Chapter 30: You Again

Aria smiled when she saw the expression on Adrian's face. After the news of her fight with Tyler's girlfriend hit the tabloids, her father was furious at her. He had insisted on putting an end to her madness.

To think the man they had chosen to matchmake her with was Adrian... What a joke. This even made things easier for her.

Now she would get to enjoy the company of a fine-looking young man, stay close to Tyler, and frustrate his relationship with that stupid brat he called his girlfriend.

"Hello, Adrian," She said in response to his question as she walked over to hug his mother. The smell of her perfume filled her nose

"I can see there is no need for an introduction as you both know each other," His mother said as she made her way back to her throne seat.

"How are your parents?" She asked, looking at Aria. She had been pleasantly surprised when she had bumped into Governor's wife at the boutique, and she had asked about Adrian and had hinted their daughter was still single. She had immediately made the arrangement. Adrian was subject to her decisions as far as she was concerned.

"They're fine. They sent their regards," She said, smiling sweetly as she turned to face Adrian.

"Can we talk privately?" He asked no one in particular, looking from Adrian to his mother.

His mother gave Adrian a nod of approval as she walked out of the room, excusing them both.

"What is the meaning of this madness?

What are you doing here?" He glared at her angrily. He knew better than anyone else thät she was and had always been in love with Tyler, and she did not care about him.

She chuckled at his expression. "What do you mean by that? I'm here for you, of course," She said, walking towards him.

"What about Tyler? You've given up on him already?" He asked unbelievably. She was beginning to enjoy this more than she had counted on. Telling him exactly why she had agreed to be with him would ruin her plans, so she shrugged.

"He has a new girlfriend now. She is the reason I was forced into coming here. But after seeing how charming you look right now, I'm grateful I came," She said, giving him a peck on his cheeks.

Adrian looked at her. What if he told her Tyler didn't have a girlfriend? If he said that to her, she would leave him alone and go back to trying to win Tyler over, right?

Adrian exhaled deeply. There was no way this was happening.

"Don't you find this awkward? Being in love with one friend and trying to date another?" He asked, trying to blackmail her emotionally.

"No, I don't find it a bit awkward. I will love this arrangement, and don't you dare bail on me. Your playboy days are over, darling," She warned.

"Look, I don't care what my mother or anyone else told you. I already have a girlfriend, and I plan on proposing to her soon. Nothing is going to work out between us, so please stop this madness," He said, moving away from her.

"We will see about that. Give my love to Tyler when you talk to him. And tell him it's not over yet," She drawled, sinking into the soft sofa as Adrian walked out of the house.

Aria smiled to herself. This was going to be fun. If she couldn't get what she wanted, nobody else would get what they wanted either. All she wanted at the moment was to get close enough to Adrian to find out about Tyler's little girlfriend.

"He left already?" Adrian's mother asked as she stepped back inside the living room.

"Yes, he did," She said with an innocent smile.

"I know he refused. But you have nothing to worry about. I have it all figured out," She said with a confident smile.

Adrian sat in his car, fuming angrily. Was the universe trying to punish him for being unfaithful to Mira? Why was everything messing up his plans? First, Victoria's news of her pregnancy which he was yet to figure out how to go about it. And now Aria? What sort of a sick joke was that?

His phone rang, and he checked the caller ID. It was Victoria, and he angrily flung the phone away. He needed to be alone; he had to figure a way out of everything úrgently. First, he needed to talk to Tyler.

Maybe Tyler would help a brother out.

His driver eyed him through the rearview mirror, wondering what was happening to him and why he was in such a foul mood.

Mira felt exhausted after a long day of work at the office. She had worked so hard trying to distract herself from thinking about Tyler. She had gone as far as carrying some paperwork home.

It was late; the time was about 8 pm. She walked for some time, thinking about her plans for the next day, suddenly realizing she wasn't walking alone. It seemed like someone was following her. She quickly glanced back, but no one was there.

She quickened her pace, glancing backward occasionally as she moved.

"Is there a problem?" Her father asked, startling her as she bumped into him.

"I think someone is following me," She said, looking around.

"Why would anyone follow you?" He asked, scanning the environment with his eyes.

"I have no idea. Maybe it was just a feeling," She said with a shrug as she placed her hand over her father's shoulder affectionately.

"What were you doing here anyway?" She asked as they walked towards the house.

"I went out to get rib steaks for dinner," He said, showing her the envelope he was carrying, which she had missed earlier.

"She just got home now," The person hiding in the shadows told the person at the other end of the line.

"I hope she didn't notice she was being followed?" The other person asked.

"I think she did, but she didn't see me," He said again.

"Very good. Try not to spook her out. Be a bit more careful when you follow her and make sure she doesn't know," He said as he dropped the call. He smiled to himself; he had once failed, but he won't fall again.