The next morning, after showing Victor Lawson and his team the remaining sites, Aria Sterling headed back to The Sterling Group.
As soon as she returned to her office, her assistant hurried in.
Aria Sterling asked as she took off her coat and hung it on the rack,
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
The assistant shook her head. She first told Aria Sterling about how Colin Sterling and the others had been gossiping in the office the day before, then mentioned that Damian Xavier had also come by.
Aria Sterling frowned.
"What does Damian Xavier want with me?"
"He said he came to discuss a partnership."
'Is he nuts?'
'I went to him to discuss the deal and he refused to sign. Now he comes chasing after me to The Sterling Group, and even lectures Colin Sterling and his cronies. What on earth is he trying to do?'
"Forget him. For now, focus all our efforts on the Zentex project." Aria Sterling nodded. "Zentex will probably try to haggle for a lower price."
The assistant was instantly displeased.
"How can they do that? The price we offered is more than fair. They still want to push it down? Have they no shame? If they insist on lowering the price, what should we do? Should we give up on the partnership, or…?"
Aria Sterling picked up a small silver spoon and gently stirred the black tea in her cup, her pale, slender fingertips looking as cool and elegant as jade.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and said,
"Of course we're not giving up. But I won't budge by even half a percentage point. If he actually gets his way, then I'll have been sitting in this CEO chair for nothing."
"Okay, that's all. You can go."
The assistant left.
Colin Sterling and his group didn't come to bother her either.
Aria Sterling worked all day, and when it was time to leave, she shut down her computer and went out for dinner.
But she hadn't expected her luck to be so good that she'd run into Damian Xavier's fiancée.
"Well, well, look who it is. Isn't it Aria Sterling?"
Aria Sterling frowned at the speaker. The woman looked unfamiliar and rather plain; Aria was sure she'd never seen her before.
The person next to her, however, she knew all too well.
Mya Walsh.
Mya Walsh was wearing a blue Armani dress and carrying a basket-style Hermès bag. A matching set of diamond jewelry adorned her neck, wrists, and ears, making her look utterly resplendent and aristocratic.
"What are you looking at? You think I'm Mya? That I'll be all sweet and polite to you even after you stole her fiancé? Dream on." The woman glared viciously at Aria Sterling, her voice filled with indignation.
"And which family are you from?"
Aria Sterling asked coolly, looking at the woman who had spoken.
Mya Walsh offered a graceful smile tinged with helplessness and apology.
"This is the daughter of the Bell family of Southpeak Interiors. Hannah has always been brutally honest. Please don't take it to heart."
'Mya Walsh chose her words well,' Aria thought. 'Calling her "brutally honest" was a nice touch.'
Aria Sterling scoffed.
She ran a hand through her long, flowing hair, a knowing look appearing in her beautiful, fox-like eyes.
"So, you're Miss Wallace. I've heard so much about you. Now that I've seen you in person, you truly live up to your reputation."
Hannah Hale froze. 'Aria Sterling has heard of me?'
Aria Sterling's lips curled into a smirk.
"At the last banquet, my uncle introduced us. I had the pleasure of a brief meeting with Young Master Creed."
The Young Master Creed she was referring to was Connor Creed, the eldest son of the Carmichael family.
The Carmichael family had previously intended to arrange a marriage with the Bell family. However, just days before the engagement, at her bachelorette party, Hannah Hale got a little too wild, had a one-night stand, and was caught in the act.
At the mention of Connor Creed's name, the color drained from Hannah Hale's face.
"I was drunk! Someone set me up! I was the victim! Don't you stand there spouting nonsense!"
Aria Sterling nodded, feigning sudden understanding.
"Oh, so you were set up. I heard that after your marriage prospects with Young Master Creed fell through, you were still entangled with that man for quite a long time. If you hadn't mentioned it, I might have thought you rather enjoyed yourself."
Aria Sterling's words were like a knife, slashing at Hannah Hale's heart and pride.
They left her reeling in pain, with no way to retaliate.
"What nonsense are you talking about! What right do you have to slander my name!"
"Miss Wallace, we're just having a chat. Why get so worked up? If you prefer to get physical, I'll have to call the police. Then the Bell family will have yet another scandal for people to gossip about."
Aria Sterling crossed her arms. There was a captivating glint in her eyes, and her calm demeanor was all the more infuriating to witness.
Hannah Hale was so enraged she lost all composure, lunging forward and raising her hand to slap Aria Sterling.
"Bitch."
Aria Sterling didn't flinch. Just as Hannah Hale's hand was about to connect, she sneered, raising her own hand to block it—but she never got the chance.
A large hand had shot out and clamped firmly around Hannah Hale's wrist, stopping her arm mid-swing.
She whipped her head around and saw that the one who had stopped her was none other than Damian Xavier!
"D-Damian Xavier! What… what are you doing here?"
Damian Xavier sneered. "If I hadn't come, how could I have seen such a good show?"
His grip was so strong it felt like he was about to crush her wrist.
Hannah Hale's face went pale with pain, and she couldn't help but let out a pained groan.
"Mr. Xavier, she was bullying Mya! I couldn't just stand by, I wanted to teach her a lesson."
Damian Xavier flung her hand away, then took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his own hand in disgust.
When he was done, he tossed the handkerchief into a nearby trash can.
Mya Walsh immediately walked over and took Damian Xavier's arm, her smile as sweet and gentle as ever. "Damian, how did you know I was here?"
Damian Xavier looked at Mya Walsh, his gaze deep.
"Kevin Keane told me you were shopping in the area, so I came over."
"Hannah and I were out shopping when we happened to run into Miss Sterling. Hannah and Miss Sterling had a bit of a conflict, but it's all a misunderstanding. We were just trying to talk it out."
Aria Sterling stood with her arms crossed, waiting to see just how far Mya Walsh would take her lies.
The rims of Mya Walsh's eyes turned red. She lowered her head, putting on a look of self-blame.
"I just thought, since we all know each other, there was no need for things to get so unpleasant. I tried to mediate with Miss Sterling, but I suppose I said something that upset her. Hannah couldn't bear to see me wronged, so she stepped in to defend me."
She spoke lightly, but subtly shifted all the blame onto Aria Sterling.
Aria Sterling idly toyed with the silver bracelet on her wrist, her voice languid and revealing no emotion.
"Miss Shaw, if we're going by your logic, then Miss Wallace calling me a bitch and accusing me of stealing your fiancé was all perfectly justified because she was defending you? If that's the case, does that mean I can just slap you whenever I see you? After all, when Damian Xavier and I were married, you were nowhere in sight. If we're being honest, you're the one who interfered in our relationship."
Mya Walsh's heart sank.
"You must be joking, Miss Sterling. Hannah was just being impulsive, that's why she said things that could be so easily misunderstood. I apologize on her behalf. Please, forgive her."
Mya Walsh moved to Damian Xavier's side, naturally taking his arm as she spoke in an incredibly gentle voice.
"Damian, please say something. I promise I'll have a serious talk with Hannah later."
Damian Xavier shot a cold glance at the flustered Hannah Hale standing nearby, his eyes dark and inscrutable.
"Apologize to Aria Sterling."