Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 128

Aria's POV

I was still hiding my face in my hands when Aiden promised he wouldn't laugh. His tone turned so serious that it felt like we were suddenly in a boardroom negotiation.

Under his intense stare, I surrendered after just five seconds. I placed my phone on the table in front of him. But the moment he reached for it, I panicked and covered the phone with my hand.

"Mr. Carter, you have to promise not to laugh after reading this."

As soon as I spoke, I felt a warmth spread across my hand. Looking down, I realized his hand was covering mine.

My ears instantly burned red, and I jerked my hand away reflexively.

Aiden gave me a sidelong glance. "I won't laugh."

His promise somehow made everything more embarrassing. But since he already had my phone, I couldn't exactly snatch it back. I reluctantly reached over to unlock it with my fingerprint and scrolled up to show the conversation.

"You'll understand once you read it," I mumbled.

Aiden scanned through my chat with Claire in about ten seconds flat. He returned my phone, his eyes lingering on my face. "It's just a misunderstanding. Hardly qualifies as something stupid."

I clutched my phone, feeling slightly relieved. "...It's all my friend's fault for misleading me!"

"Mmm," he responded, clearly not considering this situation worthy of further discussion.

Just then, Mrs. Li came over to inform us dinner was ready.

I glanced at Aiden. "Dinner's ready, Mr. Carter."

Thank goodness that awkward moment was over!

Later that night, I told Lillian about the whole misunderstanding, and she immediately sent a barrage of "HAHAHA" messages.

Me: Stop laughing! You're the one who misled me!

Lillian: I was just talking nonsense. Didn't think you'd be so innocent that you'd actually believe it!

Me: ...

I was speechless.

At least the misunderstanding with Claire was cleared up. Though I still couldn't figure out why she suddenly seemed to like me so much, at least I knew her affection was purely friendly. The pressure was off.

---

Aiden's POV:

Monday arrived with a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. The atmosphere in WorldCar's executive boardroom was frigid as my uncle Thomas dominated the meeting.

"...Two consecutive projects with losses clearly show that Aiden Carter is no longer suitable as Chairman of WorldCar," Thomas declared, his voice hard with conviction.

Everyone in the room was visibly shocked. Most people schemed to push their sons into power, but here was Thomas, methodically trying to force his own son out.

Though everyone knew the meeting's purpose before it began, Thomas's relentless focus on my failures without acknowledging any successes stunned the other board members. He seemed determined to remove me from the Chairman position at any cost.

In the five years since I took over from Thomas, WorldCar's growth had been undeniable. Most directors opposed replacing me. Nobody wanted to change leadership when profits were flowing.

Moreover, I owned thirty percent of WorldCar's shares, the same amount Thomas held. With our equal holdings, removing me wouldn't be easy.

The outcome was predictable. Thomas left the boardroom with a face like thunder.

I remained seated at the head of the table, my expression unreadable but the oppressive aura around me keeping everyone at bay. Lucas had intended to remind me about an important client meeting but ultimately retreated without speaking.

After everyone had dispersed, I finally stood up. My chair scraped against the floor with a jarring sound.

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