Revenge marriage to my ex-husband’s Rival

17.

Beatrice watched her walk away, her back straight and confident, as she got ready to face whatever ugliness waited for her downstairs.

She wanted to hate her, to blame her for not letting things go and not understanding the weight of her own struggles. But deep down, Beatrice knew that Aria was right. It was unreasonable of her to ask Aria to give up her friendship with the one person who’d remained loyal to her, just for her, a friend who’d remained the most disloyal. It just didn’t make sense for anyone to agree to such a thing.

But she couldn't ignore what she saw when she looked at Finn looking at Aria. He was absolutely mesmerized..like he would give her his heart on a silver platter were she to just ask. It was a look he’d never given her. Sure they had some chemistry, and their s*x life was on fire, I mean the man didn’t just look like a s*x god, he had moves like one too, but that deep, soulful connection was missing. She couldn't compete with the way Aria seems lit up Finn's world. She never could compete with Aria even as little kids, and now almost twenty years after, she still hasn’t won even once against her.

Beatrice felt a surge of jealousy and resentment, but also a deep sense of conflict. If Aria didn’t compromise, she would lose Finn, and that would be a big problem at home. Her family was counting on this match, and she truly loved him, despite everything. I mean who wouldn’t. Finn was everything she’d ever wanted, practically a dream come true. He made loving him very easy.

She stood there, torn between her loyalty to her family and her lingering friendship with Aria. Could she let go of Finn and the future she had envisioned with him for the sake of her friendship with Aria? Or should she fight for him, even if it meant hurting the only true friend she had ever had?

However, the thought of losing Finn completely paralyzed her. Could she really risk losing him forever? The man who brought light to her darkest days? The man her family needed her to secure for their future? But could she let Aria down the second time? The woman that was like a sister to her? She just didn’t know what to do…she thought as she broke down in sobs.

Meanwhile, Aria who had had enough of the conversation, forced herself to think of anything but Beatrice, but as a result she was forced to address the one other thing that dominated her thoughts all night. Sebastian Beau Leclair.

He wasn’t going to come, she concluded. Why would anyone be a good 4 hours late. She had arrived quite late herself, the auction having already begun, but now they were rounding everything up and he still wasn’t here. And because she was hoping to start the planning phase with him tonight, she hadn’t counted on any alternative on the impossible chance that he might not show up.

Oh what a fool she’d been. Now she had no time to think of something that would make the evening not be a complete bomb. What’s the point of her grand re-debut to society if it would just fall flat due to the absence of her key partner in this venture? Aria’s mind raced as she descended the staircase, the murmur of the crowd growing louder with each step. She needed a plan, something to salvage the evening and ensure her return was as impactful as she had envisioned.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the room seemed to shift. Eyes turned toward her, some curious, some envious, and some still carrying that hint of schadenfreude. She ignored them, her focus narrowing on the task at hand. If Sebastian Beau Leclair wasn’t going to show, she would have to improvise.

But she didn’t have time to do much, when the strong fragrance of perfume swept over her before the woman even approached, and she turned, her smile flat on her face as she looked at the woman standing way too close to her, a wide grin on her face, but Aria was all too distracted by the smudge of red lipstick on her teeth.

“If it isn’t Aria Moretti,” the woman smiled, she looked around the same age as Aunt Marie, wearing clothes fitting for a generation or two younger than her as she sizzled up to her. “My name is Dahlia, but everyone calls me Dee. I must say, You look absolutely stunning tonight, you’re the talk of the evening..”

Aria’s smile remained tight as she surveyed Dahlia, noting the overly familiar tone and the conspicuous smudge of red lipstick on her teeth that seemed to grow every time she smiled. Despite the woman’s seemingly warm welcome, something about her approach felt insincere. And besides, no one in these circles was ever truly sincere.

“Thank you, Dahlia,” Aria replied, her voice courteous but guarded. “I appreciate the compliment.”

“No, I mean it. And you’re so very strong too..” She added, looking at her meaningfully as if she was supposed to grasp something.

“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?” Aria asked in confusion, trying to keep her annoyance at bay.

The woman’s eyes burned with sheer delight at the realization that Aria didn’t know, and she would be the one to divulge the news, getting front row seats to her reaction. “Oh you poor thing..” she tutted her head in exaggerated sympathy.

“Why Henri Delarney and his shy bride seemed to have made a grand entrance just a few minutes ago, didn’t you know?”

Aria heart skipped a beat, as she turned to look at the woman a little too sharply. “Wh-what did you say?” She asked, breathless as an indescribable feeling churned within her gut till she felt nauseous. This cannot be, she thought. It just can’t. It might’ve been a year, but she was not ready to face him yet. No. The whole reason she accepted the Chalini’s invitation was because he wouldn’t be here, so why? What the hell was going on?

Dahlia’s eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction as she watched Aria’s reaction. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I not mention that? Yes, Henri Delarney and his bride have just arrived, though I wouldn’t call her a bride..I overheard they made quite the entrance.”

Aria’s mind raced, her pulse quickening as she struggled to maintain her composure. Wait..what the hell was she doing? Breaking down in front of this nasty unknown woman who wanted to see her do just that? She was not about to give Dahlia the satisfaction of seeing her unravel. With a determined effort, Aria straightened her posture and forced a calm expression onto her face.

“Thank you for the information,” Aria said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I need to attend to a few things now.”

Dahlia’s smirk widened, clearly enjoying the discomfort she had caused. “Of course. I’m sure you have a lot on your plate. Good luck with everything.”

Aria didn’t even want to know why a random woman was bringing her such news and finding relish in her discomfort. When you’re as big and powerful as her family were, it was natural to garner some haters. She was actually glad someone broke it to her, instead of being caught off guard by the sight of the cheating bastard and his lying w***e.

As Dahlia sauntered off, Aria took a deep breath, trying to center herself. This was very bad. She felt Sebastian’s absence the most now. With him, she wouldn’t have been ashamed to meet Henri in any condition whatsoever, but now she was alone. The first time she is to meet her lying Ex-husband after a year, it had to be when she was at her lonesome, without a date or company, what a disastrous turn of events. She could feel the weight of the room pressing down on her, the eyes of the guests still glancing in her direction with a mix of curiosity and speculation. She had to maintain her composure, not just for herself, but for the success of the evening.

Aria took a moment to gather her thoughts. If she was to face Henri tonight, she needed to be in control. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions dictate her actions. She glanced around, her mind racing with potential strategies.

She couldn’t very well approach other gentleman now, it would just seem like a desperate move not to appear lonely by her remarried ex husband. But she couldn’t very well ask Finn to be her date again, especially with this complicated business with Bea. She hated this, hated that she had to appear with a man just to prove her worth. The expectation that she needed a man to validate her presence, to prevent her from being seen as pathetic or insufficient, grated on her nerves.

Aria’s frustration simmered the more she thought of it. The idea of having to appear with a man simply to avoid seeming lonely, to avoid the whispers and judgments that would inevitably follow, was deeply infuriating. It was a reflection of a society that still clung to outdated expectations, where a woman’s worth and social standing were often measured by her association with a man. It was sickening.

She took another deep breath, feeling like she was going to puke, the room closing in on her. Why? Why was she panicking? It was irrational, yet she couldn’t stop the turmoil burning in her. Why did he still bother her so much? Why did just the mention of him be able to reduce her to such a state? How was she supposed to have her revenge on him when the very presence of him, even in news and rumor, seemed to unravel all her carefully constructed plans?

She took another deep breath, but she hadn’t even released it, when she heard it. A light giggle, that punctured through the din of the crowd to reach her ears. She turned, slowly, almost mechanically, her breath still caught in her throat.

It was a sound that she recognized, a sound that dredged up memories she would rather forget. Aria’s eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the source of the unwelcome noise.

And then she saw them, it was almost anticlimactic how she suddenly caught sight of them. They stood together, his hand on the small of her back watching her adoringly as she giggled again.

The pain struck so strongly and so suddenly at the sight, that she gasped in confusion, her eyes unable to look away, uncaring of the million eyes on the room, feeling like she was back in the Delarney Mansion, watching Henri break her heart all over again.