Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 158

Aria's POV

I stared at my bowl, unable to enjoy the delicious beef noodles anymore. My mind was spinning with guilt after learning Aiden had waited outside Lillian's apartment for me for an hour and a half.

My attempted cold shoulder act had crumbled instantly. Each bite felt tasteless now as shame washed over me.

After chewing and swallowing a mouthful, I glanced up at Aiden. "Mr. Carter," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden had nearly finished his meal. He looked up, making a small sound in his throat. "Hmm?"

I fidgeted with my chopsticks, pressing them between my fingers. "I'm sorry I didn't check my phone earlier. I was chatting with my friend and didn't see your message."

My face burned hot with the lie. The truth was I'd seen his message and deliberately ignored it, but I couldn't bring myself to admit that.

I quickly lowered my head again, focusing intently on my noodles, afraid of what he might say next.

Five minutes later, I finished my last bite. As I reached to clear my bowl, Aiden's hand was already there, his fingers brushing against mine as he took it. I watched, speechless, as he carried both bowls to the kitchen.

I swallowed hard, finally acknowledging to myself that I'd been unreasonable today. Taking a deep breath, I resolved to be a better partner in our arrangement.

When Aiden returned from the kitchen, all my carefully rehearsed words vanished the moment our eyes met. God, why did guilt make me feel so small?

"Did you want to say something?" he asked, his finger casually pulling at his collar, loosening it further.

I allowed myself a single glance before properly averting my eyes. Gathering my courage, I tried apologizing again: "I'm really sorry for making you wait so long, Mr. Carter."

"What's there to apologize for?" He paused, then added with a hint of a smile, "It was only 105 minutes. Not that long."

I felt my face flush hotter. The fact he'd counted the minutes made me feel even worse. "It won't happen again."

"Won't happen how? You won't make me wait at all, or not that long?"

My cheeks were burning now. "I won't make you wait at all!"

I couldn't believe the CEO of Carter Industries, a man whose time was literally worth thousands of dollars per minute, had waited that long for me.

"I really don't mind," he said softly.

"Still doesn't feel right," I muttered.

Aiden's lips curved into a smile. "Next time, maybe don't schedule so early with Ms. Moore. When Mrs. Carter leaves first thing in the morning and I wake up to an empty house, I might think she's angry with me."

I bit my lip, unable to tell him that's exactly what I'd been—angry.

Feeling myself about to crack, I faked a yawn. "I'm getting pretty tired. I should go upstairs and shower before bed. Goodnight, Mr. Carter."

"Goodnight," he replied, standing up as well.

I'd planned to rush upstairs, but with Aiden following closely behind me, I had to maintain a normal pace climbing the stairs. Those stairs had never felt so endless.

When I finally reached my room, I closed the door and exhaled deeply. My phone was buzzing with messages from Lillian:

"Is there some misunderstanding between you two? He waited for you for an hour and a half!"

"Honey, did he make it up to you?"

Two minutes later: "Oh my god, you really made up? Ugh! I'm kicking away this dog food!"

I texted back: "What dog food?"

Lillian: "Aren't you two all lovey-dovey now? Just thinking about you two holding hands as you left makes me feel like such a third wheel!"

Me: "It's not what you think, let me explain..."

Lillian: "Nope, not listening! Stop feeding me your relationship sugar!"

I typed a long explanation about what had really happened tonight. Instead of sympathy, Lillian just mocked me: "You're hopeless!"

She seemed to think Aiden had been dropping hints that I'd completely missed. I didn't understand why she was suddenly sympathizing with him instead of me.

After that night, I stopped avoiding Aiden, but I didn't return to my previous behavior either. I carefully controlled where my eyes wandered, treating him with respect but nothing more, determined to be a proper business partner without any emotional attachment.

The following week, Aiden was scheduled for a business trip. Lucas personally delivered his itinerary to me.

Taking the schedule, I politely said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Grant."

Usually, he would reply with, "It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Carter." But today was different.

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