Chapter 15
“Shea, you’ve got a husband, right? What’s his deal? Is he so broke he can’t even afford dinner at The Starlight Table? How pathetic.”
Aria clicked her tongue twice, her tone dripping with mockery.
This was the man Shea married?
A back-view stunner who turned out to be broke!
“Ignore her,” Shea murmured, leaning closer to Hansen. “She’s just like a pest. She’s harmless but annoying.”
Hansen let out a low chuckle.
As he turned his head toward Shea, Aria caught a glimpse of his face.
Her expression changed in an instant. She froze, eyes widening as she stared at Hansen in
disbelief.
The man standing before her was devastatingly handsome.
He was the most strikingly handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.
At first, she’d assumed he was one of those men who only looked good from behind with broad
shoulders and a confident stance, but with a face that ruined the illusion.
Not only that, his aura alone was overwhelming, but when he looked at Shea with that tender gaze and faint smile, Aria could only stare in a daze.
If he ever looked at her that way or smiled at her like that…
The thought alone sent heat rushing to her cheeks.
Shea noticed the flush on Aria’s face, and for a brief moment, she felt both exasperated and stung by a flicker of jealousy.
What was Aria staring at? That was her man.
She stepped forward abruptly, blocking Aria’s view of Hansen, then rolled her eyes with unmistakable disdain.
“Don’t you think it’s rude to stare at someone else’s husband like that?”
Shea clenched her jaw. “Never seen a man before? Quit gawking before your eyes pop out.”
Snapped out of her daze by Shea’s sharp tone, Aria flushed in embarrassment.
But more than that, she felt jealous.
That was Shea’s husband?
Aria had thought that after Shea was abandoned by Lance, no decent man would ever look at her
twice.
After all, she was the woman left at her own wedding. What kind of respectable, high-quality man
would want her now?
If anyone did, it should’ve been some ugly, old, penniless loser.
How could it be this handsome man standing before her?
“He’s even better-looking than Lance…” Aria ground her teeth in bitter resentment.
And he had the charisma to match.
At that thought, Aria’s gaze toward Shea sharpened, her words growing increasingly harsh.
“He’s nothing but a pretty face. What good are his looks if he’s just a poor man?”
But Shea felt no sting from the remark. It was like scratching an itch.
She smiled sweetly, looping her arm through Hansen’s. She tilted her head innocently. “Thank
you
for calling my husband handsome! You seem so worked up. Could it be… jealousy?”
“You!”
“Oh dear, did I hit a nerve?” Shea’s smile widened, almost dazzling. “Look at that! I almost forgot how old and ugly someone’s fiance is. Don’t get upset, Aria. I wasn’t talking about you.”
To turn Aria’s own vicious tactics back on her felt absolutely exhilarating.
Aria was absolutely furious.
She had thought that seducing Lance would secure her place in the Grant family, but his parents looked down on her completely. After all, she was only a recently acknowledged daughter of a wealthy family.
They believed she didn’t measure up to their social standing.
Meanwhile, Justin, placing the Carrington family’s interests above all else, forced her into a marriage against her will. The groom was wealthy but hideously ugly.
Just imagining his face made Aria feel sick to her stomach.
“Shea, you bitch!”
Rage boiling over, Aria immediately raised her hand, ready to slap Shea.
Before Shea could react, Hansen grabbed Aria’s wrist and hurled her across the room.
Aria crashed onto the floor, her knees scraping painfully against the ground.
Hansen glared at her. “Trying to lay a hand on my wife? My family doesn’t have a tradition of letting women get away with that.”
He rubbed his wrist casually, poised as if ready to strike again at any moment.
Terrified, Aria scrambled backward, then clumsily struggled to her feet.
“You… you’re insane! Acting like some romantic hero, but you’re just a penniless nobody! And you think you have the right to dine at a place like this?”
She kept moving backward, carefully maintaining her distance from him.
Her constant chatter about Hansen being poor irritated Shea. Did having money really give her the right to insult others so casually?
Before Shea could speak up to defend Hansen, the restaurant manager of The Starlight Table. appeared, flanked by a large entourage, and strode straight toward Hansen.
“Mr. Grant, the private room you requested is ready. You may proceed to dine at any time.”
Hansen gave a faint nod.
Shea was instantly dumbfounded. What was going on?
She wasn’t the only one stunned. Aria, beside her, looked even more bewildered and incredulous.
When Hansen reached for Shea’s hand to lead her inside, Aria immediately stepped forward to block them, glaring angrily at the restaurant manager.
“What the hell is going on here? I had to make a reservation and wait in line just to get in, while
they don’t even need to?”
As she spoke, a sudden realization struck her. The restaurant manager had addressed Hansen as
Mr. Grant. Everything clicked instantly.
He must be referring to Lance!
“Are you sure you’ve got the wrong person? He’s not Mr. Grant! I’m the one who reserved the private room!” Aria exclaimed.
The restaurant manager frowned, watching her dramatic outburst. “And who might you be?”
“This private room was booked by Lance as a surprise for me, wasn’t it? After all, I’m his fiancee!”
Aria lifted her chin, her expression full of haughtiness.
After saying this, she shot Shea a defiant glance.
She would stop at nothing to marry Lance! Claiming to be his fiancee was completely justified.
“Lance? I’m sorry, but I don’t recognize that name. I only know this man, Mr. Grant,” the restaurant manager said.
Then, with polite deference, he ushered Hansen and Shea inside.
Aria froze, stunned. “Impossible! You must be mistaken! He’s just a penniless nobody! How could he possibly-
H
“Miss, please do not disturb our honored guests.”
As he guided Hansen and Shea further inside, he signaled an employee, who immediately stepped forward to block Aria at the doorway.
Chapter 35
“What do you mean I can’t come in?” Aria stared at the employee in disbelief. “Do you even know who I am? How dare you block me? The owner of this restaurant is close to the Grant family, right? My fiance, Lance, is a Grant too!”
The employee kept a polite smile, signaling the security staff at the entrance to step forward.
“I’m sorry, miss, but you cannot enter.”
Aria instantly flew into a rage. She cursed at the waiter.
“Just wait! I’m calling Lance right now, and he’ll deal with you!”
