Chapter 159 Interrogation
Right now, in Aria's little home.
The soft clinking of dishes mixed with Jasper's chatter, filling the room with a warm, homey feeling.
The little guy held his bowl, his cheeks puffed out full, mumbling, "Mommy's mac and cheese is a hundred times better than restaurant food!"
Aria laughed, reaching up to wipe the cheese from the corner of his mouth. "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
She barely ate anything herself, her eyes constantly drifting to her son. Watching him so healthy and lively, she felt that all the running around and hardships since returning home had been worth it.
After dinner, Jasper obediently went to the living room to play with his Legos. Aria finished cleaning up the dishes and sat in the wicker chair on the balcony, the evening breeze carrying a slight chill as it lifted her hair.
She took out her phone and looked at Lance's message saying he'd arranged for people to keep an eye on the flower shop. Her heart warmed a little.
She really owed Lance too much. Whether it was before when she was abroad, or now back home, he'd always looked out for her. Without his care, many of her paths would have been much harder to walk.
Aria couldn't help but think of Arthur. Looking at how he'd changed from the past, she only felt it was laughable. Back when she'd given him her whole heart, he didn't know how to cherish it. Now that she didn't want to anymore, he was sticking to her like a band-aid.
What a mess!
Seeing Arthur like this now, she'd be lying if she said it didn't affect her. But now, she was scared. She didn't dare easily give away her heart anymore. All she wanted now was to stay with Jasper, stay with Serenity Blooms Studio, and live peacefully.
As for Arthur, she didn't want any more involvement with him.
But she knew clearly in her heart that Arthur's appearance, and Rachel's trouble-making today, were just the beginning.
She let out a soft sigh, her fingertips rubbing the armrest of the wicker chair, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
She'd never been someone who could be pushed around. Leaving five years ago was unavoidable, but now that she was back, she'd protect her child and her life's work. If anyone dared to provoke her, she'd face them head-on.
"Mommy, look at the castle I built!"
Jasper ran to the balcony holding up his finished Lego castle, his little face full of pride.
Aria immediately pushed away her thoughts and put on a gentle smile, reaching out to take the castle. "Our Jasper is so amazing, you built it so well."
The little guy snuggled up beside her, nestling in her arms, his small hands hugging her waist. "Mommy, later Jasper will make lots and lots of money, buy you a big big flower shop, buy lots and lots of pretty flowers, and protect Mommy so bad aunties can't bully you."
His innocent words were like a small pebble dropped into Aria's heart, creating gentle ripples.
She lowered her head and planted a soft kiss on her son's forehead. "Okay, Mommy's waiting for Jasper to protect her."
Night deepened, and lights in the neighborhood came on one by one, illuminating the mother and son inside the window, warm and peaceful.
The Grant family villa.
Only a warm yellow crystal lamp lit the living room, its light falling on the polished marble floor, but unable to dispel the heavy atmosphere filling the room.
When Arthur pushed open the door, Sophie was sitting on the sofa flipping through a fashion magazine. Hearing the sound, she looked up with a gentle smile, got up to greet him, and reached out to take his coat. "Arthur, you're back."
Since the last incident, Sophie rarely acted this way around Arthur anymore.
Her fingertips had just touched his sleeve when Arthur stepped aside to avoid her. That distant coldness made Sophie's hand freeze in mid-air, panic flashing quickly through her eyes before she covered it up. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Arthur ignored her words and walked straight to sit on the sofa, crossing his long legs, the cold air around him almost freezing the surrounding atmosphere.
He looked up, his gaze falling coldly on Sophie without a trace of warmth. "The west side project - you were involved."
Not a question, but a definite statement.
Sophie's heart sank heavily. Her fingertips gripped the magazine tightly, but her face still pretended confusion. She frowned and walked to sit across from him. "Arthur, what are you talking about? After last time, I haven't touched any company matters. Are you mistaken?"
Her tone was innocent, her eyes clear. If it were anyone else, they might have been fooled by this act.
But watching her pretend not to know, Arthur only felt it was incredibly ironic. A cold sneer curved his lips. "Sophie, do you think I'm an idiot?"
Arthur's cold sneer was like ice shards hitting the air. Sophie's fingertips gripping the magazine turned white, the panic in her eyes deepening, but she still forced herself to look innocent. "Arthur, I really haven't touched the west side project. If you don't believe me, you can investigate. I haven't even stepped foot in the company these past few days."
"Investigate?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow and threw the documents William had sent onto the coffee table. Papers scattered, clearly showing Sophie's distant relative's signature and the shell company's transaction records. "Isn't this enough to explain things? You thought arranging a distant relative in the project team and switching to an unknown supplier would go unnoticed?"
Sophie's eyes swept over those pages, her face instantly draining of all color. Her lips moved but she couldn't get out a single word of defense.
Arthur looked at her like this, the disappointment in his eyes almost overflowing. His tone was cold and hard with bone-chilling mockery. "Sophie, how did you become like this?"
His voice dropped a bit, carrying a trace of past memories but without any warmth. "When you saved me back then, your eyes were clear, your character straightforward. Though you had your own interests, you still kept your boundaries. But now? For a bit of power that doesn't belong to you, you scheme and manipulate, even thinking of crooked ways to pocket company money. Look at yourself - what have you become?"
Like a clown, like a vulgar person blinded by desire, no longer the girl who'd earned his gratitude back then.
These words were like a sharp knife stabbing into Sophie's heart. She jerked her head up, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling with grievance. "I became like this - isn't it because you forced me to? Arthur, I've been married to you for five years, staying in this empty villa, being Mrs. Grant in name only. When have you ever really looked at me? Your heart has always only had Aria!"
Arthur cut off her words, the coldness in his tone even sharper. "I remembered the life-saving favor from back then, let you into the Grant family, gave you the honor of being Mrs. Grant, let you live without worry - I've done more than enough.
You haven't remembered any of the boundaries you should keep, but you've gotten involved in every scheme you shouldn't!"
"I just wanted you to look at me more, wanted to have a foothold in the Grant family. Is that wrong?"
Sophie raised her voice, her eyes churning with unwillingness and resentment. "Aria could stay in your heart for five years, why can't I? She just left, and you remember her goodness. I've been by your side for five years, but you won't give me even half a bit of warmth!"