CHAPTER 138
This was his domain, and if he decided to do anything to her, no one would hear her cries, no matter how loudly she screamed.
Arianna's lips pressed together in a thin line as she stared at Xander with a defensive intensity, her eyes tracking his every movement. She was acutely aware of the power imbalance between them, having faced off against him countless times before.
Xander remained silent, his expression unreadable. His chiselled features were devoid of any discernible emotion, but his dark eyes betrayed a depth of turmoil and anger that sent chills down her spine. He stood still, his gaze unwavering and fixed on her as if he were trying to decipher her very thoughts.
Despite her attempts to maintain composure, Arianna couldn't deny the fear creeping into her. The silence between them stretched on, thick and suffocating, amplifying her anxiety. She knew Xander's capabilities, and the thought of being at his mercy in this secluded suite was terrifying.
Finally, just when she thought she couldn't endure the tension any longer, Xander spoke. His voice was calm, but each word was laced with an underlying threat. "Who were you with tonight?"
Xander's voice was eerily soft, almost as if he was casually inquiring about the weather. Yet, Arianna felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. The fear gripping her heart was undeniable.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Arianna knew her suspicion was spot on—Xander had indeed seen her with Alan.
Trying to maintain her composure, Arianna responded in as calm and natural a tone as she could muster.
"When you called, I was with a friend"
Xander's eyes narrowed, and a cold, mocking snort escaped his lips. "A friend? Then why did you lie?"
Arianna's heart pounded in her chest. Her hand instinctively clenched into a fist, her knuckles turning white. The intensity of Xander's stare made her feel like she was under a microscope, every word and action dissected for hidden meaning.
His tone made it clear that he suspected something inappropriate between her and Alan. Normally, she wouldn't bother explaining herself to him, but the fact that Alan was involved made her worry about the repercussions Timothy's anger might have on her friend.
Arianna took a deep breath and spoke clearly, "I was meeting with a friend to discuss a few things. I intended to return to the hospital afterwards. I didn't see the need to inform you about it, and I've been with Charlie at the hospital these past few days. It wasn't a lie."
Xander, however, seemed fixated on one particular part of her statement: "I didn't see the need to inform you about it."
His eyes darkened, and his expression grew even more intense.
“It’s unnecessary?” His voice suddenly grew sullen.
Arianna frowned slightly but answered truthfully, “Yes, it is unnecessary. We’re not husband and wife, so there’s no need to share every detail of our private lives, right?”
Wasn't he the one who started this distance between them?
Wasn't he the one who ignored her frantic calls when Charlie was facing a life-and-death surgery?
He hadn't given her the chance to talk when she desperately needed it. Why should he be unhappy now that she no longer felt the need to share her life with him?
There was no necessity...
Gradually, the glow in Xander’s eyes turned crimson with anger.
She didn’t feel the need to tell her husband about her personal affairs, yet she chatted happily and intimately with another man in a hotel late at night.
From the way they spoke, laughed, and looked at each other at the hotel entrance, Xander could see that they had known each other for a long time.
Arianna never showed her radiant smile to Xander after she returned to the country. It was the same even when she was pretending for his grandmother's sake.
There wasn't even a hint of a smile, not even a forced one.
However, she smiled so naturally in front of that man.
She once told him that she would unconsciously smile like a fool whenever she saw someone she liked.
She said they were not husband and wife, and that there was no need to tell him about her private affairs…
Xander chuckled twice all of a sudden. His dark eyes locked onto Arianna, and eventually, he said, "So it's unnecessary to tell me, but you went and spilt the beans to that guy you're sweet on, huh?"
Arianna just stared at him dumbfounded.
"Seems like that guy you were with tonight is the one you have your eye on, since I'm not your husband, huh?"
Arianna looked helpless.
She truly didn't understand how Xander could jump to the conclusion that Alan was someone she favoured.
And why did he suddenly bring up her supposed romantic interests?
She thought for a moment, and then it hit her. During the time Xander had rescued her after she fell ill, he had been in the villa the whole time. That must have been when he overheard her conversation with Grandma King about wanting a divorce.
She had lied and admitted to having feelings for someone else.
Xander, as a result, connected Alan to the man she liked.
She had never intended to mislead him.
Xander couldn't be allowed to misunderstand Alan. She couldn't hurt Alan because he had always been good to her, helping her whenever she needed it.
"No," she said firmly.
Arianna tried to hide her fear. She clutched her clothes instinctively, stood up, lifted her eyes, and met Xander's fiery gaze.
"He's simply a friend, Xander. I met him while I was overseas. We're not that close. I went to him because he's a doctor. I sought his help for Charlie's illness. That's the truth."
She stressed that her relationship with Alan wasn't significant.
‘We're not that close anyway… Just a friend I met…’
Xander's gaze fell on her hand
He was all too familiar with Arianna’s little emotional movements. Whenever she was nervous, her fingers would unconsciously clutch her clothes.
Was she lying again to protect that man?
In his anger, Xander could feel his heart being pierced by thousands of tiny needles.
Instead of erupting in anger, he twisted his lips into a sardonic smile.
Xander grabbed Arianna’s wrist, pulled her in front of him, then looked down at her and asked,
“Alright then. Since you said he isn’t the man you like, tell me, who exactly is the man you like?”
