All of a sudden, she thought about how shameless Kandice was.Even after Archer had made his feelings so obvious, Kandice still acted like she didn’t get the message. Clueless and relentless, she kept throwing herself at him—like she had any right to. He was already married. To her.Frustration bubbled up inside her.She clenched the front of his shirt, tugging him toward her. She didn’t have much strength, but the moment Archer felt her pulling, he leaned in willingly, pressing himself firmly against her.A low chuckle rumbled from his chest—deep, rich, almost musical in the way it echoed through her. No instrument in the world could mimic that sound.But right now, that chuckle only made her more annoyed. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did he have to look like that—so effortlessly tempting?He didn’t even have to try, and yet women like Kandice were still falling all over him. It was infuriating.“She likes you way too much. I’m kind of mad,” she muttered, cheeks flush
Kandice shook her head, so Marianne assigned her to ride in Richard and Yvonne’s car instead.Kandice was fuming.Richard and Yvonne weren’t Archer’s parents—cozying up to them wouldn’t help her at all. Why would Marianne stick her in that car?And from the look on her face… was Marianne actually acknowledging Aria? Was she taking her side now?Marianne didn’t bother to guess what Kandice was thinking. She simply got into the car with Grace and didn’t say another word until they were already on the road. Then she asked, “After what you saw today, the way Archer looked at Aria—do you still think you can oppose them?”Grace stayed quiet.After what happened today, what could she even say?Even if she wanted to object… what good would it do?She had never seen Archer like that before. Not once in all these years. And even if she wanted to step in, did Archer even listen to her anymore?Marianne didn’t push for an answer. She let the silence stretch.—Meanwhile, Aaron took Melv
Marianne chuckled lightly. “Well now, since we’ve all bumped into each other, why don’t you two girls come by our place for a bit?”“Sure!” Kandice agreed so quickly, it was like she was afraid the invitation would be taken back.Marianne froze.She really did want to take it back.It had just been a polite gesture. Anyone with half a clue would’ve known not to take it seriously. Most people would’ve laughed it off or politely declined. But Kandice accepted it like she genuinely didn’t know any better.Ruby was stunned too. She had fully intended to decline, but before she could even open her mouth, Kandice had already jumped in.Anyone listening could tell Marianne hadn’t meant it. It was the kind of empty courtesy people say all the time—like, “Let’s grab lunch sometime!” with no real plan to follow through. No one actually takes it literally. No one asks, “Great, how about next Tuesday?”Now, watching Marianne awkwardly frozen in place, unsure how to respond, Ruby just wanted
“In public, behaving like this—do you want the whole world laughing at the Duncan family?” Robert snapped, glaring at them. “If Aria were just some random girl, maybe it wouldn’t matter. But once people remember who she really is, how do you expect us to hold our heads high?”Grace let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thankfully, no one had recognized Aria today. Otherwise, this would’ve been a complete disaster.“It’s not just the family they’ll be gossiping about,” she said more gently. “Aria, with your background, the rumors won’t stop. And you’re a woman—it’s already harder for you. If something goes wrong, people will blame you long before they ever blame Archer. You really need to think this through.”Off to the side, Kandice sat silently, gloating inside.Watching Archer fawn over Aria earlier—so shameless, like he’d completely forgotten where they were—had stunned her. The man who always seemed so composed and untouchable had turned into some lovestruck fool. She couldn’t help w
If it had been a more private moment, Aria might’ve let it go. But now? With so many people around—the Duncans’ elders, the grandparents, his parents—every pair of eyes was watching. Her cheeks burned as she whispered, “I’ll feed myself.”But Archer caught her hand before it reached the strawberry. His dark eyes locked onto hers, intense and unwavering, making her heart race until she felt faint. That gaze—hot and focused—always left her completely defenseless.“Don’t fuss,” he murmured, his voice low and husky with just a hint of mischief.Aria couldn’t get a single word out. She wanted to ask who exactly was fussing here, but the strawberry was already brushing her lips. Its sweet scent lingered in the air, and its juicy red tip left a soft stain on her mouth.He gently pressed it against her lips again, urging her to take a bite.Aria was too embarrassed to look at anyone, especially the elders. She could practically feel Kandice shooting daggers at her from behind. But Archer
Aria swallowed the last bite of rice slowly, her lashes lowering slightly as they fluttered with quiet restraint.She had no trouble seeing through Kandice’s little performance. The girl had shown up uninvited, practically glued herself to the spot, and now sat here pretending everything was perfectly innocent—when in reality, she still hadn’t given up on Archer, even though he was clearly with Aria now.And now she had the nerve to accuse her of being rude?The hypocrisy made Aria want to laugh out loud.Kandice thought Aria was about to argue back. In fact, she’d already prepared a whole speech, hoping to use it to ruin Aria’s image in front of the Duncans.But Aria didn’t even spare her a glance. Instead, she turned to Archer, lifted a brow, and asked lightly, “Was I really that rude just now?”Archer cast a brief, uninterested glance at Kandice—so fast it didn’t even last a full second—before shifting his gaze back to Aria’s wind-reddened face.“No,” he said, voice low and m