Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 114

Aria's POV

I wanted to ask about the wallpaper but suddenly felt like drawing attention to it would be too obvious. Instead, I tried to play it cool.

"Actually, looking at it carefully, the photo is quite artistic. It makes for a really nice wallpaper," I said, feeling my face burn as I stared at myself in that rain-soaked image. To cover my embarrassment, I added quickly, "I was just curious, Aiden. Don't mind me."

"It's fine," he replied, seemingly unbothered.

I breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to change the subject. "I still need to practice piano for three hours today. I should get to it."

"Mmm," he hummed in acknowledgment.

As I stood up, I noticed Aiden pick up his phone again, his dark eyes studying that wallpaper intently. My heart skipped a beat.

I turned to leave, eager to escape to the music room upstairs. I'd only taken a few steps when his curious voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Does Mrs. Carter find this photograph familiar for some reason?"

My back stiffened instantly. I turned around slowly, facing him. "No, I was just asking randomly."

"Is that so?"

His lips curved into a slight smile. "I find it looks more familiar the longer I look at it."

I unconsciously gripped the hem of my shirt. "...Must be your imagination!"

Aiden lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Doesn't it look like that rainy evening when I came to pick you up, and you ran into my arms?"

"..."

It wasn't just similar—it was exactly that moment!

I couldn't bring myself to admit it out loud. I stood there awkwardly, deeply regretting opening my big mouth in the first place.

My silence didn't deter him. "That night, did someone take a photo of us?"

"..."

God, why isn't there such a thing as a time machine when you need one?

Seeing my continued silence, his eyes flicked to my burning ears. Then he lowered his gaze, hiding what I swore was amusement in those dark eyes. "I won't keep you. Go practice your piano."

At that point, how could I possibly focus on piano practice? I stared longingly at the phone in his hand, bit my lip, and decided to just come clean.

"Actually, Aiden, the people in that photo really are you and me."

"Ah, no wonder I thought the person in it looked so beautiful."

His compliment left me standing there, conflicted. After an internal struggle, I finally worked up the courage to ask the question burning in my mind.

"Did you... did you set it as your wallpaper because of me?"

Aiden tilted his head slightly. "Why would you think that?"

"Isn't it because I used it as my wallpaper first?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

Then I watched his lips curve into a knowing smile, and realization hit me like a truck. He'd known all along. He'd been playing me this entire time!

"Name your price," Thomas Carter sneered. "How much will it take for you to divorce Aiden?"

"Wow, you and Aunt Eleanor really are siblings! You both open with exactly the same line!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. "Don't you have any other tactics?"

His eyes snapped to me, dark with disbelief. Clearly, no one had ever spoken to him like this before. With a furious snarl, he slammed his cane against the floor, the crack of it echoing through the room.

"We'll see what's tougher—your sharp tongue or your family's company!"

My smile faded at that. "Are you saying that if I don't agree, you'll target my family's business?"

"You're not completely stupid after all!"

I leveled my gaze at him. "Won't Aiden be upset if he finds out what you're doing?"

His face darkened immediately.

"Are you threatening me?" he demanded, his voice sharp as a whip.

"Threatening?" I blinked at him innocently. "How am I threatening you? Isn't trust the most important thing between husband and wife? Aiden will definitely find out about your visit today."

I let the words hang for a beat before adding softly, "And when he asks what you said to me, I'll have to tell him the truth. Or… is that not how it works between you and your wife? Do you always keep secrets from each other?"

That almost made him explode. His face turned an alarming shade of red, and even his assistant looked like he wanted to scold me.

But then there was a sound from the entryway.

I turned toward it, my pulse kicking up. There stood Aiden in a sharp black suit, his expression cold and unreadable as his eyes swept over the scene.