CHAPTER 85
Arianna's lips tightened, her irritation clear. "Mr. King, if my care doesn't meet your standards, feel free to hire someone else. There are plenty who'd be glad to take my place. I'll be leaving now," she said, turning to walk away.
A strong grip on her wrist halted her in her tracks. She turned back, surprised. "What are you doing?" Arianna asked, attempting to pull away from his grasp without success.
Xander's intense gaze bore into hers. After a moment, he spoke with deliberate clarity, "Arianna, why did you interrupt me and Piper yesterday?"
His inquiry was laced with a subtle undercurrent of curiosity and anticipation.
Arianna was taken aback by his question. His sudden query caught her off guard, and she struggled to comprehend its intent. What was he driving at?
She met his gaze, searching for any flicker of emotion in his dark eyes, but found none. After a brief moment of consideration, she responded,
"It was evident that Piper was plotting something against you yesterday. Knowing your distaste for betrayal, and remembering your help when I needed it, I felt compelled to intervene. I saw it as a way to repay your kindness."
Xander's brow furrowed slightly, yet his demeanor remained composed. "That's all?"
Arianna was perplexed. What did he mean by 'that's all'? Did he suspect there was more to her actions than met the eye?
Arianna rolled her eyes, deciding to be transparent. She shrugged and admitted,
"Fine, I'll confess. I didn't want to see Piper succeed. Violet and Piper framed me for theft, resulting in my arrest and nearly causing me serious harm. What I did was simply payback."
She knew Xander had the means to uncover her motivations from the previous day, so there was no point in hiding them.
"If you're seeking revenge against Piper, or if you're upset with me for interrupting your time with her yesterday, feel free to take it out on me."
Arianna didn't realize the bitterness in her voice at the end of her statement.
He had been so furious the previous night after Piper conspired against him but had forgiven her as soon as he woke up.
Meanwhile, Arianna had done nothing wrong, yet he had misunderstood her repeatedly.
True love really was something incredible!
Xander’s dark eyes stayed fixed on Arianna's face, capturing every nuance of her expression. He reached out and pulled her, catching her off guard and sending her tumbling onto the bed.
The distance between them vanished in an instant, and she heard his hoarse voice ask,
"Don't you have any other reasons besides those?"
What other reason could there be?
Arianna unwittingly blinked several times.
She had already revealed her motives to him and wasn't hiding anything else. What other reason was he expecting to hear?
As she remained deep in thought, Xander’s handsome face drew closer. His dark eyes stared right at her as if he could see through her innermost thoughts.
His thin lips parted slightly as he repeated his question, “Is there any other reason you interrupted my time with Piper yesterday?”
Arianna’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. Her gaze flickered slightly, and she couldn't bring herself to look directly into his eyes.
She was afraid he would see the thoughts she hid deep in her heart.
Arianna lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. By the time she looked at him again, her expression had become much calmer. She even sounded a bit puzzled as she questioned him back instead of answering,
“What other reason could there be?”
Xander looked deeply into her eyes, searching for any traces of unease or dishonesty, but he found none.
Aside from the reasons she gave, he had originally thought that she might have another reason for interrupting his time with Piper —that she didn't want to see him with other women.
As it turned out, he had read too much into it...
It was to be expected, though, considering how she had no qualms telling him to deal with his desires by looking for another woman. Why would she care if he was with someone else?
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Xander's face.
He released Arianna’s hand and leaned back on the bed. His handsome face turned cold, and the aura surrounding him became icy. “I don’t need you here. You can leave.”
Arianna watched as his expression grew frosty in an instant. Despite knowing that Xander was a cold and gloomy man, this was an entirely new level of coldness and gloominess.
She thought she had been very polite when she spoke. Was he really angered just because of that?
He had accused her of being ungrateful earlier, but the same could be said of a scumbag like him! Like it or not, she had taken care of him all night, and rather than saying a word of thanks, he pulled a long face instead!
In his eyes, merely breathing might already be cause for reproach!
‘Fine, I’ll leave if you want!’ She could not wait to be as far away from him as possible and hoped that they would not meet each other again!
Arianna turned around and left without saying another word.
She headed to the bathroom, changed back into her dress, and tossed all the nightdresses into the trash can. Grabbing her bag, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
