Chapter 151
Aria’s POV
I clutched the roses Claire had given me, suddenly realizing I’d been standing dumbstruck at the door for several minutes. Embarrassment washed over me as I hurried back inside the house.
Thank God no one else saw me zoning out like an idiot!
After arranging the enormous bouquet in a vase, I finally checked those screenshots Lillian had sent. Elena Pierce’s studio had issued a clarification thirty minutes ago: She’d returned to the country last night and coincidentally met her old friend Aiden Carter at the hotel. Unfortunately, she’d fallen ill, and Aiden had rushed her to the hospital. They apologized for any misunderstandings.
Before Elena’s statement, Aiden’s company had already posted their own explanation: “Our CEO Mr. Carter merely happened to encounter Ms. Pierce at the Pearl Grand Hotel last evening. Contrary to online rumors, he did not specifically go to the airport to meet her. When Ms. Pierce suddenly fell ill, Mr. Carter took her to seek medical attention, which lasted until late night. This was not the alleged ‘late- night date’ being circulated online p>
The company then tagged several media accounts with legal notices. Just like that, the whole Aiden-Elena situation was cleared up.
Those self-appointed online journalists who’d stirred up the mob quickly backed down after receiving the legal threats.
As for the rumors about me and Julian’s “Valentine’s Day date,” once Lillian and Wei Dong stepped forward with explanations and that photo of Lillian with Julian, those speculations collapsed too.
I thought the drama was over, but then some “industry insider” posted my
Valentine’s Day social media post to the trending topic. Suddenly, the rumors about trouble in my marriage to Aiden completely reversed.
“I expected a plot twist, but not THIS kind of twist! Single people taking massive emotional damage right now p>
“AHHH! Even if it’s belated couple content, it’s still so sweet! Anyone who says Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter are just putting on an act can fight me p>
“Would that ‘industry insider’ care to explain themselves? This couple posted lovey photos on Valentine’s Day and you maliciously claimed they were separating p>
“Am I the only one noticing how intense Mr. Carter looks in that photo in Mrs. Carter’s post p>
“You’re not alone! That photo looks like it was taken right before… things got steamy (No disrespect, Mrs. Carter, I only have admiration for your husband, nothing more p>
I was completely stunned by this sudden turn of events. I immediately texted Lillian: “Did you post that screenshot on f k p>
Lillian: “Wasn’t me! Though I wanted to, someone beat me to it p>
If not Lillian, maybe Claire?
I sent her a message: “Miss Bennett, was it you who posted the screenshot of my Valentine’s Day post on f k p>
Claire, who had just gotten home, replied: “! Let me check what’s happening p>
So not Claire either.
Could it have been Julian? Unlikely he would’ve told me first.
While I was puzzling over who this mysterious “good samaritan” might be, Aiden
was in his study taking a call from Lucas.
“Mr. Grant?” I could hear his deep voice from down the hall.
“Sir, I’ve arranged for the screenshot to be posted as you instructed, and the trending topic is now in place,” Lucas reported.
Aiden browsed something on his tablet. “Good. Have you identified who was behind this incident p>
“Yes, it was Mr. Gu’s fiancée, Madison Reynolds. Would you like me to take any action p>
Aiden tapped his finger once on the desk as he read the comments. “Not yet. I want to see what she’s planning p>
I’d asked everyone I could think of, but no one claimed responsibility for posting the screenshot. Eventually, I gave up trying to figure out who did it. After all… it wasn’t exactly a bad thing, was it?
Though I didn’t want to admit it, I felt a little smug satisfaction inside.
When Aiden came downstairs, I was sitting with my phone, trying and failing to hide my grin.
He noticed immediately. “Has public opinion shifted?” he asked.
I felt strangely self-conscious and embarrassed. “It has p>
And how it had shifted!
“Is that so?” he said, sitting down beside me.
The cedar scent that always accompanied him drifted over, making me curl my fingers nervously.
I watched as he slowly took out his phone, and I shifted my legs uncomfortably. God, I wanted to run away.
Aiden opened f k and glanced at me. “Have you seen it p>
22 Mex
“Yes, I have. I’m going to get water. Would you like some, Mr. Carter?” I was desperate for an escape from watching couple
goals” content with Aiden himself.
He gave me a meaningful look. “I’m not thirsty p>
Feeling awkward, I got up to pour myself a glass anyway. After getting my water, I
lingered at the kitchen island, reluctant to return.
“Have you seen the number one trending topic?” he called out.
I shook my head reflexively. “What’s happened? Another twist p>
“Come see for yourself p>
Without thinking much of it, I carried my glass over. “What is it? Which account is
now p>
I froze when my eyes landed on the trending hashtag
#RealCouplesAreTheBestToShip p>
Heat crept up my earlobes and quickly spread across my entire face.
There was no escaping this.
“I, um, I’ve seen it,” I mumbled.
“Really? What’s it about?” he asked.
l.ne
His long finger tapped on the screen, and with our excellent internet speed, the topic loaded instantly The Valentine’s Day photo posted appeared before my eyes again.
“Ah, so that’s it,” he said, raising an eyebrow as he opened the comments section
with its 60,000+ replies.
Just as I was praying he wouldn’t read any comments aloud, his deep voice rumbled next to my ear: “Image 5: Mrs Carter and Mr. Carter look like they’re about to de something NSFW, don’t they p>
This was the top comment with 880,000 likes.
After reading it, Aiden suddenly turned to me. “What does ‘NSFW’ mean p>
My face exploded with color. How was I supposed to answer that?
“Hmm?” he prompted when I remained silent.
I glanced at him nervously, and under his steady gaze, I finally forced myself to
respond: “It means exactly what it sounds like p>
“But I think ‘NSFW’ functions as a verb in this sentence, not a gerund p>
Mr. Carter, this really isn’t the time to analyze grammar.
“You don’t know what it means?” I asked hesitantly.
Aiden looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Perhaps I should ask Lucas p>
As he moved to call his secretary, I quickly pressed my hand over his. “I know what
it means p>
He glanced down at my hand covering his. The softness of my touch seemed to
please him, though I withdrew it quickly.
This was purely educational—I had no ulterior motives!
Aiden watched me expectantly. “I see. So in this context, ‘NSFW’ means ‘making love,’ correct p>
II
How could he say something so blush-inducing with such a cool, detached
expression?