CHAPTER 94
Her first task was to determine who Arianna was to Xander.
Arianna's gaze finally turned to Tiana's face.
Although Tiana had tried her best to feign ignorance, she couldn't escape Arianna's perceptive stare. Tiana clearly knew who she was but persisted in pretending otherwise.
Xander's response was unlikely to be pleasant, and Arianna wasn't about to give him that chance. She smiled calmly and replied,
"I... Mrs. King invited me. I'm staying here as her guest," Arianna asserted.
A flicker of intensity passed through Xander's eyes as he absorbed her words. His lips quivered slightly, hinting at a suppressed smirk, yet he maintained his silence.
"Is that so?" Tiana struggled to conceal her emotions behind a courteous smile, finding it more difficult as the conversation progressed.
In her thoughts, she suspected that Arianna had proclaimed herself a guest without proper invitation. Perhaps she couldn't let go of Xander and was leveraging Mrs. King's fondness to stay close to him—using the elderly woman as a means to rekindle their relationship!
How audacious!
Deep inside, Tiana looked down on Arianna and subtly raised her chin. She spoke with a hint of condescension, "Let me introduce myself, Ms. Jackson. I’m Tiana, Mr. King’s…assistant."
Before saying the word ‘assistant’, Tiana deliberately elongated her tone, adding a layer of ambiguity.
It could easily be misinterpreted.
At that moment, Arianna was absolutely certain that Tiana was the same woman who answered Xander’s call that day!
She knew that Xander had many close female friends, but she couldn't comprehend why he had brought Tiana along.
It was clear that Arianna couldn't confront Xander directly in front of Tiana. She subtly pursed her lips and simply replied, “Oh,” without making a fuss. She avoided looking at that unpleasant man and turned back towards the house.
Tiana was puzzled by Arianna's lack of reaction.
What did it mean? Did Arianna disrespect her? Or did Arianna still think she had a chance to outshine her? What was happening!
Tiana turned to Xander and playfully remarked, “Mr. King, this Ms. Johnson... seems quite relaxed... It's almost as if she considers this place her own.”
She was insinuating that Arianna — besides being rude — was behaving as if she owned the house despite being just a guest.
Tiana knew that Xander was deeply averse to such behavior from women!
Xander glanced at her sidelong. The intensity in his eyes deepened, masking his thoughts entirely. His lips parted slightly as he asked, "Is that so?"
Tiana couldn't discern if he sounded pleased or angered. His moods were often inscrutable, leaving her uncertain how to proceed in conversation, occasionally causing her apprehension.
Luckily, Xander didn't seem to pay much attention to Arianna. The subject was dropped, and he entered the house with confident strides.
Tiana felt immensely relieved because Arianna appeared insignificant in his eyes!
It was crucial for her to capture Xander's heart while tending to his needs. That was the only path to becoming his rightful partner!
Tiana began walking and followed Xander inside.
In the dining hall,
Arianna sat back down and gazed at the beautifully set candlelit dinner. Her appetite had vanished long ago, and she couldn't bring herself to eat any more.
The mix of anger and sorrow she felt was overwhelming, all because she was reminiscing about that despicable Xander.
She was the sole keeper of the cherished memories from her lunar calendar birthday. Those were the days that had once been solely for her and Xander.
It wasn't so much that Xander forgetting was a big issue, but what made matters worse was him bringing another woman home that day!
Unfortunately, Xander was the owner of the villa, and Arianna had no authority to prevent him from bringing guests. She didn't even have the right to voice her objections.
Why should she let him ruin her birthday mood? She wasn't going to allow that!
Arianna took a deep breath, gripped the knife and fork tightly, and began cutting into the steak. The force she exerted was so intense, it felt as though she was slicing through Xander himself rather than the steak!
Footsteps approached, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled back. Xander had taken his seat across from Arianna.
Arianna kept her eyes on her plate and continued eating her steak.
Soon after, she felt Xander's eyes on her. He spoke in his smooth, melodic voice, "I'll be staying here for the next few days to rest."
After a brief pause, he added without hesitation, "And so will Tiana."
