Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 74

Aria's POV

The shrill ring of my phone shattered the moment. Aiden and I froze, our bodies still intertwined, breaths heavy with unfulfilled desire.

"Ignore it," Aiden murmured against my neck, his voice rough with need.

But the persistent ringing continued, and something told me I shouldn't ignore this call. With an apologetic glance at Aiden, I reached over to the nightstand.

"It's Lillian," I said, recognizing the caller ID.

Aiden sighed and rolled onto his back beside me, his muscled chest rising and falling with each frustrated breath. I couldn't help but admire his perfect form as I answered the call.

"Hello?"

Lillian's voice exploded through the speaker, a stream of creative profanity directed at Diana Hayes. I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"Lillian, please calm down," I said, pulling the sheet up to cover myself, suddenly feeling exposed despite being alone with my husband.

"Calm down? I can't calm down! Have you seen what that bitch posted about you?"

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Check your Instagram. I'm sending you the link now."

My phone buzzed with her message. I opened it to find a trending hashtag: #AriaCarter'sPrivilege

At first glance, I couldn't tell if it was positive or negative, but clicking through revealed a flood of hateful comments. I scrolled through them, my stomach sinking with each swipe.

"Oh my god," I whispered.

Aiden propped himself up on his elbow beside me, his brow furrowed with concern. "What is it?"

I held up a finger, asking him to wait as I continued reading. It didn't take long to piece together what had happened.

Apparently, Diana Hayes had thrown a tantrum backstage when she learned she wouldn't be performing at the charity event.

She'd stayed there making a scene for half an hour until the event started. When she saw me take the stage, confirming she'd truly been replaced, she'd stormed out in a rage.

And then she'd gone straight to social media with a thinly veiled attack:

"Some piano player thinks she's so special, huh? Win a few meaningless awards overseas and suddenly you're untouchable? When your talent can't compete, just use your connections. Amazing what I'm learning about this industry."

Her fans had quickly identified me as the target and within an hour, Diana had the top trending topic while I held second place—both full of attacks against me.

"She uses charity events to show off her privilege? This world is doomed!"

"Well done, Miss Carter, married well, didn't you?"

"Who does Aria Carter think she is? Diana has real fans! Some nobody piano player dares to steal the opening performance? The audacity!"

The comments were overwhelmingly nasty, though a few voices attempted to defend me:

"Look up Aria's awards before commenting. Those aren't prizes anyone can just buy."

"Whatever else happened, her piano skills are undeniable. She's internationally acclaimed, just not well-known domestically because she hasn't promoted herself here."

These rational responses were quickly buried beneath waves of hatred. They were even dragging up my history with Liam, using it as additional ammunition.

I felt my mood plummet. Why was I being attacked when I'd done nothing wrong?

Just then, Aiden's phone buzzed from somewhere on the floor. With a sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and stood, his naked body moving with effortless grace as he walked across the room to pick it up.

I glanced away, heat rising to my cheeks. But my mind wasn't on his body—it snagged on something else. On what he'd said in the car.

"Next time, I want to be the first person you call. No matter how minor the issue seems."

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