The Heiress's Comeback

Chapter 185: [ Volume 1] Chaper 185-You kidnapper.

"What the heck, Esme?" Helga said, walking over to her sister and lightly swatting her on the head. The hit was so gentle it barely counted, more of a gesture than an actual reprimand.

"Who did you drag in here this time?" She sighed, looking mildly exasperated but not truly upset.

Esme rubbed her head, not that it hurt, but more out of habit than anything. "What? Isn’t this who you’ve been talking to all month? I just did you a favor." She grinned cheekily, clearly enjoying the situation far too much.

Aron, still standing in the doorway, was struggling to piece together his emotions. He had expected to see Helga again, sure, but not like this.

Not with Esme teasing him and putting him in the most awkward position imaginable. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry as he finally forced himself to meet Helga’s eyes again.

"Wait a minute," Helga’s voice cut through the air, her eyes narrowing as she looked from Aaron to Esme. "You? You kidnapped him?" She couldn’t hide the disbelief in her tone, her brow furrowing as if she were trying to process the absurdity of what Esme had just admitted.

Esme, always quick with a grin, flashed a mischievous smile and raised her hands in mock surrender. "Yeah!" She gave Helga a look as if saying, ’You got it!’ pride beaming from her face like she’d just won a prize.

Helga closed her eyes and let out a deep, slow breath, her patience clearly wearing thin. Without warning, she delivered a swift whist—a light smack—directly on top of Esme’s head.

"You fool!" Helga’s voice boomed, shaking the room with her fury. "Kidnapping is illegal! How dare you!"

Esme yelped in surprise, grabbing her head where Helga’s hand had landed. "What the heck! Is this how you thank your well-wisher?" she exclaimed, eyes wide in shock and indignation.

Helga’s face turned even redder, the fire in her eyes burning hotter by the second. "Well-wisher?!" she spat, incredulity dripping from every syllable. In one swift motion, she grabbed Esme by the collar and slammed her back against the wall, her frustration bubbling over. "You kidnapped someone from their home and you have the nerve to call yourself a well-wisher? You absolute fool!"

Aaron, who had been silently watching the exchange, wide-eyed and speechless, winced at the force of Helga’s words. He wasn’t sure whether he should be grateful for Helga’s righteous anger or more terrified of being in the middle of their storm.

Esme, who had been laughing moments ago, winced under Helga’s grip, still holding her head where she’d been smacked. "Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it!" she groaned, her voice a little more subdued now. But even as she rubbed her sore scalp, she couldn’t help but mutter, "Jeez, I was just trying to help."

Helga, still holding Esme’s collar, leaned in, her voice low and dangerous. "Help? By kidnapping him?! You thought this was some kind of joke? I’m trying to figure out how your brain works right now, and nothing’s adding up."

Esme tried to shrug but found herself pinned to the wall by her very angry friend. "Look, I wasn’t really kidnapping him," she said, sounding half-defensive, half-apologetic. "I mean, not seriously."

Helga narrowed her eyes. "Oh really? And what part of dragging him here against his will wasn’t serious, exactly?"

Esme grinned sheepishly. "The part where he was never in any actual danger?" she offered weakly, but her words only seemed to fuel Helga’s growing frustration.

Helga let out a frustrated groan and finally released Esme, stepping back but glaring at her with enough force to make anyone feel like they were being burned alive under her gaze. "You’re impossible," she muttered, shaking her head. "I’m trying to make you see sense here, Esme, but you keep doing these insane things!"

Aron stood there, watching the heated exchange between Esme and Helga. The tension in the air was almost unbearable, and he could feel things quickly spiraling out of control. With hesitation, he raised his hand slightly, his voice soft but urgent. "Wait a minute, I think there’s something wrong..." He glanced at Esme, who was laughing like none of this affected her, while Helga was clearly on the edge of an outburst, her anger palpable.

His words stumbled out, uncertain, "It’s... not like that. Esme... she... saved me." But the moment Helga’s eyes turned to him, Aron immediately regretted speaking. The fury on her face made him shrink back, his heart racing. He hurriedly hid his face behind his hands, trying to escape her furious gaze. His hair, messy from all the running, only added to his disheveled state.

Helga’s expression was like thunder, and her voice cracked like a whip. "I knew it! You didn’t just kidnap him, you used force on him, didn’t you?" she accused, her voice trembling with anger. "I’ll hand you over to the authorities myself!"

Without waiting for a response, she lunged forward and grabbed Esme by the collar, ready to drag her out of there. Aron, realizing the situation was unraveling fast, panicked. His body moved before his mind could catch up, and he ran toward them, placing himself between the two women. "No, no, wait!" he shouted, out of breath, his voice a mixture of desperation and fear. He grabbed both Helga and Esme by the arms, trying to stop them. "It’s not like that," he repeated, his words hurried as he tried to catch his breath. "She didn’t kidnap me!"

He turned to Esme, who, despite the chaos, was still wearing that infuriatingly bored smile—like she was above it all, waiting for the inevitable moment of recognition. Aron groaned internally, but he had to say it. "She... she saved me."

Helga’s fierce gaze softened just a little, her grip on Esme loosening. But Esme’s smirk remained, her eyes glinting with that same prideful look, silently demanding praise, as if to say, Go on, admit it. Tell her how great I am.