Chapter 80 Her Archenemy
Lance listened to how everyone was addressing Aria, and combined with the authority she clearly held at the moment, he suddenly understood what was going on.
Aria froze at his words. Meeting Lance's eyes, she nodded gently, "Yes, it's my studio's project."
After speaking, Aria looked at the studio employees and said slowly, "Bring me the blueprints."
An employee immediately handed the blueprints to Aria, "Aria, here are the blueprints."
Aria didn't bother with Lance anymore. Instead, she called over the few employees who had been arranging the potted plants earlier, "You guys stop what you're doing and follow my instructions."
With Aria there, the group felt like they'd found their anchor and followed all of Aria's directions.
Lance, watching Aria take charge herself, didn't nitpick at every little thing like before, though he still stood to the side watching.
Once everyone got busy, they lost track of time. Before they knew it, the sky had darkened. Fortunately, their work was also nearing completion.
After placing the last potted plant, Aria saw that it matched the blueprints almost perfectly, and only then did she look at Lance.
"Lance, it's all done. Take a look and see if there are any problems?"
Lance walked straight over, his gaze sweeping over the estate's plant arrangements. He shook his head and spread his hands, "That's it? And you have the nerve to ask if there are any problems?"
"There are tons of problems!"
Aria immediately understood what Lance meant—he was deliberately finding fault!
She handed Lance her copy of the blueprints, "Why don't you look at the blueprints you confirmed with our studio first? Come up with a proper reason before finding fault."
Lance didn't take her blueprints. He just scoffed, "Blueprints are blueprints. This kind of garden landscaping changes with a person's mood. Right now, I feel this arrangement makes me uncomfortable, so what's wrong with me bringing it up? Or does Ms. Hall think that no matter how you arrange things, clients must accept it unconditionally? Is that it?"
Hearing Lance twist the facts like this, Aria laughed mockingly, "Lance, if you're dissatisfied with our arrangement just because it's my studio, then no matter what my people do, you won't be satisfied, right?"
Pregnant women's hormones are already unstable, and now after being tired all day and having Lance find fault like this, anyone would be in a bad mood.
Lance looked at Aria's annoyed expression and smiled instead of getting angry, "Aria, is that how you see me—as someone who settles personal scores?"
Aria shot back, "Aren't you?"
Lance met Aria's slightly angry eyes, unconcerned, "If you say so, then sure."
After a pause, he continued in a joking manner, "I remember you married into the Grant family, right?"
"Looks like being Mrs. Grant isn't as glamorous as it seems. You even have to handle this kind of thing personally. Doesn't Arthur give you spending money? Or is the Grant family going bankrupt?"
His words carried heavy provocation.
If it were before, Aria would have lost her temper already. But to Lance's surprise, Aria remained calm, not showing the slightest ripple from Lance's mockery. She just glanced at Lance indifferently and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Soon I won't be Mrs. Grant anymore."
Lance was taken aback, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes. Seeing that Aria didn't seem to be lying, his eyes narrowed slightly, "What? Did the Grant family kick you out?"
Aria glanced at Lance and didn't continue this topic with him, "If you have any other minor issues, I'll have someone coordinate with you. Let's call it a day."
Aria instructed a nearby employee to handle the follow-up coordination, then left directly.
When Aria got home, Arthur was already back. Seeing her just returning from outside, his tone was unfriendly.
"Where were you? Why are you back so late?"
"Work."
Already tired from the whole day, Aria wasn't feeling well. Now hearing Arthur's interrogation made her even more uncomfortable, so she answered casually.
Arthur noticed Aria's dismissiveness, frowned deeply, reached out to grab her arm, and said coldly, "Work? Who are you kidding? I went to your studio to find you today, and you weren't there all day."
Aria was forced to stop. She turned to look at him with a frown, somewhat displeased, "You're so idle that you went to my studio to wait for me?"
"What, is my work the kind where I just sit in an office every day waiting for money to fall from the sky? Can't I meet clients and go to sites?"
Before Arthur could speak, Aria continued, "I'll tell you the truth—I met a very picky client today. I've been at his estate arranging the landscaping from morning till now. I'm exhausted, so if you keep pestering me, don't blame me for losing my temper."
Aria impatiently pulled her arm from Arthur's grasp and irritably rubbed her temples.
She didn't mention Lance's name. Given Arthur's personality, if she brought up Lance, there would probably be even more trouble later, so she just summarized it in a few sentences.
Seeing Aria's exhausted appearance, Arthur's heart softened immediately, though he spoke awkwardly, "If you're so tired, you might as well close the studio. It's not like I won't give you money. Why are you working yourself so hard?"
He'd never been very optimistic about Aria's studio anyway, and didn't expect her to create any real profits through it. She was the Grant family's wife—would he really not give her money when she needed it?
He couldn't understand why she was putting herself through all this.
If it was just to pass time, it was completely unnecessary.
Aria's expression changed abruptly, anger flashing in her eyes. She glared at Arthur through gritted teeth, "Arthur, in your eyes, am I only doing this for money?"
"What else?"
Wasn't that the case?
If not for money, why would she do this?!
"Yes! I am doing this for money, but it's from my own labor, and I take it with a clear conscience. I wouldn't dare take your money—what if you demand it back after we divorce someday?!"
Arthur's expression turned cold, "What do you mean? Would I do something like that? Besides, who said we're getting divorced? I already told you—no divorce!"
"Arthur, don't be so confident. Wait until you've figured everything out before saying this to me! And stop telling me to close my studio—I don't want to hear it! And I won't do it!"
Tired from the whole day, Aria didn't want to keep arguing with Arthur. After coldly rebuking him, she turned and went upstairs.
Arthur watched Aria's retreating figure, his expression dark. He really hadn't expected Aria to refute him like this, every word hitting him so hard he didn't know what to say.
Her temper was really getting worse and worse...