Chapter 237
Aria’s POV
I felt a rush of satisfaction after sending that text to Sophia. Looking at my phone
with a smirk, I thought how criminal it would be not to share this moment of triumph with Lillian.
Without hesitation, I took a screenshot and sent it to her.
“Lil, check out what I just sent to Sophia!” I typed, attaching the image.
Lillian must have just gotten back to her hotel room when my message came through. I could practically hear her cackling through her reply.
“HAHAHAHA! Has she responded yet? This must be absolutely killing her! I bet Sophia’s going to be depressed all day! HAHAHA p>
She followed up immediately: “Aria, when did you get so clever? That comeback was perfect p>
I grinned, typing back: “I was just scrolling through T r when I remembered her text. Figured I should reply – I’m a polite person after all, and ignoring messages is rude, right p>
I was still basking in the knowledge that Sophia was probably fuming right now when I felt Aiden’s presence behind me. He leaned over the couch, his familiar sandalwood scent enveloping me as he brought his face close to mine.
“What’s got you so happy?” he asked, his deep voice sending pleasant vibrations through me.
I turned to meet his dark eyes, feeling a flutter in my stomach. “Nothing much. Just chatting about today’s events,” I said, hesitating briefly before adding, “I checked T r too. Some of the comments are pretty funny p>
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Trending, are we p>
I pressed my lips together, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Yeah p>
Aiden hadn’t checked his phone much today. He opened his messages, and I noticed several notifications from Ethan that he’d silenced. As he scrolled through, I caught glimpses of T r screenshots related to me.
From 10:30 AM:
Ethan: Dude, you’re trending! No way Aria won’t find out now.
Ethan: [Screenshot.jpg]
From 12:30 PM:
Ethan: Damn, you two know how to play! This morning people were lamenting how true love doesn’t exist in high society, and now you’re force-feeding them romance! [Screenshot.jpg]
Ethan: Gotta admit, Aria is fucking brilliant! Three trending topics all about her! You guys either don’t show off at all or you break the internet! [KickingAwayDogFood.jpg]
Aiden skimmed through them before closing the app and opening T r. As he was logging in, he glanced at me and caught me looking.
“Sophia bought those trending spots?” he asked.
I hadn’t meant to spy, but my eyes had caught Ethan’s messages when Aiden opened them. I quickly looked away, but not before seeing some of what Ethan had written.
His question about Sophia caught me off guard. “How did you know p>
He let out a low chuckle. “We’re not celebrities. Things don’t trend without someone paying for it p>
I could read between the lines. Sophia probably wanted to create drama, embarrass me, make Aiden and me fight, and eventually split us up so she could swoop in. Too bad for her that she miscalculated so badly. I wasn’t some placeholder or second choice. I’d always been Aiden’s first choice.
I looked up at him, blinking. “I mean, how did you immediately think of her? Out of everyone p>
Aiden made a soft clicking sound with his tongue, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Isn’t she the one who told you about my supposed ‘first love p>
My cheeks flushed hot under his intense gaze. I had to look away. “Is that right? I barely remember p>
He laughed. “Then Mrs. Carter has quite the selective memory p>
Just as I was struggling to respond, a knock at the door saved me.
Aiden glanced toward it. “Dinner’s here. I’ll get it p>
I nodded, watching his broad back as he walked away. I exhaled deeply, then
headed to the bathroom to wash my hands.
Aiden had ordered all my favorites
for dinner. My stomach growled audibly as the delicious aromas hit
me Fe only had coconut water earlier to stave off hunger.
“Go ahead and start,” he said, handing me chopsticks but not sitting down himself.
“Aren’t you eating?” I asked reflexively.
“I will. Just need to reply to some messages first p>
“Oh, okay,” I nodded. Even on Sundays, the CEO was always busy.
Aiden spent a few minutes on his phone before joining me at the table.
I took a spoonful of soup, savoring the rich flavor. “This soup is amazing, but careful it’s really hot p>
“Noted,” he replied, taking a sip himself.
I was too hungry to make much conversation, focusing on my food instead. I always
ate in small, careful bites, but I wasn’t particularly slow.
Aiden watched me eat, seeming to enjoy his meal more just from observing me.
water
By the time we finished, night had fallen completely outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Aiden handed me a glass of warm which Daccepted gratefully. As took a sip, I suddenly remembered tomorrow was Monday..net
“Are we not going home tonight?” I asked.
It wasn’t terribly late—just after
eight. The
train would
get us back to the city in about an hour and ten minutes, putting us home around ten. fo
“We’ll head back tomorrow,” he replied simply.
I nodded. “Did you bring luggage p>
“Yes, it’s in my room p>
His answer surprised me. “You booked a separate room p>
Aiden looked down at me, amusement playing on his lips. “Of course. What if Mrs. Carter refused to take me in p>
I felt my face heat up and stared down at my water, muttering, “As if I would p>
I bit the rim of my glass thoughtfully. “Isn’t your room going to waste then p>
Knowing Aiden, he definitely hadn’t booked just any standard room.
Looking at my single room suddenly made me feel like we were missing out. “What
if we went to your room instead p>
Aiden didn’t hesitate. “Whatever my wife wants p>
I pushed my glass into his hands. “Wait here, I’ll pack my stuff p>
I dashed off to collect my toiletries from the bathroom. Aiden watched me with a
smile, taking a sip of water from my glass.
I didn’t have much to pack—just grabbed everything and stuffed it into my suitcase, snapping it shut. Moving rooms wasn’t a big deal.
“Aiden, I’m ready!” I called out.
Just as I finished speaking, my phone vibrated with a message. I glanced down to
see a text from Lillian:
“Your husband really knows how to show off! 666 [Jealous.jpg p>