Chapter 8 Crisp Revenge
The cold, sticky liquid instantly soaked through her suit jacket and dress.
Her clothes clung tightly to her skin, and Aria looked utterly disheveled.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! Ms. Hall, I really didn't mean to!"
Sophie had just steadied herself, panic still written all over her face.
She quickly set down her glass and grabbed tissues, reaching to wipe Aria's clothes.
"Oh my, look at your outfit, what are we going to do?"
"How can you meet clients looking like this? It's all my fault, I'm so clumsy."
"Arthur just reminded me to be careful too. This is so embarrassing. Ms. Hall won't blame me, will she?"
Her words were apologetic, but there was a hint of amusement in her tone.
The commotion attracted quite a few stares.
Seeing Aria's disheveled state, people began pointing and whispering, their expressions varied.
Aria felt a buzzing in her head.
Being embarrassed in public was one thing, but with her clothes like this, how could she meet the client?!
"It's fine." Aria took a breath. "Director Smith didn't mean it, I understand."
Sophie seemed surprised she was being so reasonable and paused for a moment.
"But what are you going to do? You can't meet clients looking so messy!"
"Should I have the driver buy you new clothes? Though I don't know what size Ms. Hall wears. Your underwear must be wet too, right?"
Her earlier words had carried some remorse, but now every word dripped with obvious malice.
Aria felt anger surge through her.
Just then, a male voice came from the other side.
"Sophie, what happened?"
Aria's body stiffened. She didn't turn around.
Arthur walked over with long strides, his brow slightly furrowed.
He was dressed casually, his outfit matching Sophie's like a couple's set—many of the details and styles were identical.
Aria turned her face away.
Even though she kept telling herself not to care, still...
Sophie acted as if she'd found her protector and took half a step toward him.
Her tone was coquettish as she playfully hit his shoulder.
"Arthur, this is all your fault for leaving me here alone. Now look what happened—I accidentally spilled wine on Ms. Hall."
"This is bad. Ms. Hall still has to meet a client! I think I've messed things up."
The intimacy in her words was undisguised. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were the married couple.
"This is my fault too? Come on, it's just a little accident. Don't blame yourself too much."
Arthur's gaze lingered on Aria's soaked clothes for only a second before his brow furrowed.
"Aria, how long until you meet the client? I'll have someone buy you new clothes. Sophie didn't mean it."
Who was the intimate partner and who was the outsider—anyone with eyes could tell.
Aria felt the cold wine seep through her clothes and flow straight into her heart, freezing her fingertips numb.
She lowered her eyes, avoiding Arthur's gaze and hiding the bitterness welling up inside.
When she looked up again, only calm detachment remained on her face.
"No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Grant."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "I'll handle it myself."
She picked up the drink she'd just ordered and poured it directly over Sophie's head.
"Sorry, Director Smith. My hand slipped."
Sophie was stunned.
The sticky juice ran down her carefully styled curls.
It took her a moment to react before she let out a shriek.
Her coquettish expression shattered instantly, and she forgot all about being elegant and pretty.
She screamed, "Are you out of your mind?!"
Then frantically grabbed tissues to wipe herself.
Arthur clearly hadn't expected Aria to retaliate so directly. He immediately frowned, stepped in front of Sophie, his tone stern. "Aria, what are you doing?!"
Aria set down the empty glass, raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed.
"Didn't I just say? My hand slipped, just like Director Smith's did earlier. Or do you think her accident was unintentional, but my slip was deliberate?"
"Or is it that Sophie's allowed to be careless, but I'm not allowed to slip? Isn't this double standard a bit too obvious?"
Arthur was momentarily speechless—he wasn't an idiot and could clearly hear that Aria was saying Sophie had done it on purpose. "You're just making excuses!"
Sophie finally recovered, saying to Arthur with a sob in her voice.
"Look at her! I apologized sincerely, and she treats me like this! This dress is the one you brought me from Italy last time..."
"Enough!" Arthur cut her off, his voice somewhat cold and hard.
Making such a scene in public was really unseemly.
He glanced at the time, then looked at Aria. "Go clean yourself up first. As for the client..."
"I already said, my business is none of Mr. Grant's concern."
Aria didn't want to stay any longer. Even breathing felt nauseating.
In the end, she still went to meet the client in her stained clothes.
Fortunately, the other party only teased her a bit and didn't say much. The contract was signed smoothly.
When she walked out of the hotel, dusk was approaching.
Aria let out a breath. Her lower abdomen ached faintly, and her stomach felt empty and queasy.
She called a car, planning to return to her apartment.
The car had just started when her phone rang—an unknown number.
She hesitated, then answered, "Hello?"
"It's me." Arthur's voice came through the receiver, emotionless.
Aria remembered she'd blocked his number last time.
If he was calling from a different number, it couldn't be good news.
"If this is about this afternoon, I think I already apologized for my slip."
There was two seconds of silence on the other end. Arthur seemed to take a breath.
"It's not about that. Where are you?"
"Reporting to Mr. Grant, on my way home." She answered sarcastically.
"Don't go home yet. I'll come pick you up. I need to talk to you."
Aria frowned. "Can't you say it over the phone?"
"In person." Arthur added, "It's about our agreement."
The agreement? Did he mean their marriage relationship with only three months left?
Oh no, now it was two months and fifteen days.
But Arthur's tone was serious. It must be important.
Aria tiredly rubbed her temples, apologized to the driver, and asked him to take her back.
"I'll go back to the hotel from earlier. Come there."
Twenty minutes later, Aria met Arthur in the room where she'd just finished her business meeting.
He looked much more irritated than he had that afternoon.
"Have a seat." She pointed to the seat across from her.
Arthur looked at her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes, his expression shifting slightly. "How were your test results last time?"
"Fine. Get to the point. I'm tired and want to go home and rest."
Arthur sighed softly. "My mother is back from Switzerland. She arrived this afternoon. She doesn't know we're getting divorced."
Aria froze.
Arthur's mother had been in poor health for years and had been recuperating in Switzerland.
They rarely met, so Aria knew little about her.
However, from what she remembered, she had been fairly accepting of her as a daughter-in-law.
"So? What about it?" Aria asked.