Chapter 163

Aria’s POV

I woke up to discover it was already eight o’clock in the morning! The bed was empty except for me―Aiden had gotten up hours ago.

I hurried out of bed and rushed through my morning routine, splashing water on my face before heading downstairs. Not surprisingly, I found Aiden just finishing his swim. Honestly, I couldn’t help but admire how he managed to wake up early and swim after our intense lovemaking last night. The man had stamina that defied logic.

After breakfast, I escaped to the music room under the pretense of practicing piano. Last night had been wild-he’d kept me up until the early hours of the morning. I vaguely remembered him kissing me even when I was half-conscious, whispering “I miss you” against my ear more than once.

For a moment, I truly believed he loved me. But now, fully awake and thinking clearly, I wondered if I was just overthinking things. Real love isn’t that simple. Maybe he just missed my body. Maybe he just missed the pleasure of our time together.

I hummed halfheartedly, slumping over the piano, not really motivated to play.

“Knock knock p>

The door suddenly opened, startling me. I turned to see Aiden already walking in.

“Do you have plans this afternoon?” he asked.

I blinked, surprised by the question. “I’m completely free p>

“Do you know how to ride horses p>

He’d hit on one of my weaknesses. I shook my head honestly. “No, I don’t p>

“That’s fine. I know how to ride,” he said, then explained after a brief pause, “Ryan and the others invited me horseback riding this afternoon. They’re all bringing their partners p>

“Oh, I see,” I nodded, immediately understanding the situation. If everyone else was bringing their girlfriends and wives, he’d look strange showing up without his own wife. People would start whispering about marriage troubles again.

Aiden studied me for a moment. “Keep practicing,” he said before turning and leaving the music room.

I straightened up immediately, lifting the piano cover to actually practice now that I knew we had plans. After about an hour, I checked my phone and saw several messages from Lillian.

Lillian: Girl, come get this gossip! Major drama! [Photo.jpg] [Photo.jpg]

Lillian: I’m dying! Sophia just got engaged to Nathan yesterday, and this morning she’s been photographed in bed with another man! Those two really deserve each other!

I opened the photos and immediately realized how explicit they were. Sophia had been photographed sleeping in bed with some guy! The photos weren’t completely revealing-thank god-but she was clearly naked under the sheets, lying on her side with the blanket pulled up. The man beside her was even more exposed, lying on his stomach with no sheet covering his back.

I quickly clicked away after one glance, replying: She’s wild!

Lillian: You don’t know the half of it! Want to hear how they got these photos?

Me: Tell me everything!

Lillian: Apparently some paparazzi got a tip that a minor celebrity was hooking up with some rich guy. They bribed a housekeeper around 7am, get a key card, and snapped photos white both were still asleep.

Lillian: But the woman wasn’t even the celebrity they were looking for it was Sophia and her lover instead!

Lillian: It was total chaos. The

situation could have been handled quietly, but Sophia smashed the

photographers camera The

paparazzi was so pissed that after finding out she was Nathan’s

fiancée, they sent the photos directly to his family and sold them to

someone in our social circle.

Lillian: These photos are spreading like wildfire! I heard someone even has video,

which is apparently even juicier, but I haven’t seen it.

After reading all that, I couldn’t help but click my tongue. I really thought Sophia was deeply in love with Nathan! Turns out she’s just playing around too.

Me: I thought the same thing!

We gossiped a bit more until I noticed it was already 11 o’clock. I put my phone down and went back to practicing.

At noon, Aiden came up to call me for lunch. As I walked out of the music room toward him, my brain short circuited, and blurted out. “Hey, have you heard the gossip about Sophia p>

Could I please take those words back? Obviously not.

“What gossip?” he asked.

I felt my face heat with embarrassment as I unlocked my phone and showed him

Lillian’s messages. “There are photos too. Do you want to see them p>

“What photos p>

I wanted to slap myself. Why on earth would I offer to show Aiden those kinds of

photos? It was so inappropriate.

“I think they’re gone now. Deleted,” I lied.

But Aiden simply scrolled up a bit. “These ones p>

He clicked on the photo. The man in the picture had an impressive physique. Aiden

looked for only a second before closing it.

“You enjoy looking at these?” His tone was unreadable.

My face burned instantly. “No! It’s not like that! I was just…following the drama p>

Aiden handed my phone back. “Don’t look at these anymore p>

“I won’t, I won’t! They’re not even that good to look at,” I stammered, then added without thinking, “His abs aren’t nearly as nice as yours anyway p>