CHAPTER 92
As Arianna’s anxiety was about to shoot through the roof, she finally heard a response from the other end. The man’s voice seemed to lower slightly, revealing traces of charm as he greeted her,
“Yes, darling.”
Even though Xander’s voice was on the other side of the phone, Arianna’s earlobe became inexplicably hot and she immediately blushed.
Scoundrels really did have an irresistible charm when they teased others on purpose.
Although she was aware that Xander understood her intentions and merely cooperated with her theatrics, her heartstrings were still tugged on like a piano’s strings.
Hearing them calling each other so sweetly elicited a beaming expression on the old lady’s face. She teasingly waggled her eyebrows at Arianna and smiled so wide that her teeth were fully visible.
Arianna’s face turned red after being teased.
She cleared her throat slightly and said, “Are you busy tonight? If you aren’t… Can you come back for dinner? Grandma King misses you.”
Upon seeing the expectant look in the old lady’s eyes, Arianna bit her lower lip and added another sentence, albeit very softly,
“I… miss you too.”
Sure enough, Grandma King nodded and was immensely pleased.
Then came more silence. Was Xander disgusted by her words?
Arianna was not as worried as before. Since Xander already knew that Grandma King was there, he would definitely find an excuse not to come back. Everything would be settled just like that!
As much as she did not want to deceive the old lady, she was married to Xander in name only.
Before she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Xander immediately replied,
“Alright. I’ll be back for dinner tonight.”
Arianna’s eyes widened in disbelief. She hurriedly sought to make up his words, “Aren’t you…busy?”
Xander seemed to chuckle on the other end and his voice became much gentler, “No matter how busy I am, I will always have time…to keep my wife company.”
The word ‘wife’ seemed to roll off his tongue and sounded extremely ambiguous.
Arianna was completely stunned.
She did not expect Xander’s acting skills to be so top-class, to the point where she…was nearly smitten by his sweet words!
Arianna was still finding it hard to snap back to her senses even after the call ended.
Grandma King was obviously ecstatic after hearing how sweet the couple’s conversation was.
She grabbed her and said,
“Arianna, you have no idea how happy I am after seeing the two of you being so sweet with each other!
“Don’t worry, I’m a considerate person. All Souls Day is just a few days away, and I have to go back to the old mansion for a few days to burn some incense for my late husband. I’ll leave with Aunt Julia later tonight. Have a nice candlelight dinner with Xander later and spend the next few days in your own little bubble with each other. Most importantly, you have to put in some work! Make sure that you’ll have a little Ari or a little Xander in your stomach by the time we come back!”
Arianna forced out an awkward smile. She had no choice but to go along with the old lady's enthusiasm.
“Okay, we… We’ll work hard.”
“Do your best! Good luck!”
Grandma King made a cheering gesture, then got up all prim and proper before calling out for Aunt Julia, “Julia, get the car ready! We’re heading back to the old mansion!”
Certainly! Here's the passage with the names changed to Arianna and Xander:
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Arianna stood at the door and watched as the car carrying Grandma King and Aunt Julia disappeared down the road. She couldn't help but shake her head and laugh.
The one consistent trait about Grandma King that never changed over the years was her impulsive nature.
Arianna and Xander’s pretense had achieved its intended effect—at the very least, Grandma King no longer suspected them to be incompatible.
She took out her cell phone and called Xander again.
Since the old lady had returned to the mansion, Xander had no reason to come back and continue the charade. That would save both of them the trouble of pretending to be affectionate with each other at home.
The phone rang until the dial tone was cut off, but no one answered it at all.
Arianna frowned. Was Xander busy?
After a moment’s thought, she drafted a text to explain the situation and sent it to Xander.
At least she did her part to notify him!
When she was about to put away the phone, she unknowingly glanced at the date on the screen and suddenly remembered something… It was her birth date on the lunar calendar.
She usually celebrated her birthday based on the dates of the Gregorian calendar, while her birthday on the lunar calendar was reserved exclusively for her celebration with Xander.
So many things had happened recently that she had forgotten all about it. After standing motionlessly for a moment, Arianna turned and went back into the house.
Grandma King and Aunt Julia used to be around all the time, and Xander only came back occasionally. Before, Arianna never truly felt the vastness and emptiness of the villa. Now that there was no one around, she couldn't help but feel the daunting expanse of the villa.
She seemed to be much sadder that day, perhaps because it was her birthday on the lunar calendar.
It seemed as though she still longed to have a home with a real family… The house did not need to be big or luxurious. All Arianna needed was for her family to love her and for her to love them…
At least there would be people who remembered her birthday and spent it with her.
Arianna exhaled slightly, tried her best to put on a smile, then walked toward the kitchen.
She might be alone, but she insisted on living a good life and would never treat herself badly.
Who said that birthdays had to be celebrated with a huge group of people?
She could always have a good time all by herself!
