Chapter 433
433
Noticing Silvia’s persistent gaze , Aria asked , “ What are you looking at ? ”
Silvia blushed slightly and said , “ Aria , you’re incredible ! I would’ve been in real trouble today without you . ”
Aria responded with a flat “ Mm , ” her tone devoid of warmth .
Aria felt nothing in particular about it . She would’ve done the same for anyone else . It didn’t take much effort , and it helped Amanda out anyway .
Aria didn’t feel like staying with Silvia . She deliberately walked to the other side of the room and picked up a small cake to nibble on .
Seemingly oblivious to her coldness , Silvia trailed after her and asked softly , “ Aria , do you like sweets ? ”
Aria found it odd that Silvia had followed her , but still answered curtly , “ Quite . ”
Silvia asked gently , “ Aria , do you have any allergies ? ”
“ No , ” Aria replied .
“ Aria , dò you have any favorite foods ? ” Silvia asked softly .
Aria shrugged . “ Anything’s fine .”
“ Aria , ” Silvia asked softly , “ you’re my lifesaver , May I bake some desserts and send them to you as a thank you ? ”
“ No need , ” Aria replied .
The wine – tasting event finally ended . Aria couldn’t wait to get out of there .
The constant sound of “ Aria , ” echoed in her mind like some kind of auditory torture .
Aria thought , ‘ How come I never realized before that Silvia could be this annoying ? ‘
Ward’s Winery’s signature wine gift set was specifically designed as a luxury present for affluent clients , so it came with a premium price tag .
Giving a set to every guest – one could only imagine the staggering financial loss .
Without a moment’s hesitation , Amanda ordered the staff to deliver every variety of wine from Ward’s Winery to Aria’s place – the rarer and more precious the vintage , the more bottles she sent over .
Barry’s eyelids twitched . “ Amanda , Dad’s going to kill you for this ! ”
Amanda scoffed , “ If it weren’t for Aria , the Ward family would be dragged through the mud on social media for who knows how long ! If you can’t even spare a few bottles of wine , we might as well shut down the business ! ”
Barry silently shut his mouth , swallowing his words .
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Ever since his cousin , Katrina , became Johan’s student , her status had skyrocketed . No one in the family dared to pressure her into an arranged marriage
anymore .
After that , the arranged marriage fell to Amanda .
But Amanda had never been one to swallow insults . If she refused , no one could force her .
But if she refused to comply , the responsibility would just fall to her brother .
News of the incident at the Ward family’s wine – tasting event spread quickly . The moment Silvia arrived home , her family gathered around her with
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concem — then , almost as an afterthought , asked if Aria was hurt .
She shook her head , a lump forming in her throat .
‘ Aria lives all alone , ‘ Silvia thought . If something happened to her , no one would even know . ‘
All the concern that should have gone to Aria has ended up on me instead . ‘
‘ I have to make this right , ‘ Silvia resolved .
Silvia looked up and said softly , “ Mom , I’d like to learn baking . Could you find me a teacher ? ”
Zoe looked at her , puzzled . “ What’s with the sudden interest in baking ? ”
Silvia smiled . ‘ I’ve got nothing better to do anyway !
Zoe said gently , “ Alright , sweetheart . I’ll arrange it for you . ”
Arriving at Mayen Garden , the driver returned the car keys to Aria before leaving .
Aria walked inside . Liam hurried after her , calling out , “ Aria ! ”
Aria paused briefly before continuing inside . Liam broke into a run , cutting her off . “ Can we talk ? ”
Aria replied coldly , “ No. Not interested . ”
Panicking , Liam instinctively grabbed her wrist . “ Aria , I swear , I didn’t know anything about what Hannah did ! ”
Aria shot him a frosty glare . “ And ? ”
Her eyes held nothing but impatience .
Liam searched Aria’s eyes for any affection , but there was none .
He looked a little dejected . “ Aria , I just want to make it clear that Hannah and I didn’t get together until after you saved me . ”
Spotting the scene from a distance , Owen braked abruptly and pulled over , then strode quickly toward them .
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