Chapter 258
Aria’s POV
As we left the restaurant, Lillian couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Were they messing with us?” she fumed, her face flushed with anger. “They sounded so reasonable on the phone, but then face-to-face they basically accused us of extortion p>
“Do I look like I need their pathetic money?” I snapped, my hand clenching around my purse strap. “Extortion? Really? Is my middle-of-the-night emergency room visit only worth a thousand dollars to them p>
The medical expenses had exceeded a thousand because Lillian had called an ambulance and I’d been rushed to the emergency room.
Meanwhile, Aiden had taken me to the hospital separately for additional tests, though I hadn’t stayed in the ER, which came to about seven or eight hundred dollars. Add our meal cost of several hundred, and the restaurant’s total compensation offer didn’t even reach twenty-five hundred dollars.
That was their idea of taking responsibility.
While I wasn’t as visibly angry as Lillian, I felt the restaurant manager had played us for fools. “I’m going to have Aiden connect me with a lawyer,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
My schedule was relatively light for the rest of the year anyway. I had plenty of time to deal with this bullshit.
Lillian took a deep breath, her shoulders finally relaxing slightly. “No matter what they say next time, I’m not accepting any settlement p>
“Want to get some coffee? Maybe some dessert?” I suggested.
Lillian had taken the entire afternoon off for this meeting, just to lose several hundred dollars for nothing.
I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Come on, stop fuming. Let’s get something sweet p>
We picked a coffee shop with elegant décor and had just settled into our seats when
my phone buzzed with a message from Aiden: *How did it go p>
I hadn’t been that upset before, but seeing his concern made all my frustration bubble up: *It went terribly. They accused us of extortion p>
Aiden typed for a moment before responding: *Then don’t negotiate. I’ll contact a lawyer. We’ll sue them p>
*That’s exactly what we’re planning*, I replied.
Lillian had ordered a cappuccino while I was messaging Aiden. Noticing me on my phone, she correctly guessed what I was doing and ordered me a latte.
I put my phone down to find her watching me with a knowing look.
“I was just asking Aiden about borrowing a lawyer,” I admitted, feeling a slight warmth in my cheeks.
Everyone knew Carter Group’s legal team was legendarily successful.
For once, Lillian didn’t tease me about Aiden. “Their lawyers are absolute killers,” she agreed with a firm nod. “Let’s see the restaurant act tough when they’re facing that kind of firepower p>
After coffee, we went our separate ways. Lillian had dinner plans with colleagues, and I planned to discuss the restaurant situation with Aiden over dinner.
When I arrived home at our estate, it was still early. I changed into something more comfortable—a soft cashmere sweater and leggings-then spent two hours practicing piano in the music room.
Around six in the evening, I heard the purr of a car engine.
I instinctively glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me but couldn’t see
anything. The music room overlooked the garden, not the driveway.
Within moments, I heard movement at the entryway.
I grabbed a tissue to wipe orange juice from my fingers.
The door opened as Aiden stepped in, changed from his dress shoes to house shoes, and walked toward me.
Looking at the last orange slice on the table, I picked it up. As Aiden approached, I stood and held the slice to his lips. “It’s so sweet,” I said softly.
Aiden opened his mouth, taking the orange slice between his teeth. His arm slid around my waist as he sat on the couch, pulling me down beside him.
I watched him swallow the orange and raised my eyebrows questioningly. “Sweet, right p>
“Very sweet,” he murmured.
His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face. “So what exactly happened at the restaurant p>
I pulled out my phone. “I recorded everything p>
Aiden took my phone and played the recording.
It wasn’t very long-less than ten minutes.
When it finished, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously.
Just then, Nanny approached us. “Mr. and Mrs. Carter, dinner is ready p>
Aiden glanced down at me. “Let’s eat first p>
“Mmm, okay,” I agreed.
This minor issue hardly worried me. Compared to this, I had a more important international performance next week.
But that evening, everything blew up.
Lillian had just finished dinner with her colleagues and was scrolling through social media on her way home when she came across a video from the restaurant. After watching it, her hands literally shook with rage as she forwarded it to me.
Nit
I had just stepped out of the shower when I saw Lillian’s message. Thinking it might
be something amusing, I clicked play—and immediately realized something was very wrong:
“Hey everyone! Since we’re a small establishment with limited staff, we want to apologize to any customers we may have accidentally offended. I believe there are more good people than bad in this world, so we’ve been trying to stay positive about the recent accusations from competitors claiming our food safety standards are subpar. But today, we discovered the situation isn’t as simple as we thought… or perhaps not as complicated p>
What followed was an edited clip that, despite blurring our faces, I immediately recognized as Lillian and me.
The restaurant was using this maliciously edited video to imply that all our complaints were just a scheme to extort a few thousand dollars in compensation.
The comments section was flooded with people calling us shameless gold-diggers willing to do anything for a quick payout.
The restaurant had clearly paid for exposure. By the time I found the original video, it already had over ten thousand shares.
I felt my blood boil, but kept my head. Instead of reacting publicly, I first recorded the video on my phone, then took screenshots of all the shares, comments, and the restaurant’s manipulative responses.
Just as I finished, Lillian sent several more messages.
Lillian: [Screenshot.jpg] [Screenshot.jpg]
Lillian: Unbelievable, Aria! Look! These shameless bastards even bought fake
commenters! This has blown up on T r!
Lillian: I’m absolutely FURIOUS!
I frowned at the screen: *Save screenshots of the comments and trending rankings -we’ll need them for the lawsuit p>
Lillian, seeing my point: *You’re right! I won’t stop until they’re begging for mercy p>
The situation had escalated far beyond a simple food safety dispute.
I logged into T r with my alternate account and found the story trending at number eighteen.
Not at the very top, but generating plenty of comments.
Just then, Aiden walked in, noticing my furrowed brow. “What’s wrong?” he asked,
voice deepening with concern.
I immediately handed him my phone. “They’re being absolutely horrible!” I complained, my voice rising with an unintentional whine I didn’t even realize I was
using.
Aiden’s gaze lingered on me for a moment. Fresh from the shower, my face was still flushed and warm.
I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard before sitting beside me and
taking my phone. “Let me see p>
“Mmm,” I murmured, not wanting to interrupt him.
I sat silently biting my lip while he watched the three-minute video.
When he finished, Aiden reached over and stroked my hair gently. “How do you
want to handle this, Aria p>
I looked up at him. “This has to be
defamation right? They violated our right to privacy. They blurred our
faces but someone in the comments removed the blur, and now Lillian and I have been fully exposed p>
Aiden’s brows creased visibly at this information. “I’ll contact Lucas and have him
arrange for legal counsel first thing tomorrow p>
“Okay,” I nodded.
I hesitated before adding, “This has already spread all over T r p>
Just as I finished speaking, another message from Lillian popped up: *Holy shit, the
restaurant just posted unblurred photos of us p>