Chapter 25
A R I A N A
I walked into Melendez Corp the next morning with my head held high, but my stomach twisted in knots, I didn’t miss the whispers started before I even reached the elevator.
“She’s here p>
“Slept with both Russo men p>
“Gold-digger p>
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms, annoyance building up, I didn’t want to cause a scene or give them the satisfaction.
The elevator ride to my office felt endless, every second, I imagined more people talking, more blogs popping up, more humiliation.
I barely got enough sleep last night.
They didn’t know what happened.
They don’t know the full story yet they’re so fast to jump into conclusion.
I opened the doors to my office and, Raya was waiting, her face lit up with excitement.
“Ariana! Have you checked online?” she asked, practically bouncing on her toes.
I shook my head, I hadn’t dared look since yesterday.
“All the posts are gone!” Raya grabbed my arm, pulling me into my office. “Every single one! And guess what? Dante Russo’s lawyers sent cease-and-desist letters to every gossip site in the city p>
My mouth fell open. “What p>
Raya shoved her phone in my face. “Look! The blog I sent you yesterday? Gone, the Twitter threads? Deleted and even the Instagram comments were wiped clean p>
I took the phone with shaking hands, she was right, there had been hundreds of cruel posts yesterday, now there was nothing just error messages and deleted accounts.
A warm feeling spread through my chest.
Dante had done this.
But why?
“He also sued three blogs for defamation,” Raya continued, grinning. “They’re calling it the ’Russo Purge’ online, no one dares say your name now p>
I sat down heavily in my chair, trying to process this.
Dante had protected me.
Publicly.
But we weren’t really married not in the ways that mattered this was supposed to be business, so why go to such lengths?
Or did he do it cause of his name? His reputation.
Surely it’s cause of that, he wouldn’t possibly do this for me, it had to be for his selfish reasons.
Raya tilted her head. “You okay? I thought you’d be happy p>
“I am,” I said slowly. “I just…don’t understand why he did it p>
Raya rolled her eyes. “Because you’re his wife, dummy p>
But as she left my office, I couldn’t shake the question lingering in my mind:
Was I just his wife on paper?
Or was I becoming something more?
Definitely more.
I was still sitting at my desk, staring at Raya’s phone in shock, when the door to my office burst open.
No knock.
At first I thought it was Angelo cause he has a habit of doing that nowadays.
Bella stood there, her perfectly manicured hands on her hips, a cruel smile twisting her lips.
“Well, well,” she purred, stepping inside like she owned the place. “Looks like someone’s husband is cleaning up her mess p>
Raya immediately stepped between us, her back stiff. “You need to leave p>
Bella ignored her, her cold eyes locked on me. “Those blog posts you saw? That was just the beginning, sweetheart, there’s so much more coming your way p>
My hands clenched into fists under my desk. “Get out of my office, Bella I will not have you come in here and insult me”
She laughed high, fake sound that made my skin crawl. “Or what? You’ll run to Dante again?” She leaned closer, her perfume choking me. “You think he can protect you from everything? You’re bluffing. If you think you can make Angelo’s life miserable then think again”
Raya shoved Bella back. “That’s enough! You’re just jealous because Ariana moved on while you’re stuck with a cheating loser! You’re nothing but a piece of crap! She trusted you but… you’re so disgusting”
Bella’s face turned red with rage. “You bitch!” She lunged at Raya, but I jumped up, grabbing her arm.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” I snapped.
Bella yanked her arm free, her eyes burning with hate. “You ruined everything! Angelo was mine first! You stole him, then tossed him aside for his richer uncle p>
The lies hit me like a slap. “You slept with my husband behind my back!” I shouted. “You destroyed our friendship p>
Bella’s smile turned vicious. “And I’ll destroy your life too, piece by piece, starting with making sure everyone knows what a lying, gold-digging whore you really are p>
Raya stepped forward again, her voice shaking with anger. “Get out before I call security p>
Bella didn’t move. Just stared at me, her chest rising and falling fast. “This isn’t over, Ariana. You think Dante loves you? You think he cares?” She snorted. “Wait until he finds out the truth about you p>
My blood ran cold. “What truth p>
But Bella just turned on her heel and strutted out, her final words hanging in the air like poison.
“You’ll see p>
The door slammed behind her.
Raya immediately rounded on me. “What was she talking about? What truth p>
I sank back into my chair, my legs weak. “I don’t know p>
But that was a lie.
Because deep down, I feared Bella knew something, something that have worked so hard to hide away, and if anyone was to find out, it’d ruin me
And if Dante found out p>
I didn’t even want to think about what he’d do.