Chapter 77 You Are Using Aria's Death to Gain Sympathy!
Sloane's POV
My heartbeat seemed to freeze in that instant under his icy stare.
"It's not what you think." I looked at his hand holding the business card, those well-defined fingers that had just been gently cutting my steak, now holding what felt like evidence against me.
I forced down the churning in my stomach and the absurdity rising in my heart, trying to keep my voice calm. "I ran into him by chance at a conference. He invited me to join a new project at their hospital. I declined."
My explanation was clear and honest, but the frost on Jared's face showed no signs of thawing.
He just stared at that business card as if those three words were some kind of monster.
"Harrison Rex..." He repeated the name in a low voice, each syllable squeezed through his teeth, carrying a chilling hostility.
Watching him like this, a strange exhaustion washed over me. I didn't understand why he would harbor such hostility toward a man he'd never met, unless...
Unless he had noticed it too.
"Jared," I stepped forward, trying to make him look into my eyes, to see my honesty. "He just... looks like someone I used to know."
Mentioning "someone I used to know," my heart couldn't help but ache.
Those words were like cold water, finally extinguishing the jealous fire burning in Jared's eyes.
He suddenly looked up. In those unfathomable eyes, the anger faded, replaced by a hint of exposed embarrassment and clear regret.
Looking at my pale face, his fingers holding the business card tightened slightly, crumpling the card out of shape.
"I'm sorry." His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice terribly hoarse. "I..."
He seemed to want to explain something, but in the end just threw the crumpled card on the counter, turned and walked out quickly, leaving only a stiff, "I'll go pay the bill."
I watched his almost fleeing figure, feeling mixed emotions.
Back at the table, the neatly cut steak had gone cold, and I'd completely lost my appetite.
The nausea in my stomach and the irritation in my heart tangled together, making me just want to leave this place quickly.
Just as I picked up my purse to leave, a sharp female voice rang out behind me.
"Well, well, look who it is."
I didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to.
Keira, wearing a flashy red dress and ten-centimeter heels, strutted over to my table like a triumphant peacock.
She glanced at the two barely touched meals on the table, then at me, her face breaking into an exaggerated, mocking smile.
"What? Eating a couple's meal alone? Or..." She deliberately drew out her words, her gaze searching around the restaurant before landing back on me. "Are you on a date with Jared?"
I leaned back in my chair, watching her clumsy performance coldly, not bothering to give her even an extra expression.
My silence seemed to please her, and the smugness on her face grew. But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
"So what if I am?" I curved my lips, meeting her jealous gaze, clearly acknowledging, "I'm on a date with my husband. Is there a problem?"
The smile on Keira's face instantly froze.
"As for you," I looked her up and down, my tone full of disdain and mockery, "Miss Keira, you seem so free. Are you stalking my husband again? People who don't know better might think you're some kind of mistress."
"You!" Keira was completely enraged by the word "mistress," her carefully made-up face instantly contorting. "Sloane, you bitch! What right do you have to say that about me!"
Her voice was piercingly shrill, drawing the attention of customers at nearby tables.
"Let me tell you, don't get too cocky! Jared will divorce you sooner or later! A woman like you doesn't deserve him at all!" She hissed in frustration.
I was too tired to waste more words on her. I picked up my purse, stood up, and prepared to walk past her.
My dismissal completely ignited Keira's fury. She suddenly reached out to block me, her pretty eyes now filled with vicious resentment.
"You think I don't know?" She stared at me, speaking through gritted teeth. "You dirty, despicable woman, you're just taking advantage of that old hag Aria's death, using her death to gain Jared's sympathy and keep him tied to you!"
"You're pathetic! A pathetic creature who can only beg for affection using someone else's death!"
A crisp, loud slap instantly silenced the entire restaurant.
My rationality shattered the moment I heard her use those filthy words to insult Director Aria.
I don't know where I found the strength, but I grabbed her carefully styled long hair, yanked her whole body toward me, and with all my might, slapped her again with my other hand.
"Say that again?" My eyes were bloodshot, my voice squeezed through my teeth, each word wrapped in towering hatred.
Director Aria was the softest and most sacred presence in my heart, my final boundary.
No one could touch it.
Keira screamed. She struggled frantically to break free from my grip, using her sharp nails to claw at my face.
I gripped her hair tightly, pressed her against the table, my mind filled with only one thought—to tear apart that filthy mouth of hers.
"You bitch! What right do you have to mention the Director's name!" I completely lost control, like an enraged beast, wanting only to tear apart this vicious woman before me.
"Let go of me! You psycho!" Keira's screams mixed with sobs, utterly disheveled.
Just then, a powerful force suddenly gripped my wrist, pulling me off Keira.
"Sloane, calm down!"
Jared had returned at some point. He held me tightly in his arms, his tall frame like a cage, restraining all my madness and rage.
"Let go of me!" I struggled, but my eyes still glared at Keira.
"Calm down!" He held me tighter, his warm breath on my ear, his voice carrying a hint of gentle comfort.
Finally freed, Keira covered her swollen cheek, her hair disheveled, makeup smeared from crying, looking as wretched as a madwoman.
The moment she saw Jared, she burst into tears, rushed over to grab his arm, and sobbed breathlessly.
"Jared... look at her... she's crazy..." Keira pointed at me, her voice shrill, filled with infinite grievance and accusation. "I just... I just came over to say hello, and she suddenly went crazy and hit me... sob sob... my face hurts so much..."