Chapter 54
Aria’s POV
I quickly looked away, trying hard not to focus on this “detail,” but knowing I was the culprit behind that mark made it impossible to ignore.
When Aiden unbuttoned his second button, I couldn’t hold back anymore: “Your neck… didn’t we cover that mark this morning p>
Aiden glanced down at the mark on his left neck, looking completely unbothered as he raised his eyes to mine. “I sweated, and it got smudged p>
“Smudged?” I questioned skeptically.
The concealer I’d used was waterproof and sweat-proof! So was the foundation and the setting powder!
How could it have smudged?
To be honest, I didn’t quite believe him.
Aiden gave me a casual glance. “Is there a problem p>
“Hmm, don’t use that brand again then p>
Aiden looked so composed without a trace of guilt that I didn’t dare push further. After all, if I did, we’d have to talk about what happened last night, and I definitely wasn’t ready for that conversation.
Aiden sat down on the white sofa, leaning back casually. He looked up at me, his gaze lingering as he asked offhandedly: “The ten million. Why didn’t you take it p>
I blinked at him, genuinely confused. “Because… we have a contract? I thought that was obvious p>
“It was just a gift from my aunt,” he said with a casual shrug, as if ten million dollars was pocket change. “Why not take free money when it’s offered p>
“A gift?” I laughed incredulously. “She wanted me to divorce you p>
“Details,” he waved his hand dismissively, and I couldn’t tell if he was joking.
Before I could respond, Lucy appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is ready, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter p>
I stood up too quickly, my foot turning awkwardly beneath me. A sharp pain shot through my ankle-I’d twisted it. I grabbed the piano to keep from falling.
In one swift movement, Aiden was beside me, his arm wrapping around my waist. “Your ankle’s hurt p>
“It’s fine, I just—” I began, but before I could finish, he’d scooped me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
“Aiden!” I gasped, completely caught off guard. “What are you doing p>
“Helping you downstairs,” he replied matter-of-factly, as if carrying me was the most normal thing in the world.
As he turned toward the door, my phone slipped from my grasp, clattering to the floor. “My phone!” I cried, instinctively reaching for it and shifting in his arms.
The sudden movement brought my face inches from his. I froze, suddenly aware of how close we were close enough that I could feel his breath on my skin, see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes. My heart hammered in my chest.
Then, as if in slow motion, my lips accidentally brushed against his cheek as I turned my head. It wasn’t even a proper kiss-just the lightest touch-but heat instantly flooded my face.
“S-sorry,” I stammered, mortified.
Aiden’s expression didn’t change, as if he hadn’t even noticed. “Your phone,” he reminded me calmly, squatting down so I could reach it.
Still flustered, I stretched my arm out and grabbed my phone from the floor. Just as I picked it up, the screen lit up with a new message from Lillian:
“ASK AIDEN FOR YOUR TEN MILLION DOLLARS COMPENSATION! What do you have to lose p>
My stomach dropped as I realized Aiden could clearly see the message. His eyes flickered to the screen, then back to my face, one eyebrow raised.
“Ten million dollars?” he asked, the hint of amusement in his voice making my embarrassment complete. “Are you that upset about missing out on ten million?” “I—it’s not-Lillian was just—” I spluttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
He just adjusted his grip on me and continued walking toward the dining room, seemingly unbothered by my weight or my mortification.
As we entered the dining room, Lucy’s eyes widened at the sight of Aiden carrying
me.
“Oh my!” Lucy beamed at us, clearly delighted by the display. “It’s so wonderful to see such a loving marriage p>
If I thought I couldn’t be more embarrassed, I was wrong. I forced a smile, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
As soon as Lucy left, the awkward silence between us felt suffocating. I kept my head down, chewing on a piece of steak, debating whether I should explain to Aiden that the whole “compensation” thing was just a joke between me and Lillian.
But Aiden didn’t seem bothered by it at all. If I deliberately brought it up now,
wouldn’t he think I was actually hinting at wanting money?
Lost in thought, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. The piece of steak slid
to the side of my mouth, and I accidentally bit down hard on my tongue.
“Ow!” I hissed in pain, tears springing to my eyes instantly.
Before I could even react, I felt fingers gently but firmly gripping my cheek. Somehow, Aiden had gotten up and moved to my side without me noticing.
“Spit it out,” he instructed calmly.
I quickly did as he said, mortified as I spit the piece of steak into my napkin.
His hand released my face, and he passed me a glass of water. “Where did you bite yourself p>
“My tongue,” I mumbled, feeling like a complete idiot.
“What were you thinking about so intensely?” he asked, watching me with those penetrating eyes.
I took a sip of water, wincing as it touched my injured tongue. Without thinking, I blurted out, “The billion dollars p>
The moment the words left my mouth, I froze in horror.
I swear I’m not usually like this! My brain must be completely scrambled by all this talk of millions and billions.
I glanced nervously at Aiden. “I didn’t mean… that’s not what I p>
He lifted his gaze to mine briefly, then said in a neutral tone, “I know. Finish your dinner p>
“Right,” I agreed quickly, grateful for the reprieve.
After embarrassing myself multiple times in the span of a few minutes, I decided to focus entirely on the food.
Lucy had outdone herself lunch-the filet mignon was perfectly cooked, the lobster bisque was rich and flavorful, and the chilled cucumber gazpacho was refreshing in this hot weather.
Everything was delicious, and I was genuinely enjoying the meal despite my embarrassment.
I noticed Aiden set down his utensils quite early. I looked up at him, surprised. “You’re done already p>
How could someone his size eat so little?
“Yes,” he replied simply, taking a sip of his soup. “I need to make a call p>
“Oh, okay,” I nodded.
After Aiden left the table, I felt more at ease and started helping myself to more food.
But as I looked across the table, I realized something odd-almost all the dishes
had been eaten by me. Aiden had barely touched the main courses.
He’d drunk plenty of the soup and finished his bread, but the entrées were
practically untouched on his side.
Did he not like the food? That seemed strange considering how amazing everything
tasted.