Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 104

Aria's POV

I woke up to the insistent ringing of my phone. Groggily, I reached for it on my nightstand, my mind still fuzzy with sleep.

"Just waking up?" a familiar male voice asked, though in my half-conscious state, I couldn't immediately place who it was.

"Who is this?" I mumbled, sitting up in bed and pushing my tangled hair from my face.

"Seems Miss Aria is truly busy with important matters, when you previously mentioned I could contact you again for freelance work."

My brain finally kicked into gear as recognition dawned. "Julian?!"

"Congratulations, Miss Aria, you guessed correctly." His amused tone made me flush with embarrassment.

"Do you need something?" I asked, the last traces of sleepiness evaporating.

"Of course. My concert tour next month starts in New York, and I need piano accompaniment for two songs..."

He let the implication hang in the air, but I understood immediately. A concert tour...

I bit my lip, hesitating for only a second before declining: "Sorry, you'll have to find someone else for this."

"The compensation is generous," Julian countered smoothly.

I sat up straighter against my headboard. "It's not about the money. You know I'm married now. I can't be too high-profile!"

After Aiden had swooped in like my personal hero yesterday, how could I turn around and perform at Julian's concert? We'd already sparked rumors once before. Working together again just wasn't appropriate.

Julian chuckled softly through the phone. "Well, I guess someone else will have to earn that three hundred thousand dollars."

"Wait! Did you just say three hundred thousand?" My jaw practically hit the floor.

"The company approved a three hundred thousand dollar budget for the guest performer at this concert."

"..."

"When exactly is your concert? And which two songs need piano accompaniment?"

"Do you have someone to recommend?" he asked innocently.

I cleared my throat, embarrassed. "What about... me?"

Julian burst into laughter, taking a full five seconds to compose himself. "Ahem. Weren't you just saying I needed to find someone else?"

I felt my ears burning as I scrambled to save face. "Well, I was just thinking more carefully. This is your first stop on the tour—you need to start with a bang! You need perfection! You know my professional qualifications, right? There aren't many pianists with more credentials than me. And think of the publicity value!"

"Looking at it now, I'm really the best fit for your concert."

"You're right. The company approved that budget because I submitted your name," he admitted.

I didn't catch on at first, automatically responding, "Exactly! They must recognize my commercial value."

I might not want to be part of the entertainment industry, but that didn't mean I'd pass up entertainment industry money! Playing accompaniment for two songs and earning three hundred thousand dollars? I'd be stupid not to grab that opportunity!

"So you're accepting then?" Julian confirmed.

"Yes, yes! Just send the contract to Summer and we're good to go."

"Alright."

Just as I was about to say goodbye, Julian asked unexpectedly, "The payment was quite tempting, wasn't it?"

"...It's hard not to be motivated by that kind of money!" I admitted.

"I knew money would move you."

Since my true motives were already exposed, I dropped all pretense. "Well, Mr. Julian, please remember me for future opportunities like this!"

"Don't worry. There aren't many pianists with more credentials than you, right?" he echoed my earlier words.

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