Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 206

Aria's POV

Julian tried to comfort me, but a wave of guilt still washed over me. Blame it all on Summer! If she hadn't planted that ridiculous idea in my head, I wouldn't have spent the entire afternoon wondering if Julian had a crush on me.

"What's wrong? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help," Julian said, his eyebrows raised as he scrutinized my face.

I took another sip of water, then looked up to meet his gaze. "It's nothing, I just need a little more time to adjust." After a brief pause, I added, "Julian, can I ask you something... personal?"

I usually don't pry into other people's private lives, but I needed to clear this up before I could focus on the afternoon shoot.

He asked, "What kind of question requires such a disclaimer?"

My cheeks burned. "It's about your love life."

Julian's expression froze, and then he looked down at the sports drink in his hand. "Go ahead," he said.

"Do you have someone you like?" I asked, finding this a more subtle way to phrase it. After all, directly asking if he liked *me* would be too blunt. It would make things awkward for everyone. And besides, I still couldn't believe Julian would be interested in me. We had known each other for a while, but we'd only worked together a few times this year. Julian couldn't possibly have fallen for me at first sight, could he? He wasn't that superficial!

Julian raised an eyebrow at my question but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze on my face again, studying me intently. Why was he staring at me? Was he trying to figure out if I was being nosy or trying to extract information? His burning gaze made my heart pound, leaving me extremely uncomfortable.

"If you don't want to answer, you don't have to," I added nervously, forcing an awkward smile. "It's just... my friend is a huge fan of yours and asked me to ask." *Please say something! Don't let this awkward silence continue.*

Julian observed my discomfort for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Yes, I do have someone I like."

"Really?" I exclaimed, my eyes wide with surprise.

After the initial shock, anxiety crept in. What if the person Julian liked was actually *me*? Oh god, I was already married! My heart pounded – not from excitement, but from nervousness and unease. I gripped the sports drink tighter in my hand. I wondered how I would refuse him if he just came out and told me he liked me.

"What would you do if the person you like doesn't like you back? Actually... I'd advise you to keep quiet. Pretend nothing ever happened."

Julian finished his drink. "I wouldn't stay silent. I'm pursuing her. Once I win her over, I'll invite you to the wedding." He then added, "Just relax, don't be so stressed. I'll go talk to the director." With that, he turned and walked away.

As he left, I noticed he crushed the empty bottle in his hand.

I watched his retreating back and let out a long sigh of relief. So, he meant he liked someone else, not me? Oh, that's great. A wave of profound relief washed over me instantly.

I motioned for Summer to come over. She hurried towards me, water bottle in hand. "What were you two just talking about?" she asked eagerly. I had previously signaled for her to stay back, and she had been waiting patiently in the distance.

"I just asked him if he had someone he liked," I explained.

Summer stared at me in disbelief. "Aria! If you directly asked him that, wouldn't he get the wrong idea?"

Just then, Julian and the others were walking over. I reluctantly turned to face them, stiff with embarrassment and shame. "My... my husband came to pick me up."

Julian nodded. "Then we'll head off now." He walked towards the business van parked across the street. Summer and Elena exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving.

Aidan watched Julian's van drive away, his expression unreadable, before turning his attention back to me. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Anything. I'm starving," I replied honestly.

He smiled. "You've worked hard today, Mrs. Carter."

His praise made me feel a bit awkward. "It wasn't that bad, really."

I followed him into the car, utterly exhausted from the day's shoot. The driver thoughtfully adjusted the air conditioning, making the car comfortably warm, even though I was only wearing a short-sleeved top. I glanced at the driver in the front seat, hesitated for a moment, then couldn't resist leaning into Aidan, resting my head on his shoulder. "I had such a shock today! Summer actually told me Julian liked me!"

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I looked up at him and recounted the misunderstanding that had happened earlier. "...Good thing I asked him directly. Otherwise, it would have been too awkward."

Aidan put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "And if that *were* true, what would Mrs. Carter do?"