Chapter 220
Aria’s POV
I gripped my phone tighter as Nana’s message popped up: “I’ll start making arrangements! Time to clear up all those nasty rumors once and for all p>
During my second year after bursting onto the jet ski racing scene, my refusal to show my face had sparked some truly ridiculous gossip in the circuit.
The claims that I was “hideously ugly” were actually the tamer insults.
The more outrageous rumors suggested I was actually a man who couldn’t qualify in the men’s division, so I’d switched to the women’s competitions to steal the spotlight. According to them, I refused to show my face to avoid the backlash when I was “exposed p>
Seriously? The organizers obviously verified my gender before allowing me to compete in the women’s division. But people who resented my success were numerous, and somehow even these brain-dead accusations found believers.
They were so relentless because they knew they could get away with it-I’d never shown my face to prove them wrong.
Well, all that bullshit was about to crumble now that I’d finally agreed to a public appearance.
Nana’s excitement radiated through her next message: “OMG I’M SO EXCITED JJ!!! We’re finally going to shut those idiots up!” followed by a dancing gif.
I felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Go ahead and set it up,” I texted back.
Honestly, I’d never really cared about those rumors. I simply loved jet skiing-loved the rush of controlling something powerful across the water’s surface. Piano playing was too peaceful; I needed something that made my blood pump.
As for what others thought? Whatever. Besides Nana and my close friends, no one knew JJ’s real identity anyway.
Reading Nana’s enthusiasm made me question if I’d been too passive about it all. Maybe I had.
My phone vibrated again with Nana’s message: “Won’t bother you anymore JJ! Going to get everything ready! Ahhhh so excited p>
I sent back a quick emoji before switching to Lillian’s chat. She’d sent me a screenshot that made my stomach drop.
It was a gossip headline: “World-Famous CEO Sends Million-Dollar Jet Ski to His Secret Crush ‘JJ’ Despite Being Married p>
Jesus Christ.
I quickly typed back, and Lillian responded immediately: “Does your husband know you’re JJ now p>
“I haven’t touched a jet ski since getting married I replied truthfully.
Lillian: “MY HUSBAND’S SECRET CRUSH IS ACTUALLY ME’ LMAO I’M DYING HERE BABE p>
I couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“I… didn’t see this coming,” I admitted.
Lillian: “Surprised? Shocked? Happy p>
I paused before answering. I wasn’t exactly surprised-more like stunned. And yes, there was definitely a tiny flutter of happiness.
If the jet ski was meant for me, then Diana’s claims about “Aiden’s secret crush” were complete bullshit. I’d been racing jet skis for years-if Aiden had really been crushing on JJ, wouldn’t he have figured out my identity by now?
More importantly, this was the first gift he’d ever sent to my other identity. That had to mean genuine admiration, right?
Diana was clearly delusional.
Lillian sent another message: “This trending topic is weird, Aria. Do you think Diana might be pulling strings behind this p>
Aiden and I weren’t celebrities or
influencers why the hell would we suddenly trend? And this whole “secret crush” narrative no one except Diana had ever mentioned it, before. No one else would have the
nerve to publicly insinuate such things about Aiden Carter.
I twisted my lips in disgust. Diana was truly pathetic.
Did she actually think buying this trending topic would upset me? Well, if I hadn’t
been JJ, seeing this would have hurt like hell.
While I was still scrolling through T r, Lillian sent more screenshots: “Look at
these comments. I’ll literally do a headstand on livestream if these aren’t paid trolls p>
The screenshots showed several top comments mocking me. The one with the most likes read: “Tsk tsk, so there WAS true love in that rushed marriage-just not for his wifel But hey Mrs Carter’s still winning with that rich husband, right p>
The trending topic was climbing fast, with the top three comments all taking nasty jabs at Aiden’s and my recent public displays of affection.
Some rational users did question the narrative:
“Wait, with Aiden Carter’s status and wealth, who could possibly force him to marry someone he didn’t want to p>
“He’s a grown man in his thirties. Are we supposed to believe someone forced him to show affection to his wife p>
But those reasonable comments quickly got buried. People loved drama and preferred believing the worst—that my marriage to Aiden was a sham and I didn’t deserve the happiness I had.
When Aiden bought that trending
topic to celebrate my birthday a
while back, it had triggered a lot of jealousy. Now this new trending topic exposed, our marriage as fake, People eagerly embraced the narrative that I was just Aiden’s marriage prop while he pursued his true love, JJ.
According to them, his grand gestures of affection toward me were just attempts to make JJ jealous. And now that JJ hadn’t responded, he’d escalated to sending million-dollar gifts to win JJ over.
As for my feelings? According to the comments, Aiden clearly didn’t give a damn.
I scrolled through comments for about ten minutes before closing the app. The creative storytelling abilities of internet strangers never ceased to amaze me.
If I weren’t actually JJ, reading those comments might have made me question my entire marriage.
Thank god I was JJ.
My phone rang suddenly, displaying an unfamiliar number. Somehow, I knew instantly it was Diana calling. I let it ring, watching the screen with narrowed eyes.
Just before it would have gone to voicemail, I answered casually, “Hello, this is Aria p>
“Mrs. Carter, it’s me.” Diana’s voice slithered through the speaker.
Called it.
I made a small noise of acknowledgment. “What can I help you with, Ms. Hayes p>
She didn’t need to explain why she was calling. After buying that trending topic, she was obviously eager to gauge my reaction, to see if her little scheme had worked. Too bad for her. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction.