Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 68

(ARIELLE'S POV)

"Let's keep walking," Ashley whispered, tugging at my arm.

But Sofia had already spotted us and was calling out. "Arielle! Ashley!"

"Ignore her," Ashley whispered again.

But it was too late; Sofia was already rushing towards her. "Hold on, you two."

To avoid a scene, as people were already sparing us glances, Ashley and I reluctantly stopped. Sofia caught up with us, a smile I could tell was fake, plastered on her face.

"Arielle, Ashley? What a surprise to see you two. What are you doing here!?" She asked, her eyes conveying her surprise.

"We're here for a conference," Ashley responded.

"Oh, the independent women's conference? I'm here for it too," Sofia exclaimed. By now, Jared had joined us, standing beside her.

"Babe, Arielle, and Ashley are here for the conference, too. Isn't that a great coincidence?" She asked, placing a hand on Jared's shoulder.

Jared nodded, his eye darting briefly to mine before avoiding eye contact. "Hi, Arielle. Hi, Ashley."

Sofia continued, her voice laced with mock sweetness. "You see, Jared has been so sweet to me. He drove me here because he didn't want me and our baby stressed. He's the best man any woman can have. I wonder what woman would let herself lose a man like him.”

I felt a sharp pierce to my heart at her deliberate jab but refused to fall for her bait. "That's nice," I said flatly, speaking for the first time.

Ashley, sensing my tension, placed a hand on my shoulders. Jared noticed that too, and cleared his tone. "You should get inside, Sofia. Remember how you kept fussing about not wanting to miss the keynote speaker?"

Sofia's smile faltered a bit, but she kept talking. "Don't bother; there's still enough time before the program begins. I'm just trying to catch up with your ex-wife and her best friend," Sofia said in the last sentence, directing a wink at me.

"Umm... sorry, we want to sit at a place with a vantage view. It was nice speaking to you, Sofia," and with that, I began pulling Ashley.

"Oh, that's true. Why don't we sit together then?" Sofia suggested, determined not to back off.

Ashley and I exchanged glances; there was no way we were going to let Sofia sit with us. So quickly I responded, "Um, that won't be necessary. You're pregnant, and can't sit same place as us–"

Sofia's smile faltered again before she recovered. "Oh, okay. Maybe we'll catch up during the break, then?"

I forced a polite smile. "No, thank you."

That seemed to flip the safety pin, and she flared. "What's the matter with you, Arielle? Why are you being such a stuck–up ex-wife? Don't tell me you're still mad at me because I took Jared away from you. I'm with Jared now doesn't mean we can't be good friends, you know?"

My eyes widened, and Ashley gasped beside me. I made to respond to her, but Jared beat me to it.

"That's enough, Sofia. Come, I'll lead you to the entrance. You know I have to return to work, right?" He said, placing a pacifying hand on her shoulder.