Chapter 27 Arthur Has Already Been Taken
Aria listened to the busy tone after the call ended and sat there in silence for a long time.
She told herself, don't go.
What does it matter to you whether he lives or dies? Sophie will take care of him anyway, his assistant will take care of him—it's not your turn.
But her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, already pulling off the towel and changing into clothes suitable for going out.
She grabbed her car keys and stepped on the gas pedal, rushing over.
The late-night streets were empty, barely any pedestrians around.
She drove fast, but her place was still too far from the bar.
By the time she got there, the bar had already hung up a "closed" sign, with only a small light still on at the entrance.
Aria parked the car and walked over quickly.
No one was at the door. She pushed it—locked.
Her heart sank. She went around to the side and tapped on the glass window.
After a moment, a yawning bartender came over and opened a crack. "Sorry, we're already closed. Come back tomorrow."
"I got a phone call just now, I'm here to pick up Arthur," Aria said quickly. "Where is he?"
The bartender looked her over and had a moment of realization. "Oh, so you're Ms. Aria. You're too late."
"Too late?" Aria was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"Mr. Grant was already picked up just now," the bartender said. "I saw you weren't coming, and he was really drunk, threw up several times. I was afraid something might really happen, so I called another contact number."
"She just took Mr. Grant away, probably hasn't gone far yet."
Aria's heart felt like it had been lightly struck, then she smiled self-mockingly.
"Was it Sophie?" she asked.
"I don't know about that. Mr. Grant's label for her is 'Sweetheart,'" the bartender shrugged.
"She was indeed a very beautiful and lovely woman, maybe Mr. Grant's girlfriend? Sorry you had to make this trip, miss."
Aria forced a smile.
Of course Sophie was Arthur's sweetheart girlfriend.
And what about herself? In the middle of the night, when she was ready for bed, she still changed clothes and rushed over in a hurry, like an idiot.
"I understand, thank you," Aria said, then turned and left.
Back in the car, she closed her eyes and leaned heavily against the leather seat.
Well, Sophie picked him up—that saved her the trouble. She didn't have to deal with a drunk, and didn't have to have any involvement with him.
She took a deep breath, started the car, and drove away from the bar, even faster than when she came.
She didn't notice at all that not far down this road, Sophie was helping Arthur walk toward her car.
Arthur had thrown up twice and was slightly more sober, barely able to walk, just still not quite recognizing people.
He drunkenly leaned on Sophie, then suddenly wrapped his arm around her slender waist.
Sophie was startled, and a sweet feeling instantly surged in her heart.
Sure enough, she was the one he loved most. When drunk, she was still the one he relied on most.
She naturally embraced him back, placing the back of her hand on his forehead.
"What's wrong, still feeling bad? My car is parked just ahead, just a few more steps, hang in there."
"Aria..." Arthur mumbled out these syllables. "Don't go, don't..."
His voice was soft, but Sophie felt like she'd been struck by lightning, her ears buzzing, unable to react for a long time.
"What did you say?" She asked in disbelief.
Aria?
An unprecedented panic and anger gnawed at her heart, all the blood in her body seeming to freeze in an instant.
In her agitation, she pushed him away directly. Arthur was already unsteady on his feet, and her push made him stumble, almost hitting his head on a streetlight.
Arthur was still dizzy and didn't know what was happening.
After this small outburst, Sophie gradually calmed down.
She took a deep breath.
Now wasn't the time to lose it. Even if she really wanted to have it out with Arthur, she should at least wait until he sobered up.
She could only go help him up again, somehow stuff him into the car, and bring him back to Arthur's villa.
Arthur was awakened by a severe headache.
He frowned, struggling to open his eyes.
Seeing the familiar ceiling and room layout, he was dazed for a few seconds as his memory slowly returned.
He'd drunk too much last night. The bartender seemed to have said he called his family. In his dazed state, he vaguely heard Aria's name.
Did Aria come to pick him up?
This realization made his foggy brain slightly clearer, and a hint of secret satisfaction even rose in his heart.
See, she acted like she didn't care about him, but in the end, she still couldn't help worrying about him.
He forced himself to sit up, his head feeling like it was about to split.
There was a glass of water on the nightstand. He picked it up and drank most of it in one gulp. The water was cold, which made him frown again.
In the past, when Aria took care of him, she would never let him drink cold water after waking up from a hangover. It was usually a pot of sweet hot soup—he didn't know where she learned it from, but drinking a cup would make him feel much better.
Maybe it was too late last night and she hadn't had time to prepare it yet.
Arthur found excuses for Aria in his mind, threw off the covers and got out of bed, walking unsteadily out of the bedroom.
A faint aroma of food drifted from the living room.
He walked over and indeed saw a slender figure busy in the kitchen.
The inexplicable pleasure in his heart grew a bit more. He gently wrapped his arms around that figure's waist from behind, lazily resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Why are you up so early? My head hurts so bad. Do you have anything to drink?"
The body he was holding clearly stiffened.
Then, that figure turned around.
Arthur froze.
It was Sophie.
She looked a bit dazed too, but quickly became natural.
"You're awake? Your head hurts, right? I made oatmeal and fried a steak, it'll be ready soon."
Arthur awkwardly let go, not mentioning at all that he'd mistaken her for someone else, and cleared his throat. "Can you make that kind of soup that helps with hangovers? The sweet-tasting one."
Sophie frowned. "Hangover soup?"
She'd never even heard of it.
"If your head hurts, should I call the family doctor to come give you an IV?"
"No need," Arthur shook his head and sighed.
The secret pleasure that had just risen in his heart had now completely disappeared, replaced by pure disappointment.
Even he himself didn't understand why he was disappointed.
Sophie was by his side, taking care of his life like a wife—wasn't this exactly what he'd been hoping for all these years?
He should be happy.
Arthur's eyes darkened.
He once again put his arm around Sophie's slender waist, intimately pressing against her.