the parking lot. Harland grabbed the heavy bags before she could touch them. He lifted them like they were filled with feathers.

"You're strong for an artist," Aria observed.

"I haul my own canvases," he said. "And frames. Heavy wood."

They climbed back into the Bronco. Aria buckled her seatbelt, feeling a strange sense of contentment. It was just groceries, but it felt like a victory.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Pippa, her only friend who hadn't blocked her.

Image Attachment.

Aria opened it. It was a screenshot of a livestream. Julian and Corina were standing in front of a display of truffles, laughing.

Caption: Shopping for tonight's feast! Only the best for my love.

Aria felt her stomach turn. The contentment evaporated.

"Everything okay?" Harland asked, starting the engine.

"Just... indigestion," Aria whispered, turning the screen off.