Chapter 229
Aria’s POV
When JJ’s mask fell off, the whole venue erupted in excitement.
The host, after a few seconds of shock, quickly recovered and got back to work.
“My goodness, I never expected our JJ to be such a beautiful woman!” he exclaimed, picking up the mask and handing it to me. “JJ, do you think you still need this mask p>
I felt embarrassed inside, but kept my composure outwardly. Taking the mask from him, I replied confidently, “I don’t think I need it anymore p>
The host bantered with the audience for a bit before continuing with the photo arrangements. My suddenly revealed face had stolen the spotlight from the actual champion of the event.
Even though I wasn’t in the center position, the photographers instinctively made me their focal point. Who could blame them? This was too juicy a moment to pass up.
The event organizers were thrilled with this unexpected development. Their photographers aimed all their lenses at me, working extra hard – today might just help them meet their annual KPIs!
They had been worried about how to trend on social media and attract more attention. Now, with JJ’s mask accidentally falling off to reveal not just any face, but a stunning one at that, they had their trending topic guaranteed.
The media representatives scrambled desperately for an exclusive with me, but I wasn’t concerned about any of that. I just wanted to see if Elaina Pierce was still smirking.
The group photos weren’t even finished when reporters started trying to interview me. Though I wanted to put Elaina in her place, I didn’t want to make things awkward for everyone else.
“Today’s champion isn’t me,” I deflected, pushing forward the young woman who had actually won. “You should interview her instead p>
After the photos, I had barely stepped off the stage when the event’s main coordinator intercepted me. “JJ, you’re not planning to skip today’s lunch event again, are you p>
But my attention wasn’t on the coordinator at all. My gaze had already locked onto the man standing behind him, about twenty feet away. Aiden was watching me steadily with those intense dark eyes of his.
Though I’d anticipated this moment, now that it was actually happening, I felt completely unprepared. My heart raced wildly in my chest.
“I’m sorry, my husband is waiting for me,” I blurted out, gently pushing past the coordinator and hurrying toward Aiden.
“Husband? JJ, when did you get married?” the coordinator called after me, but I was already gone, rushing through the crowd with my trophy clutched tightly.
I threw myself into Aiden’s strong arms the moment I reached him. The coordinator stared after us, suddenly recognizing who Aiden was. Even in business circles, someone like Aiden Thorpe was a rare sight – and now here he was at a jet ski competition!
And what had I just said? That he was my husband?
The coordinator wisely backed off. There was no way she could compete with Aiden for my attention.
Those twenty feet felt like twenty miles as I made my way to Aiden, my heart hammering against my ribs. Only when his arms wrapped around me did I finally feel grounded again.
People surrounded us, and with my mask incident already drawing attention, embracing a man in public sparked immediate cheers and whistles from onlookers. My face burned hot, the blush spreading from my neck upward.
“Don’t be angry,” I whispered, looking up at him nervously. “I’ll explain everything to you, I promise p>
I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go back to my hotel room. There are too many people here to talk properly p>
Aiden glanced at our joined hands, eyebrow slightly raised, but didn’t protest as I led him forward.
A reporter spotted us and rushed over, shoving a microphone in my face. “JJ, who is this? Is he your boyfriend p>
I didn’t really want to answer, but
after glancing back at Aiden’s face, I bit my lip and quickly replied, “Not my boyfriend. My husband.” Then I
pulled Aider into the crowd before the stunned reporter could follow up.
My racing suit and the tall man I was dragging along made us ridiculously easy to
spot. Several more media people tried to intercept us, but I ignored them all.
Finally, we made it back to the hotel
where there were fewer people. In
the elevator, I suddenly realized I
ет
go
was still firmly holding Aiden’s hand. felt embarrassed but didn’t instead, I tightened my grip. He was my husband after all. Holding hands wasn’t illegal!
The elevator arrived at my floor with a soft ding, doors sliding open.
“We’re here,” I said, glancing at Aiden and continuing to hold his hand as we exited.
When we reached my door, I instinctively let go to search for my room key in my backpack. Only then did I notice my backpack was missing.
Wait, what? Where was my backpack? Who stole my backpack?
I looked frantically in all directions, wondering how the backpack that should have
been hanging on my shoulder had mysteriously disappeared.
“Looking for this?” Aiden’s deep voice broke the silence.
I looked up to see my backpack dangling from his hand. I blinked in confusion. “The room key’s inside p>
When had he taken it from me? I hadn’t even noticed.
Feeling flustered, I took the bag and pulled out the keycard, swiping it to unlock the door.
Aiden followed me inside, the door clicking shut behind him. The sound made me shiver inexplicably.
“Would you mind if I shower and change first?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious about my disheveled appearance. “I’m all gross right now p>
Aiden studied me for a moment. “Go ahead p>
After one more glance at him, I grabbed some clean clothes and hurried into the bathroom. It was getting late so I showered quickly, spent about five minutes blow-drying my hair halfway then changed into jeans and a white t-shirt before stepping back out.
Aiden sat on the sofa, looking up as I emerged. “It’s quieter here,” he said. “Has
Mrs. Thorpe figured out her excuse yet p>
My face, which had just returned to a normal color, immediately flushed bright red again at the way he addressed me.
I sat down next to him, placing my hands primly on my lap like a well-behaved schoolgirl. “I didn’t mean to keep secrets from you p>
Aiden looked at me and let out a soft grunt. “Hmm.” His eyes urged me to continue.
But my mind went blank. In a moment of panic, I remembered Lillian’s advice and blurted out, “I mainly wanted to surprise you p>
Aiden fought back a smile. “And where is this surprise p>