Chapter 103
Author’s POV
Aiden’s sudden appearance had clearly shattered Liam’s little fantasy.
It also delivered a stinging slap to both Anne and Madison’s faces. Madison had been annoyed that Aria insisted on staying, but she’d thought Aria was just bluffing about her husband coming. She figured they could watch Aria make a fool of herself when no one showed up.
But within minutes, there was Aiden Carter in the flesh!
While Aiden and Aria leaved, the three stood there with their own complicated emotions, Lillian was practically glowing with satisfaction.
She was just about to throw out another cutting remark when a young man in a well- tailored suit approached them with an umbrella. “Excuse me, are you Miss Lillian, Mrs. Carter’s friend p>
Lillian was momentarily thrown off, staring at the man for two seconds before nodding. “Yes, that’s me. What is it p>
“I’m Lucas Grant, Mr. Carter’s executive assistant. Mr. Carter asked me to ensure you get home safely in this downpour. Taxis are quite difficult to find in this weather p>
Lucas’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was clear enough for Madison and Anne to hear every word.
Lillian’s face lit up with triumph as she turned to Anne. “Well, looks like I’ll be heading out now. Enjoy waiting here in the rain p>
She glanced at Lucas. “Mr. Grant, shall we go? Thank you for coming p>
After taking a few steps, Lillian paused and turned back to face Anne. “You know, it’s interesting that Mr. White and Ms. Reynolds claim to be so close, yet I don’t see him sending anyone to help his girlfriend’s best friend. Hmm p>
“Oh, I almost forgot some couples only pretend to be in love for show. Others don’t need to pretend at all. Anyone with eyes can see the difference p>
With Aria gone, Lillian had to pick up the slack. She looked at Lucas with a meaningful glance. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Grant p>
She gave him a subtle look, hoping the assistant would catch her drift.
Lucas smiled smoothly, following Lillian’s lead. “You’re absolutely right, Miss. Just like Mr. and Mrs. Carter p>
Lillian nearly gave Lucas a high-five right then and there, but managed to restrain herself in front of Madison and the others.
Finally, she curved her lips into a mocking smile, glancing at Anne before letting her gaze linger on Madison’s face for a telling moment.
“Well, I’m off, Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Anne. Mr. Grant is a busy man, and I’d hate to waste any more of his time! Bye-bye p>
Lillian waved casually before walking away with Lucas, thoroughly satisfied with herself.
The information bomb Lillian had dropped was too much for the onlookers to miss. They immediately understood what was happening.
Madison’s face had turned an ugly shade of green at Lillian’s remarks.
Anne didn’t look much better. Lillian’s words had hit her right where it hurt.
It was true-both were best friends to different women. But while Aria’s best friend was getting an escort from the executive assistant, Anne, as Madison’s supposed best friend, hadn’t received so much as a second glance from Liam.
Without comparison, there might not have been any pain. Despite Anne’s desperate attempts to convince herself the situations were different, she couldn’t help feeling resentful toward Liam, and by extension, toward Madison as well.
“Mr. White,” Anne said with bitter sarcasm, “Miss Jones has already been picked up by her husband. Why are you still standing here? Are you hoping she’ll come back for you p>
Her double meaning was crystal clear. Liam’s face turned a sickly pale.
“Anne!” Madison frowned.
Anne just scoffed and turned away, refusing to look at Madison anymore.
Madison felt the tension building inside her, but with so many people watching, she had to swallow her frustration. “Liam, let’s go home p>
Liam gave a curt nod and walked out into the rain with his umbrella, completely ignoring whether Madison was following or not.
Madison hurried after him, grabbing his arm to squeeze under the umbrella’s protection.
“I thought the first guy was handsome,” someone in the crowd commented, “but after seeing the second one, the first seems pretty average p>
“And look at this couple-the guy’s holding the umbrella but not even paying attention to his girlfriend. She’s getting soaked! That first couple was so sweet. She literally ran into
armist He was so ready
to catch her! And did you see how he tilted the umbrella completely to her side? I got it all on video p>
By some unfortunate coincidence, these comments reached Madison’s ears perfectly clearly. She froze, her face turning cold with humiliation.
She swore to herself: this wouldn’t end here.
Alia would pay for this sooner or later.
Aria’s POV
As we drove away from the mall, I couldn’t help but peek at Aiden from the corner of my eye. His profile was sharp against the rain-streaked window, his expression unreadable as he focused on his phone.
“Thank you,” I said softly, breaking the silence between us.
He glanced up briefly, dark eyes meeting mine. “For what p>
“For showing up. For playing along p>
The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly. “You seemed desperate p>
I laughed despite myself. “Was it that obvious p>
“Only to me,” he replied, his voice dropping an octave lower.
The way he said it made my stomach flip. There was something intimate about the way he’d said “only to me,” as though we shared a secret language no one else could understand.
When we arrived home, I hurried to my room to change out of my damp clothes. Just as I was towel-drying my hair, my phone buzzed with a message from Lillian.
“OMG girl, you missed the best part! Call me NOW p>
Curious, I immediately dialed her number. Lillian picked up on the first ring.
“Aria! You won’t believe what happened after you left!” Lillian’s voice was practically vibrating with excitement.
“What? Tell me everything p>
“First of all, your dramatic exit with Mr. Carter was EPIC. Everyone was talking about it. Some girls even recorded it on their phones! They were all saying how romantic it was—the way you ran to him and how he held you p>
I felt my cheeks heating up. “Oh God, that’s embarrassing p>
“No, it was perfect! You should’ve seen Thomas’s face—he looked like he’d been slapped! And that’s not even the best part p>
Lillian paused dramatically, and I could practically see her grinning through the phone.
“After you guys left, Madison tried to recover by acting all lovey-dovey with Thomas, but he was completely distracted. He kept staring at door where you’d walked out! Then and this is the kicker-Anne
you two putting on a show, and some random woman in the crowd actually turned around and told her to shut up p>
made some catty.com for
“What? Seriously p>
“Yes! This lady was like, ‘I saw the whole thing and that was genuine. Some men know how to treat a
woman right, unlike this guy whonet
can’t even hold an umbrella properly. Everyone started laughing, and Madison was so humiliated she practically dragged Thomas out into the rain p>
I couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image. “No way p>
“Way! And then a bunch of women started comparing you two as couples. Someone actually said they thought Thomas was hot until they saw your husband, and then Thomas looked ‘basic’ in comparison p>
Lillian’s impression of the gossipy woman was so spot-on I burst out laughing. “Oh, and get this-someone recorded a video comparing how Thomas barely covered Madison with his umbrella while Mr. Carter tilted his completely to your side. It’s already making rounds in our social circle p>
As Lillian continued filling me in on every juicy detail, I felt a strange mix of vindication and relief. For once, I wasn’t the object of pity or gossip-I was envied. When I finally hung up, I sat on my bed, smiling to myself. The rain continued to patter against my window, but somehow the sound felt comforting now.
Who would have thought that my fake marriage would give me the most real triumph I’d felt in a long time?(Of course… it’s not fake anymore p>