Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 209

Aria's POV

Aidan and I had finally smoothed things over. He didn't let his serious side resurface, but our time together was cut short as he left for a business trip. As for Julian, I opted to avoid him entirely.

There was no way I could ever develop feelings for him.

Yet, some encounters were simply unavoidable.

Today, he sent me the final edited version of our promotional video.

His message was brief: "Final version complete." I quickly replied with a "thank you" emoji and downloaded the video.

"Hey? Aria, come back to Earth!" Lillian waved a hand in front of my face.

I quickly shut off my phone screen. "Sorry, I zoned out for a moment."

"What were you thinking about?" Lillian raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Already missing your husband?"

My cheeks flushed. "No, it wasn't that."

"Don't be embarrassed; there's nothing awkward about it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? If Aidan wasn't on a business trip, I wouldn't have had the chance to have dinner with you tonight!"

Lillian's comment successfully diverted my thoughts from Julian. I figured it was best to keep avoiding him—after all, it was unlikely we'd collaborate again.

"After this, want to go shopping?" Lillian leaned forward excitedly. "The fall collection just launched this week. We could check out Global Shopping Mall."

With Aidan away, the thought of returning to an empty mansion alone felt depressing. "Sounds perfect."

After lunch, we headed straight to the mall. I was driving the Maserati my father had given me – the first time I'd driven it since receiving it. The sleek sports car purred softly beneath my hands, but I drove with extreme caution, terrified of scratching its beautiful paintwork. Everything went smoothly until we prepared to park. I spotted an empty space and was carefully backing into it when a Ferrari suddenly swerved in and snatched my spot.

Lillian sprang out of the car, her face crimson with anger. "What the hell? We were clearly going for that spot!"

The Ferrari's door swung open, and a stylish young woman emerged, deliberately taking her time to remove her designer sunglasses. She scanned Lillian dismissively. "Just because you saw it first doesn't mean it's yours."

Another woman stepped out of the passenger side, her head down, fiddling with her phone. "Come on," she mumbled without looking up, "don't waste our time on them."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and walked over to Lillian. "That spot was mine."

The driver rolled her eyes dramatically. "So what? Is your name written on it?"

Her companion finally looked up from her phone and squinted when she saw me. "You!"

Lillian stepped in front of me protectively. "Who do you think you are, pointing at her like that?"

I recognized her instantly and let out a dry laugh. "Miss Duncan, are you drunk driving again today?"

The woman—Vivian Duncan—recoiled, remembering our last encounter when she had rear-ended my car and tried to pin the blame on me. My assistant had called the police, who then discovered she was driving under the influence. Vivian glanced back at our car, her face darkening. "Why don't you call the cops again? See if I care." She grabbed her friend's arm. "Let's go, I've had enough of these people."

They strode away haughtily, leaving us stuck in the middle of the road. Cars behind us honked impatiently. Lillian looked ready to chase after them, but I tugged on her sleeve. "It's not worth it. Let's not stoop to their level."

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