Chapter 74 He Is a Conman Who Lives Off Women
Aria trembled all over. She turned around and saw Arthur standing at the entrance of the corridor.
Sunlight streamed from behind him, stretching his shadow incredibly long. He walked toward them step by step, each stride carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.
His gaze swept past Aria and landed directly on Vincent.
The smile on Vincent's face froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He turned around and nodded politely, "Mr. Grant? What a coincidence."
"Not a coincidence," Arthur approached. "I've been following you two the whole way." His tone was completely calm, as if stalking wasn't something to be ashamed of.
Aria glared at him, "You followed me?"
"I was protecting you," Arthur corrected, though his eyes never left Vincent. "Mr. Sterling, right? I'm also very interested in that rainbow tulip. You don't mind if I come along to see it, do you?"
Vincent's expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered and smiled, "Of course not. It's my honor to have Mr. Grant join us."
He continued leading the way with a composed manner, looking as innocent as could be.
Arthur walked beside Aria, eyes fixed on him, naturally taking her hand and pulling her close. She tugged twice but he wouldn't let go.
"What are you doing?" she lowered her voice.
"Keeping you company to look at flowers," Arthur said matter-of-factly.
Vincent pushed open the glass door ahead. Instantly, a wave of warm, humid air hit them.
It turned out to be a small greenhouse, filled with all kinds of rare plants. The moist earthy smell mixed with the intense, complex fragrance of flowers.
"The rainbow tulip is at the very back," Vincent gestured. "This way, please."
Arthur stayed right by Aria's side the entire time. He had absolutely no interest in these flowers and plants. His sharp eyes were either looking at Aria or staring at Vincent.
Whenever Vincent tried to get close to Aria to say something, he would arrogantly interrupt, leaving Vincent speechless.
When Vincent praised a certain plant, Arthur would insist that his own garden had better ones. When Vincent complimented the temperature control system, Arthur would nitpick that it was an old model with too much energy consumption, adding that the irrigation system wasn't comprehensive enough and all these plants would die sooner or later.
He was being extremely rude.
At first, Aria kept giving him looks. Later on, almost every time Arthur said something, she would tug at his sleeve, reminding him to shut up.
Arthur continued doing as he pleased.
Vincent could no longer maintain his smile, though he still kept his basic composure.
"Does Mr. Grant also know a lot about gardening?"
"Not really," Arthur said flatly. "But my wife does. She's an expert in this field."
Aria's ears burned hot, her cheeks flushed. She coughed hard and pretended to focus on the flowers.
After all this talking, Vincent finally brought them to the rainbow tulip.
It truly was an extremely rare variety. The edges of the petals had a faint golden-pink shimmer, and under the lights, it really did seem to glow with seven different colors.
Aria's eyes lit up, "It's so beautiful!"
"You like it?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah." Aria rarely showed such childlike excitement as she leaned in to smell it.
Just as Vincent was about to introduce the cultivation process of this flower, Arthur had already taken out his phone and snapped a photo of the tulip.
"I'll have someone look for the same bulbs," he put away his phone. "I'll plant a whole patch for you in the garden."
Aria was stunned, "These are very expensive."
"So what?" Arthur said as if it was obvious.
Vincent stood to the side, his smile barely hanging on.
After wandering around for another ten minutes or so, Vincent finally took the initiative to say, "It's getting late. Why don't we call it a day? Mr. Grant, Mrs. Grant, take your time. I have some things to handle."
"Please go ahead, Mr. Sterling," Arthur said, suddenly remembering his manners. "Thank you for showing my wife around. I'll have someone send you the fee."
Vincent's cheeks puffed up, and he said angrily, "That won't be necessary!"
After he left, Aria let out a long breath. Her nerves had been tense the whole time, afraid Arthur might punch someone again.
"Why did you keep following me?" she asked.
Arthur looked at her, "I was afraid you'd be fooled. I've seen plenty of men like that. One look and I can tell he's no good."
Aria couldn't help but laugh, "Just because he invited me to see flowers?"
"Because of the way he looked at you." Arthur's voice deepened, his eyes flickering like stars in the night sky. "I don't like it."
Aria turned her face away and didn't respond.
They lingered in the greenhouse a while longer. Aria truly loved these flowers, and Arthur stayed close, handing her water when she needed it, asking if she was getting tired. She'd never seen him this attentive before.
When they left the exhibition hall, Summer was already waiting at the entrance. Her face was pale, and she looked completely drained.
"Aria, how was it? Were the flowers nice?" Summer ran over, looking regretful. "I just came out of the bathroom and couldn't find you anywhere." She looked up and saw Arthur, and immediately gasped.
"How did you..." Halfway through, she wisely shut her mouth and made herself scarce.
"Since you're done, you should head back. I drove here."
"Drive safe," Arthur said with perfect gentlemanly manner.
Summer waved her hand, "You two enjoy yourselves. I'm leaving!"
With that, she ran off like the wind.
Aria watched Summer's almost panicked retreat and sighed heavily, nudging him with her elbow, "You scared her."
"I didn't say anything," Arthur opened the car door. "Get in. I'll take you back."
Throughout the drive, Arthur barely spoke.
Aria was happy for the peace and quiet. She leaned back in her seat looking out the window, and soon felt drowsy. Just as she was drifting off in a daze...
"That guy," Arthur suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?" Aria jolted awake.
"Vincent." He gripped the steering wheel, eyes on the road ahead. "How do you know him?"
"Last time at the coffee shop, when Sophie and her friend came to cause trouble, he helped me out," Aria said. "He said he's the owner of that café."
"Oh, a café owner who's quite well-educated and talented," Arthur said leisurely. "How do you think he compares to Charles?"
Why was he suddenly comparing him to Charles?
It was completely random.
Aria rolled her eyes and closed them again.
Arthur continued, "I think Charles is better. At least he really understands art and is rich enough. As for this Mr. Sterling, he looks like a con man who lives off women."
Aria was both annoyed and amused, "You've only met him once. What makes you say that?"