Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 271

Aria's POV

I felt like a fish about to be dried out when Aiden finally released me. My entire body burned hot, my breathing shallow and erratic like it might stop at any moment. My legs had turned completely useless—I would've collapsed if Aiden wasn't holding me up.

I stayed nestled against his chest for a while, waiting for my rapid breathing to slow down. When I finally felt somewhat normal again, I lifted my head slightly to peek at him.

"Don't you need to get back to the office?" I asked, my voice still raspy.

His eyes darkened as he looked down at me. I knew I must've been a sight—face flushed, eyes still misty. I felt exposed under his gaze.

Aiden's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before deliberately turning away. He let out a small laugh. "Lucas must be extremely grateful to you right now."

"What?" I blinked in confusion.

"For reminding me about work right after we've been intimate," he clarified with amusement dancing in his eyes.

I felt my cheeks heat up even more. "Well, you did mention having an important meeting later..."

Aiden checked his watch before leaning down to press a gentle kiss on my forehead. Then he released me from his embrace. "I should head to the office now, Mrs. Carter."

I touched the spot where his lips had been, feeling embarrassingly shy as I glanced up at him. "Okay, I'll walk you out."

"Weren't you feeling tired?" His smile was tender as his large hand caressed my cheek. "Why don't you get some rest?"

My mouth opened to protest, but a yawn escaped instead, betraying me completely. I covered my mouth, mortified, then quickly retreated to the bed. Pulling the thin blanket over myself, I asked, "So I should just go to sleep?"

"Sleep well, Mrs. Carter. Have a good nap."

"You too—I mean, have a good afternoon," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

I heard Aiden's footsteps move across the room, then felt him adjusting the blanket around me. I opened my eyes to find his dark gaze studying me.

He reached for the remote and closed the blinds, dimming the room. "Sleep," he said simply before leaving, quietly closing the door behind him.

As he descended the stairs, I heard Aiden speaking with Nanny, our housekeeper.

"Sir, should I prepare afternoon tea for Mrs. Carter?" Nanny asked hesitantly.

"No need," Aiden replied, his voice carrying faintly up to me. "Make some soup instead, and keep dinner light tonight."

"Of course, of course," Nanny replied quickly.

After Aiden left, the bedroom fell completely silent. The drowsiness that had been tugging at me became overwhelming. I yawned again, glancing around the now-darkened room before my eyes drifted closed and sleep pulled me under.

I slept deeply, not waking until after five in the evening. The sky was still bright outside when I opened my eyes. I grabbed the remote to open the blinds, then sat on the edge of the bed, swinging my legs until I felt properly awake before reaching for my phone.

My screen was filled with unread messages. I opened my messaging app, replying to Dad's texts first, then answered Summer's messages. Finally, I clicked on Lillian's conversation.

Her first message from over an hour ago read: "Aria, are you home yet?"

Then more messages from thirty minutes ago: "OMG! Wasn't Julian on your flight? Did you run into him? He's trending right now saying he wants to date someone! Has he secretly found someone??"

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