Chapter 160 Confrontation
"What she has, you could never match. And your little schemes? I don't even want to look at them."
Arthur's voice was ice-cold, each word cutting deep.
"Arthur, can you honestly say that with a clear conscience? Where was all this appreciation during your three years of marriage with her? You had to wait until she left to say these things? Arthur, you are absolutely pathetic!"
Sophie had worked herself into a fury, pointing straight at Arthur as she laid into him.
She'd been holding these words back for a long time, swallowing them down for one reason or another. Today, she finally had her chance to let it all out.
Arthur's expression darkened at that. Sophie throwing this in his face was like ripping open everything he'd kept buried inside. His jaw tightened slightly, and his voice dropped to a cold, hard edge.
"Whether I'm pathetic or not isn't for you to decide. But let me make one thing clear — stay away from Aria. If I find out you're going after her again, your days as Mrs. Grant are over."
Arthur paused, then continued.
"And the West Side project — pull every person you planted out of that team. Every cent that was pocketed gets paid back in full. Do that, and we're done with this."
A flicker of hope crossed Sophie's eyes. She was about to speak, but Arthur's next words shut her down cold.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, locked onto her. "But if you're still holding out, thinking you can get away with it — forget the Mrs. Grant title. Even that debt you think I owe you for saving my life? I can wipe that clean too. Everything you've taken from the Grant family gets handed back, every last bit of it. You won't be walking away with anything."
He had never been a soft man. He'd put up with her out of old loyalty, but that loyalty had always had a limit.
Sophie froze under his stare, a chill running through her whole body. She didn't dare say a single word back. All she could do was bite down hard on her lip while tears blurred her vision.
She never thought Arthur would actually throw away the debt of saving his life. Was he really willing to go this far — all for Aria?
Arthur looked at her and felt nothing. Not even a trace of pity. Just disgust.
He stood up, straightened his jacket, and said flatly, "First thing tomorrow morning, have your cousin wire the money back to the company account. If it's not there, I'm handing this straight to the legal team."
With that, he didn't spare her another glance. He turned and walked upstairs, leaving behind nothing but a cold, rigid back and a chill that hung in the air long after he was gone.
In the living room, Sophie sank into the sofa, staring at the scattered papers around her. The tears finally spilled over — but there wasn't a trace of regret in her eyes. Only deep, bitter resentment and a refusal to let it go.
It was all because of Aria. She left five years ago — so why did she have to come back? Why did Arthur have to threaten her over that woman?
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Everything Aria owed her — she was going to take it back, piece by piece.
Upstairs in the study, Arthur pushed open the window. The evening breeze drifted in, but it did nothing to ease the restlessness in his chest.
He knew the warning tonight had only bought him time. Knowing Sophie, she would never let this go quietly.
Going forward, he'd have to be more careful — to keep Aria and their child safe, to make sure neither of them got hurt again.
Meanwhile, at Aria's place, the living room lights had long gone dark. Only a small nightlight glowed in the bedroom.
Jasper was curled up beside her, sleeping soundly, his little brow smooth and relaxed. Aria gently patted his back, her eyes soft with warmth.
She had no idea about the confrontation happening at the Grant family villa. The night felt quiet and still, and all she wanted was for things to stay this way — calm, simple, undisturbed.
But deep down, she knew that was wishful thinking. Whatever trouble was coming would come, one way or another. And she was already ready for it.
The next morning, the first thin rays of sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and fell across Aria's pillow. She woke first, looking over at Jasper still fast asleep beside her — little hands curled up against his cheek, long lashes fluttering softly. She couldn't help reaching out to gently brush the hair from his forehead.
She got up quietly and made breakfast. Just as she set the fried egg and milk on the table, Jasper came shuffling out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes, his small sleepy voice calling out, "Morning, Mommy."
"Good morning, Jasper. Go wash up and come eat."
Aria smiled and waved him over, watching his little feet patter toward the bathroom, her expression full of quiet warmth.
After breakfast, she dropped Jasper off at kindergarten and headed to Serenity Blooms Studio. Lance had already arrived before her.
He was sorting through a fresh delivery of flowers when she walked in. He looked up and said, "Morning. Rough night? You've got some shadows under your eyes."
"I'm fine. Just a small thing."
Aria rolled up her sleeves and took the scissors from his hand, starting to trim the roses. "You're the CEO of Gray Corporation. Don't you think your employees might have something to say about you showing up here every day?"
Lance smiled, completely unbothered. "Bosses hire employees to make money. What the boss does with his own time is his own business."
Aria shook her head at his logic. "Did you check all the new stock?"
"All checked. The champagne roses and lisianthus came in this morning — everything looks great."
Lance answered, then shifted gears. "That woman who came in causing trouble yesterday — her name's Rachel Morgan. I had someone keep an eye on her. After she left here, she went straight back to the office. Word is Arthur gave her a serious talking-to. She's been quiet since."
Aria's hand paused for just a moment, then kept moving. "Leave her be," she said evenly. "As long as she doesn't come back here making a scene, don't bother with her."
She didn't want to waste any more energy on the people in Arthur's life. Serenity Blooms Studio was something she had built herself. All she wanted was to run it steadily, for Jasper's sake.
Over at Grant Corporation's executive office, William stood with a slight bow, delivering his report. "Mr. Grant, Miss Smith has had her relative transfer the full amount back to the company account. The staff she placed on the West Side project have all been removed, and the new suppliers are already onboarded. We can get the timeline back on track."
Arthur sat behind his desk, fingers tapping lightly on the surface, eyes on the documents in front of him. He gave a quiet "mm," then said, "Keep watching Sophie. Report anything she does, the moment it happens. And Rachel — dock three months of her performance bonus and transfer her to the back-office support team. Keep her away from anything core."
"Understood."
William hesitated, then ventured, "Mr. Grant, Rachel has been with you for some time. Moving her to back-office support might be a bit..."
"She went after Aria. She takes the consequences." Arthur's tone cooled by a degree, his expression unreadable. "Moving her to back-office is already letting her off easy. If she pulls anything again, she's out."
William said nothing more and stepped back out of the room.
Honestly, this punishment was already on the light side. If it weren't for the fact that Rachel looked so much like Aria, she would have been fired on the spot — no transfer, no second chance. He could only hope she had enough sense not to try anything else.