Chapter 98
Aria’s POV
“Because they’re not Aria Jones,” he replied simply.
Holy crap. Did he seriously just say that? The way he said those words felt dangerously close to a confession. My heart skipped several beats before I managed to compose myself.
“I don’t actually like money that much,” I said, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left.
“I know,” Aiden replied.
His dark eyes found mine, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I don’t particularly care for money either. But no one ever complains about having too much, do they p>
I froze, staring into those midnight eyes dancing with amusement. My heartbeat accelerated with each passing second.
God help me. I didn’t want to talk about money with Aiden right now.
I wanted to kiss him.
How could any man look so dangerously tempting when he smiled? He was like a restricted area with warning signs plastered all around—and yet I couldn’t help wanting to cross the line.
When I didn’t respond, Aiden raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking? If you have something on your mind, you can say it p>
Looking at his face-those sharp cheekbones, the perfect jawline, those intense eyes-my brain completely short-circuited. The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
“I don’t want to talk about money right now p>
“What do you want to talk about then p>
“I want to kiss you p>
Oh. My. God. Did those words actually just leave my mouth?
Aiden’s eyes widened slightly, his composure faltering for once. His intense gaze landed directly on my face. “Kiss me p>
My face burned so hot I could have fried eggs on my cheeks. I stood there, my scalp tingling with embarrassment. I was so mortified I could have dug a hole in the floor and built a three-bedroom apartment in it.
I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m joking! Just telling a joke to lighten the mood! Ha ha ha ha… Not funny, huh p>
So. Freaking. Awkward.
I wanted to run.
Just as Aiden leaned toward me-oh god, was he actually going to kiss me?-his phone rang.
Thank whatever higher power existed for that interruption.
“I just remembered something I need to do,” I blurted out before he could even speak. I turned and practically sprinted up the stairs.
Back in my room, I face-planted into my pillow. Thinking about my verbal diarrhea made me want to sew my own mouth shut.
I rolled around on the bed a couple times before my thoughts turned to Claire’s check. I pulled it from beside my pillow, staring at the number. I’d counted the zeros wrong the first time because there were just so many of them.
Thirty million dollars!
I wondered if I was dreaming. How had I suddenly acquired Thirty million dollars?
I couldn’t for the life of me understand what game Claire Bennett was playing.
I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of the check to send to Lillian: *I seriously don’t understand what Claire is thinking. She showed up this morning to thank me, then handed me a check for thirty million DOLLARS! [image.jpg p>
Lillian replied instantly as if she’d been glued to her phone: *OMG! What if-hear me out-Claire’s into YOU, not Aiden p>
I stared at the message: p>
Sorry, but I wasn’t into women!
That check suddenly felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket. At lunch, I decided to bring it up with Aiden.
“Mr. Carter, about Claire’s Thirty million… would you help me return it to her p>
Aiden glanced at the check in my hand. “Why return it? Didn’t you earn it p>
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that Claire was setting some kind of trap.
Aiden gave me a sideways glance. “It is peculiar p>
He paused briefly before continuing nonchalantly, “But she gave you that check herself. Even if she changes her mind, you don’t need to return it. Besides, she hasn’t asked for it back p>
“That’s true, but I’m worried she’s setting me up somehow p>
“Would you give someone Thirty million dollars as part of setting a trap p>
Aiden looked at me, his lips curving into a dangerous smile. “So when does Mrs. Carter plan to set a trap for me p>
I was left speechless. He had a point.
Even though Aiden told me not to worry about the money, I still felt uneasy. I couldn’t help it—I’d never dealt with this kind of wealth before. Thirty million dollars was an enormous sum to me.
Money tempts people.
But as the saying goes, a virtuous person acquires wealth through proper means.
I tucked the check away safely. Thinking about my “Beyond Compare” necklace that had gotten wet last night, I decided to call someone for maintenance.
Before I could make the call, though, someone Aiden had arranged was already at our door. I sighed in relief that necklace wa
expensive that even minor damage
would cost thousands to repair.
Just as I was leaving the study, my phone pinged with a friend request: *I’m Claire Bennett p>
Was she asking for her Thirty million back?
After a moment’s hesitation, I
quickly accepted her request. Oddly enough, she didn’t say anything after being added. Our chat window remained completely blank except for the automated message Youve added Music Note. You can start chatting now p>
I raised an eyebrow, wondering what Claire’s next move would be. Before I could come up with any theories, Lillian sent me a screenshot: *[Screenshot.jpg] What game is Miss Bennett playing now p>
I opened the screenshot and was shocked to see that Claire had posted a public thank-you note on Twitter, even tagging my account.
As the heiress of Bennett Media Empire, Claire had always been active on social media with a substantial following-people called her the “Bennett Princess p>
Her posts typically landed on trending topics.
This one was no exception.
Claire’s post had been up for only two hours and had already reached number six
on the trending list.
Her thank-you note was so heartfelt that I was genuinely touched reading it.
The comments section was surprisingly harmonious-either expressing sympathy
for Claire or praising me.
“OMG! Poor Princess Claire! Just
fnet
from your description, I can feel how desperate and terrified you must have been when you fell into the water Thank goodness Mrs Carters
w so quickly
was there and jumped
to save you p>
to’s
“Wow, Mrs. Carter really is beautiful inside and out! Amazing pianist too! This is definitely the moment to drag that ex-fiancé of hers who left her at the altar p>
“Mrs. Carter saved a life—awesome! Princess Claire publicly expressing gratitude— fantastic! Everyone’s being wonderful here p>
Of course, not all internet users had goldfish memories. Some remembered how Liam had abandoned me at the altar three months ago.
And naturally, as the perpetrator, Liam White was getting dragged through the mud
again.
After checking Twitter, I went back to my messages and saw Lillian’s text: *I genuinely don’t understand what Claire’s doing with all this p>
I replied with a grimace: *Me neither p>
Initially, I’d thought Claire might be trying to make subtle digs at me, but after reading her sincere thank-you note, I felt like I’d misjudged her intentions. What I didn’t know was that Claire hadn’t just publicly thanked me on Twitter-she’d also posted a thank-you message on her Instagram for all our social circle to see.
Her actions left everyone in our circle completely baffled.
Various group chats were buzzing with shock and confusion:
Socialite A: *? Am I hallucinating from my afternoon nap? Did I just see Claire
Bennett formally thanking Aria Jones on Instagram p>
Socialite B: *Your eyes are fine. Claire didn’t just thank her on Instagram-she did it
on Twitter too p>
Socialite A: *Aren’t they supposed to be rivals p>
Socialite A: *WTF! Didn’t Aria push Claire into the pool last night p>
Socialite C: *I’m so confused! Does anyone know what actually happened?* Socialite B: *Did Aiden pressure the Bennett family somehow?* Socialite A: *We’re talking about the BENNETTS… not the CARTERS! The two families are practically equals, and they’re not even in the same industry. What kind of pressure could he apply p>
Socialite D: *The Carter family: I haven’t offended anyone, thank you very much!* Socialite B: *Then there’s only one explanation-Claire is into Aria, not Aiden p>
Socialite A: *You know what, that actually seems plausible p>
Socialite C: *+1*
Socialite D: *+2*
Lillian somehow got screenshots of these conversations and forwarded them to me. After reading them, I could only think: What the hell did I do to deserve this p>