Her tone was cold and placid, but it only made Damian Xavier's expression darken.
"Because of that Julian Grant, you forgot our date?" Damian Xavier looked as if he'd been utterly humiliated.
Aria Sterling calmly met his gaze, her tone distant. "I didn't have any date with you. You decided on your own that I was going to your house. I never agreed to it."
Damian Xavier stared at her, his deep, dark eyes filled with a probing intensity, as if trying to see right through her.
But no matter how sharp his gaze, Aria Sterling met it head-on, her expression unchanging, showing no trace of fear or guilt.
His sharp brows furrowed in displeasure. The next moment, his handsome face was suddenly right in front of hers.
Before she could even process what was happening, his lips were on hers.
The kiss was so abrupt that Aria Sterling was left completely stunned. She only snapped out of it when his tongue tentatively probed her lips, and she immediately tried to push him away.
But the man had no intention of letting her go, and his kiss only grew more intense.
SLAP.
He released her, his eyes glinting with a bone-chilling coldness.
A clear red handprint now adorned his perfectly chiseled face. Aria Sterling had clearly not held back.
"You dare hit me?"
In his entire life, Damian Xavier had never been hit. And on the face, no less!
"You were taking liberties. A slap is getting off easy." Aria Sterling shot him a cold glare, then turned and walked through the main gate.
Damian Xavier stood frozen, touching his stinging right cheek, his eyes turning dark and inscrutable.
The moment Aria Sterling walked in the door, she saw Freya Langdon standing there, an expression on her face like she was enjoying a good show.
"Well, well, Eldest Miss Sterling is home. Young people these days are so open, aren't they? Putting on a love triangle drama right on the doorstep for all to see." Freya Langdon's voice dripped with sarcasm and smug satisfaction. She had clearly seen everything.
Aria Sterling scoffed. "Hah. A love triangle is still better than being married and living like a lonely widow."
The words struck a nerve. Freya Langdon bristled. "How dare you speak to me like that?! I'm your elder! You wretched girl, all you know how to do is seduce men!"
Aria Sterling was completely unfazed. Her tone was so cold the air seemed to chill. "I'm only polite to elders who deserve the title. You don't qualify."
She then took a few steps closer, deliberately lowering her voice to a whisper near Freya Langdon's ear. "And speaking of seducing men, I doubt anyone would want you, even if you tried."
With that said, she watched Freya Langdon tremble with rage for a moment before turning and heading up the stairs.
Freya Langdon stood in the main hall, fists clenched, glaring at Aria Sterling's retreating back. She silently vowed to find an opportunity to teach that girl a lesson.
Back in her room, Aria Sterling immediately opened her email. Just as she'd expected, the information she was waiting for was there.
She had obtained a recording of Colin Sterling selling her story to a reporter.
With this evidence in hand, she could finally seize the initiative.
Aria Sterling quickly edited a short audio clip and sent it to Colin Sterling. Then she turned off her phone and went to bed, completely satisfied.
By the next morning, her phone was flooded with missed calls from Colin Sterling.
There were messages, too.
But Aria Sterling hadn't replied to a single one.
'Let him stew for a while.'
Aria Sterling got up, changed her clothes, and drove straight to the office.
When Colin Sterling heard she had arrived, he immediately rushed to her office door.
"Mr. Vaughn, are you looking for Mr. Hayes?" Mia asked as she stepped out of Aria Sterling's office, seeing the grim-faced Colin Sterling approach.
Colin Sterling glanced at her. "Yes. I need to speak with her."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vaughn, but Mr. Hayes said he isn't seeing any visitors right now."
Colin Sterling's expression soured. "I'm not a 'visitor'."
As he spoke, he moved to open the door to Aria Sterling's office, but Mia was quicker and blocked his path.
"Mr. Vaughn, please don't make this difficult for me. Mr. Hayes said he won't see anyone at all."
Mia looked troubled, but she didn't back down an inch.
Colin Sterling snorted. "Fine! So even the dogs Aria Sterling trains have this much backbone. Fine!"
"Let's see how long she can hide!"
Colin Sterling's face was a wonderful sight, livid with rage.
'How could he have ever imagined that a recording of his call with the reporter would end up in Aria Sterling's hands?'
'Just how many tricks did Aria Sterling have up her sleeve that they didn't know about?!'
Colin Sterling left in a fury.
Meanwhile, inside the office, Aria Sterling casually opened the cooperation agreement with Zentex.
The factory incident had put this matter on hold, and the contract still hadn't been signed.
This contract was also the reason she hadn't exposed Colin Sterling yet. She would let him run wild for a few more days.
Aria Sterling arranged a time with Victor Lawson to sign the contract. He chose a golf course as the venue.
Early on a weekend morning, Aria Sterling changed into a crisp white athletic outfit, tied her hair in a high ponytail, and drove to the golf course.
Julian Grant was already waiting at the entrance when she arrived.
As it so happened, this golf course belonged to Julian's family, so Aria had mentioned the meeting to him.
Unexpectedly, he said he hadn't played golf in ages and insisted on coming along.
Aria Sterling, of course, had no objections.
When she pulled up, Julian Grant called a staff member over to valet her car.
Before she even reached the tee box, Aria Sterling spotted two people with Victor Lawson.
Damian Xavier, dressed in black casual wear, and beside him, Mya Walsh in a floral, ruffled-sleeve maxi dress.
Mya Walsh, wearing a large sun hat and sunglasses, stood beside the tall Damian Xavier with a sweet smile on her face, occasionally exchanging a few words with Victor Lawson.
Just then, Damian Xavier looked over in their direction, his eyes meeting Aria's.
His gaze instantly turned cold when he saw Julian Grant standing beside her.
Mya Walsh took off her sunglasses, revealing a perfectly made-up face.
Aria Sterling raised an eyebrow, sensing the unfriendly stare Mya Walsh was giving her.
Unbothered, she walked over and greeted Victor Lawson politely. "Mr. Lawson, you're here early."
Victor Lawson gave Julian Grant a meaningful look and chuckled. "Well, seeing as you two came together, it's understandable that you took a little longer."
Aria Sterling immediately knew he was mistaken from his suggestive tone and look, but after a glance at Damian Xavier's icy expression, she decided not to explain.
"I need to have a quick chat with Mr. Xavier. You all can get started."
Aria Sterling nodded, watching as Damian Xavier and Victor Lawson walked away towards the clubhouse.
Just then, Julian Grant's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, excused himself to Aria Sterling, and hurried outside to take the call.
Suddenly, Aria Sterling and Mya Walsh were the only two left on the tee box.
Seeing Mya Walsh's eyes fixed on Damian Xavier's retreating figure, Aria Sterling couldn't help but feel a little curious.
"He's only been gone for a second. Do you really love Damian Xavier that much?"
She hadn't intended to ask, but it seemed there was something more than just deep affection in Mya Walsh's gaze.
Mya Walsh pulled her gaze away from his back and looked at Aria Sterling, her face a picture of bashful adoration. "Yes, I love him very much. And I believe he loves me very much, too. He's been so busy lately, so I cherish every moment I get to spend with him."