Chapter 20 Dining with Another Man
Charles is a celebrity in the art world, a billionaire worth hundreds of millions, on par with Arthur.
If she could hold a flower arrangement exhibition and get Charles to attend, her studio would definitely take off.
Then she wouldn't have to worry about those attacks and rumors at all.
Before making the call, Aria prepared what she would say, since Charles was notoriously hard to invite.
Her only interaction with him had been at the last auction gala.
Because of Arthur's impulsiveness, that meeting had been ruined.
Not long ago, Charles had flatly turned down a resort farm owner's request for promotional help.
She wasn't completely confident, but she wanted to try anyway.
What if she could actually get him to come?
To her surprise, before she even said anything, Charles agreed right away!
"Midsummer Flower Dream themed exhibition? Sounds great! I've been wanting to paint a flower-themed piece anyway."
Charles's tone was relaxed and cheerful, as if they were already quite familiar.
What surprised Aria even more was that he not only agreed to her request, but also placed a large order in his personal capacity.
He owned a 20,000-square-foot castle and needed her to do the garden design.
The order amount was quite substantial, enough for her to give birth at the best private hospital and get a full package of postpartum care.
"Mr. White, I really don't know how to thank you."
After finalizing the exhibition schedule, Aria's voice had a hint of lightness to it.
The gloom of recent days was somewhat dispelled by this good news.
Though her marriage wasn't going well, at least her career was progressing rapidly, right?
Charles smiled. "Since you want to thank me, why not treat me to dinner? I know a newly opened private restaurant that's supposed to be really good."
On the other side, Arthur sat in his car, his expression rather dark.
His assistant had already investigated the malicious attacks on Aria's studio.
However, the results of this investigation shocked him somewhat.
All those malicious complaints traced back to the same person.
Sophie.
The chain of evidence was clear, even showing transfer records she'd made through her family's holding company.
He rubbed his temples and fell silent.
Just then, Sophie opened the car door and got in, complaining, "Why did you suddenly call me down here? Being all mysterious."
Arthur didn't beat around the bush and handed her the documents directly.
"Explain this. What's going on?"
Sophie picked them up and looked through them, her expression changing immediately.
Arthur had actually investigated the complaints for Aria?
The evidence was clear—she didn't even have a chance to deny it.
"It was me." She took a deep breath and simply admitted it.
Arthur asked her in a low voice, "Why did you do this?"
Sophie sniffled, aggrieved. "Because I felt terrible, of course!"
"We were together first. You even said I was the only one in your heart, that I was the only one you'd marry! But as soon as I went abroad, everything changed."
"She became Mrs. Grant, and I could only be your secret mistress!"
Her voice caught and tears fell.
"I know it was wrong, but I'm just jealous of her. I only did it because I love you too much..."
She covered her face, crying too hard to continue.
Arthur had been full of anger initially.
After all, Aria was his wife. Even if they had no feelings for each other, he still had a duty to protect her!
But Sophie was crying so hard she seemed about to faint, and he couldn't bring himself to blame her further.
After a long silence, he spoke, "Alright, I don't blame you. Stop crying."
He took a tissue and wiped her tears.
Aria's haggard face suddenly flashed through his mind.
Back then, she'd been feeling unwell and working herself to the bone over this matter.
So he still made his decision. "You have to stop whatever you're doing and go apologize to her!"
As for the losses caused, he would compensate her.
Sophie looked up in shock.
Arthur investigating this matter was already beyond her expectations.
She'd thought squeezing out a few tears would trigger Arthur's guilt and make him drop the whole thing.
She never expected Arthur would actually make her apologize to Aria.
She blinked, hiding her shock and putting on an obedient expression.
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say. I'll go apologize to her tomorrow."
"I'll take you there now! I have some things to say to her anyway."
Sophie bit her lip but had to agree.
The car drove to Aria's studio, but they came up empty.
Lucy's gaze moved back and forth between him and Sophie, and she rolled her eyes.
"Our boss is out having dinner with a client. If Mr. Grant has anything to say, you can tell me and I'll pass it along."
Arthur frowned.
Sophie tugged at Arthur's arm. "She's not here. Let's come back another day."
"A client? Male or female?"
Lucy snorted coldly. "A very handsome gentleman."
Arthur's expression darkened further. The word "handsome" especially made his tone turn harsh.
"Handsome gentleman? Who knows if he's a scammer! Which restaurant did they go to? I'll go check it out, in case she gets fooled!"
Lucy found this very strange.
Aria's studio had been open for so long, and he'd never cared before.
Sophie was also unhappy and was about to persuade him, but Arthur insisted.
They arrived at the restaurant and were looking for a parking spot.
Then Arthur's eyes caught sight of Aria.
The car suddenly braked hard, sending Sophie forward with a cry, but Arthur ignored her distress—his attention was fixed on Aria by the window, listening intently to the man across from her.
Her face wore a relaxed smile, so beautiful it was hard to look away.
And sitting across from her was none other than Charles!
The two were chatting and laughing, with several exquisite dishes on the table—clearly they'd been dining for quite a while.
Arthur felt a surge of anger rise up, and he couldn't help clenching his fists.
He thought of that night when she'd refused him so firmly.
They weren't even divorced yet, but she resisted sleeping with him, then turned around and chatted warmly with another man.
This was a slap in his face!
His expression dark, he got out of the car and walked straight in.