That night at the dining table, Aria stared at her food silently, her head lowered. She lazily pushed the fork across her plate, appetite completely gone. No one spoke; the silence felt heavy.
Noah glanced at her, he could tell she was in a bad mood. For once, he kept quiet throughout.
"Aria has agreed to marry Adrian," Vanessa suddenly announced.
Tiffany and Richard suddenly froze, stunned at what they just heard.
"Really, sister? Thank you so much!" Tiffany burst out, clapping her hands.
"I can't imagine getting married to that ugly womanizer. Sister, all the rumors I heard about him are so scary…" Tiffany shivered dramatically.
Aria slowly lifted her head. Tears gathered in her eyes. They weren't scared for her, they were delighted she was the one ruining her life for them.
"Aria, thank you. You've made me so proud," Richard said with a genuine smile.
Vanessa shot Aria a sharp look and signaled her to smile.
Aria forced a small smile at her father, though her chest felt tight.
Noah watched everything quietly. His shoulders dropped with sadness. He put down his fork, got up, and pushed his chair back.
"I'm not eating anymore," he said softly, walking away despite his mother calling his name.
"What wrong with him?" Tiffany asked frowning
Richard continued as if nothing had happened. "I'll inform the Sterling family that my daughter has accepted the marriage alliance."
After dinner, Aria went straight to her room. The moment she closed the door, she leaned her back against it, and then the tears burst out uncontrollably. She slid to the floor, clutching her chest as it stung with pain. Her mind replayed the events from that afternoon.
Flashback
"The man you're getting married to is Adrian Sterling, the first grandson of Harold Sterling," Vanessa announced.
"You don't need to worry about whether they'll like you. They were the ones who wanted this marriage to happen in the first place. Trust me, they'll treat you well. Luxury will be all yours for the rest of your life." With a satisfied smile, Vanessa rose from the bed.
"Next week we're visiting them to discuss the wedding plans. Before that, we'll pick the perfect wedding dress for you," she added before walking out of her room.
As the door shut, tears spilled from Aria's eyes. Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone, thinking of calling Rowan. It trembled so badly she nearly dropped it. Vanessa's threats echoed in her head, stopping her from calling him.
Later, she decided to search on Google about Adrian Sterling the grandson of Harold Sterling, hoping to find it there
Just as Vanessa said. Again he was 26 years old. But there were no pictures of him online. Only rumors… endless rumors repeating the same cruel words:
"He's ugly, disgusting, according to those who've seen him."
"He sleeps with different women every day."
"A complete womanizer."
"Ugly and shameless…"
A knock on the door snapped her out of her spiral.
She wiped her tears quickly, stood up from the floor, and opened the door.
Noah stood there in his blue pajamas, holding a teddy bear, looking adorably sad.
"Noah…"