Chapter 38
Author’s POV
Julian’s eyes narrowed at the lipstick stain on Aiden’s collar. The bright red mark was practically screaming what had happened between the Carters on their way here.
He knew Aiden was deliberately flaunting it—a silent declaration of territory.
“Quite an entrance you two made tonight,” Julian commented, his gaze moving pointedly from Aiden’s collar to Aria’s slightly smudged lipstick. “Traffic must have been… distracting p>
Aria’s face burned crimson. She couldn’t believe Julian would say something like that, making it sound like she and Aiden had actually been doing something intimate.
This was just an accident, for heaven’s sake.
She cleared her throat. “The menu looks wonderful tonight. Shall we order p>
Once everyone was seated, the waiter began bringing out course after course of exquisite dishes. Aria was surprised when Aiden reached over, placing a generous portion of salmon on her plate.
“Try this,” he said, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “It’s excellent p>
She nodded, taking a small bite. Before she could finish, Aiden was adding roasted vegetables to her plate.
“And these. They pair perfectly p>
Several people in the private room froze for a beat, their gazes darting toward each other in silent astonishment.
Aiden Carter, serving someone else food? When had anyone ever seen that?
While everyone knew Aria and Aiden’s marriage certificate was legitimate, Aria was still a woman who’d been left at the altar just recently.
Regardless of who was at fault, her reputation had suffered. Then she’d immediately married Aiden Carter – everyone understood why.
She was just a convenient shield for him, nothing more.
But now, Aiden was serving food to his “shield p>
This revelation made the Ellis executives suddenly nervous, their eyes shifting to regard Aria with newfound respect and caution.
Aria remained oblivious to these shifting dynamics. All she knew was that she was uncomfortably full.
Each time she managed to make progress on her food, Aiden would add more prime rib or roasted vegetables or another Yorkshire pudding to her plate.
Finally unable to bear it anymore, she turned to him. “Aiden, could I ask you something p>
Perhaps from being overstuffed, her eyes were slightly watery as she looked at him pleadingly.
“Yes?” he responded, his voice softer than usual. Something about her watery eyes made him want to reach out and brush away any potential tears.
“Could you please stop giving me more food p>
At this point, she was the only one still eating. She wasn’t a bottomless pit – she couldn’t handle being fed like this!
Aiden put down his chopsticks. “Too full?” he asked, suddenly realizing he’d been so focused on making a point to Julian that he hadn’t noticed her discomfort.
“A little,” she admitted.
Aria wondered if Aiden was somehow channeling his irritation with Julian toward her, but he looked genuinely clueless about her discomfort.
She regretted not speaking up sooner.
She just hated wasting food and instinctively tried to finish whatever was in her bowl. Several times she had nearly cleared her plate, only for Aiden to immediately refill it p>
Aiden set down his chopsticks and, seeing she was still eating, asked, “Didn’t you say you’re full p>
“There’s still so much left,” she said, hating the waste.
Aiden simply took her bowl and placed it in front of himself. “Stop eating p>
He then asked someone to bring apple cider vinegar for her digestion, making Aria’s face burn crimson.
Now everyone at the table knew she’d eaten too much, making her look gluttonous.
Julian, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly looked up and grinned at her. “Overeaten p>
If they weren’t in public, Aria would have buried her face in her hands. How mortifying!
Hearing Julian’s comment, Aiden, who had been eating from Aria’s bowl, suddenly looked up.
He put down his chopsticks, no longer eating, and placed his hand possessively on the back of Aria’s chair.
His fingers brushed against her back almost imperceptibly, but the touch sent electricity down her spine. Aiden’s jaw clenched as he stared at Julian, his eyes communicating a clear message: back off.
Julian raised an eyebrow and nudged his manager beside him. “Do you have any digestive tablets p>
The manager gave Julian a warning glare but still took out some tablets and had them passed to Aria.
Aria, deciding to embrace the embarrassment, accepted them graciously. “Thank you p>
Aiden’s expression darkened noticeably.
The thought of Julian providing anything for Aria’s comfort irritated him in a way he wasn’t prepared to examine too closely.
He felt an irrational urge to throw the tablets away and order his own from the best pharmacy in the city.
The brand manager, holding the contract, glanced nervously at Aiden before gathering his courage to speak. “Mr. Carter, we can sign the contract now p>
Aiden barely lifted his gaze, showing no intention of taking the document. “Fine. Sign it p>
The manager swallowed his question about whether Aiden wanted to review it first, quickly signing his own name before passing it to Julian’s manager.
Julian’s manager took the contract and had Julian sign it.
Julian finally tore his gaze away from Aria and Aiden, signing his name on the document.
With the contract signed, the dinner meeting was officially concluded.
Both parties exchanged a few polite pleasantries before Julian and his manager took their leave.
Only Aria, Aiden, the brand manager, and Mark remained in the private room.
The brand manager and Mark exchanged a glance, both silently agreeing to remain invisible and unobtrusive.
Aria felt too uncomfortable to stay seated. Wanting an escape, she suggested, “Shall we go too p>
Aiden glanced at her without directly answering her question. “Still feeling stuffed?” Aria’s face immediately flushed hot. “Not anymore p>
Of all the things to bring up, he had to choose that—was he trying to make her lose face on purpose?
Aria glared at Aiden, the look so unexpectedly spirited that he found himself momentarily captivated. Something about her indignation struck him as oddly endearing.
Catching sight of the two brand managers still lingering nearby, Aiden frowned slightly in annoyance. “Why are you two still here p>
Both men stiffened instantly, hurriedly rising to their feet. “We’ll be going now, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter p>
Aria still wasn’t accustomed to being addressed as “Mrs. Carter,” and she felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. Nevertheless, she maintained her composure externally, forcing a polite smile. “Alright, goodbye p>
Once outside the private room, both the brand managers exhaled deeply in relief.
Meanwhile, Julian had barely entered the car when his manager Mark started lecturing him. “Have you lost your mind? Aiden Carter deliberately brought Aria with him today—wasn’t his message clear enough? And you had to ask me for digestive tablets! Now I’m the one who needs digestive tablets from the stress p>
When Julian had asked for the tablets, Aiden’s gaze had been sharp enough to cut through steel.
Julian chuckled softly. “Didn’t you notice p>
Mark was still clutching his chest, clearly shaken by the evening’s tension. “Notice what p>
“Those two… they’re oddly formal with each other p>
Despite Aiden’s numerous intimate gestures, Aria’s stiffness had been obvious. The two were clearly not on the same wavelength.
Mark had just taken a sip of water, immediately choked. “I don’t know what’s going
on between Mr. and Mrs. Carter, but I do know that Aiden Carter could destroy your career more easily than stepping on an ant p>
Mark’s words were perhaps too harsh.
But Aiden Carter’s capital wasn’t ordinary capital. If Julian truly provoked him, things wouldn’t end well.
Julian pulled a tissue from a packet and handed it to his manager. “Look how frightened you are. I wasn’t planning anything p>
Mark grabbed the tissue, but finding it insufficient, snatched the entire packet from Julian’s hands.
“You’d better not try anything! If you do, I’ll strangle you myself before we both go
down together p>
“It won’t come to that, relax p>
His manager snorted coldly. “Just stay away from Aria p>
Julian clicked his tongue. “How is that ‘provoking p>
“Cut the nonchalance and take this seriously p>
Julian’s smile faded as he gazed out the window, falling silent.
Stay away? That simply wouldn’t do.