Chapter 11 New Beginning
Aria’s POV
My apartment felt brighter tonight than it had in weeks. Scrolling through my phone alongside Lillian, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of vindication as we read comment after comment supporting me and eviscerating Sophia.
“Oh my god, look at this one!” Lillian thrust her phone in my face, nearly spilling her wine in excitement. She thrust her phone at me, and I scrolled through dozens of scathing comments:
“Sophia Clarke went from ‘poor fragile thing’ to ‘homewrecking witch’ real quick!”
“Anyone notice how her ‘anxiety attacks’ always happen when Liam needs to choose between her and Aria?”
“Imagine being so pathetic you need to steal someone else’s fiancé ON THEIR WEDDING DAY!”
I couldn’t help the satisfaction that bloomed in my chest. “This is… wow. I never thought I’d say this, but social media can be beautiful sometimes.”
“This isn’t just social media magic,” Lillian pointed out, refilling our glasses. “It’s the Carter effect. The moment Aiden’s company confirmed your marriage, it was like the whole world suddenly remembered you were the victim in all this. I swear that man must have a team of PR ninjas.”
She wasn’t wrong. The timing of Aiden’s official announcement had been perfect-strategic even. What I’d done impulsively, he had leveraged masterfully.
“I owe him for this,” I admitted, surprising myself with the sincerity in my voice.
Lillian’s perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. “Well, well. A few hours ago you were calling him a manipulative ass, and now you’re singing his praises? Interesting development.”
“It’s not like that,” I protested, though without much conviction. “I just… appreciate a well-executed plan. He didn’t have to play along with my impulsive post, but he did. And he did it brilliantly.”
“Maybe he’s enjoying this revenge plot more than he’s letting on,” Lillian suggested. “Stealing Liam White’s fiancée right from under his nose? That’s got to be satisfying after years of business rivalry.”
I considered this possibility. There was something in Aiden’s voice during our call-a hint of pleasure, perhaps?- when he mentioned White Enterprises’ stock dropping.
“Well, either way, I need to make sure I don’t mess this up when I meet his grandmother,” I said, suddenly feeling determined. “I should get her something. A gift.”
“Shopping!” Lillian clapped her hands together. “I’m absolutely coming with you.’
“No lingerie stores,” I warned.
“Why not?” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Come on, Aria. You’re legally married to one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. You’d be crazy not to at least consider the possibilities.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly strained something. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m practical,” she corrected, leaning forward conspiratorially. “And this one,” she pointed at a particularly revealing black lace ensemble on my screen, “screams ‘I’m your wife now, deal with it.””
Despite my best efforts, I found myself thinking back to that morning in my living room, when he’d knelt before me to examine my injured ankle. The way his strong hands had carefully cradled my foot, his touch firm yet gentle as his fingers traced along my skin. In my wine-loosened imagination, those same hands were now moving
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higher, sliding up my calf, past my knee, his eyes darkening as they held mine…
“Oh my God,” Lillian gasped, breaking into my thoughts. “You’re actually thinking about it!”
I blinked rapidly. “What? No, I’m not!”
“Yes, you are! You’ve got that glazed-over look. What were you just imagining? Aiden Carter carrying you over the threshold? Peeling off his perfectly tailored suit?”
“I was not-”
“Your face is redder than that wine we’re drinking,” she cackled.
I rolled my eyes and was about to retort when Martha, my housekeeper, appeared in the doorway.
“Miss Aria, I apologize for the interruption, but Mr. White is at the door. He’s quite insistent on seeing you.”
Lillian and I exchanged looks of disbelief.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered. “Is there a full moon tonight or something?”
“Miss?” Martha prompted, her usually stoic expression betraying a hint of concern.
I squared my shoulders, finding strength in the wine. “Please inform Mr. White that I’m not available. Now or ever.
“Very good, Miss.” Martha nodded, a small, approving smile playing at her lips before she disappeared back down the hall.
“That felt good,” I admitted, taking another sip of wine.
Lillian raised her glass in salute. “Pride looks good on you, bestie.”
A few minutes later, we heard the distant sound of rain beginning to patter against the windows. It quickly escalated into a downpour.
Martha reappeared, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Mr. White refuses to leave, Miss. He’s standing in the rain without an umbrella, saying he won’t go until you speak with him.”
Lillian snorted. “Going for the dramatic romance novel approach, is he? Let him drown.”
“Martha,” I said, surprised by how calm I felt, “please tell security that Mr. White is trespassing and needs to be escorted off the property.”
“With pleasure, Miss,” Martha replied, not bothering to hide her satisfaction as she went to make the call. 1
Lillian clinked her glass against mine again. “That’s my girl. Let him stand there getting soaked like the drowned
rat he is.”
I leaned back against the cushions, feeling an unexpected sense of peace wash over me. “You know what’s strange? A month ago, I would have run to the door the moment I heard he was here. Now… I just don’t care.”
“That, my friend,” Lillian said with a knowing smile, “is what we call growth. And it looks damn good on you.”
She raised her glass. “Cheers. To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings.”I smiled, lifting mine to meet hers.
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Liam’s POV
The rain pelted down mercilessly as I stood outside Aria’s building, water running down my face and soaking through my expensive suit. I could see the doorman watching me with thinly veiled contempt, occasionally speaking into his radio-no doubt reporting on the pathetic spectacle I was making of myself.
The downpour only got worse, blurring the streetlights and drenching me to the bone. After several more minutes of standing there like an idiot, I finally gave in and turned back toward the car.
Defeated, I slid into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me as water dripped from my hair onto the leather interior.
I glanced down at my phone, only to find a long list of missed calls and unread messages-none from her. I ignored them all and immediately tried calling Aria.
But the call didn’t go through.
I realized with a jolt that she had blocked my number. The finality of that simple action hit harder than I expected.
Then a new notification flashed across my screen.
White Group stock plunges nearly 7% after Carter Enterprises confirms marriage.
My stomach clenched.
Our company’s stock had indeed plummeted nearly 7% ?! Not just a personal humiliation, then, but a professional disaster as well.
I drove home in a daze, my mind racing. This had to be some elaborate scheme. Aria wouldn’t-couldn’t-have moved on so quickly. And to Carter, of all people! The man had been trying to crush my family’s company for
years.
When I walked into the foyer, the atmosphere hit me like a physical force. Silence, heavy and oppressive. Until my father’s voice cut through it.
“Are you satisfied now?” he asked, his tone deadly quiet as he hurled his teacup against the wall near my feet. Porcelain shattered across the marble floor. “Twenty years of friendship with Benjamin Jones, destroyed. The east side property-lost to Carter Enterprises. Our stock in freefall. All because you couldn’t keep it in your pants!”
“Father, I can explain-”
“Explain?” My mother’s voice trembled with fury as she emerged from the sitting room. “How will you explain that you cast aside a respectable young woman for that-that manipulative little actress? Do you have any idea what people are saying about our family now?”
“Sophia is unwell-”
“Unwell?” Mother’s laugh was bitter. “Every time she needs to get her way, she’s conveniently ‘unwell.’ I’ve seen her type before.”
My sister Emily leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Just like the type Dad cheated with when we were kids. Funny how history repeats itself.”
“Elizabeth!” Mother snapped, though her face showed the old pain.
“What?” Emily shrugged. “I’m just pointing out that men in this family have a weakness for women who cry on
command.”
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“Enough!” Father shouted. Turning back to me, his voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Fix this. I don’t care how. If Aria Jones wants to come back to you, we will welcome her with open arms. The wedding can be rescheduled, bigger and more lavish than before.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “She’s married, Father. To Aiden Carter.”
“A marriage of convenience, no doubt,” Mother said dismissively. “A reactionary decision made out of hurt and anger. She loved you for twelve years, Liam. Those feelings don’t simply vanish.”
Emily snorted. “Good luck with that. You think she wants anything to do with us now? She upgraded in every possible way.”
“Emily, if you don’t have anything helpful to say, be quiet!” Father glared at her, and she merely shrugged before walking away.
Father’s eyes narrowed. “See that you do. Because if Carter’s merger with the Jones property goes through while you’re still mooning over that sick girl, you can forget about your position in this family’s company.”
I stood there, water dripping from my clothes onto the floor, feeling everything crumble around me.
“I’ll try to speak with her,” I promised, though my stomach twisted with dread. “I’ll make this right.”
I used to know how to reach her. I used to be the one she ran to. But now… Emily’s parting words echoed in my mind, and doubt crept in like a slow, rising tide.
A knot of anxiety twisted in my gut-would she even take the out I was offering?
Would she still choose me?
And why did it feel like she was already slipping away?
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