Chapter 20 I am seriously tempting
Aria's mother, Carla, slowly opened her eyes, responding weakly to Max's worried calls. "Mom, you finally woke up! We were so worried," Aria said, tears rolling down her face.
Carla reassured her children, "Hey, hey, stop crying. I'm here; I didn't go anywhere, okay? You should stop crying, or Mama will be sad." Aria and Max calmed down, and Carla hugged them tightly.
"Come on, come let's hug my two huge bears," Carla said, smiling. Aria and Max rolled their eyes good-naturedly, not liking the nickname.
Aria asked, "Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you sick? Is that why you fainted?" Carla hesitated, not wanting to worry her children. "Of course not. I was walking, and my head accidentally hit the wall, so I fell unconscious. That's all; you don't have to worry, okay? I'm perfectly fine."
Carla's children believed her, relieved. Max hugged his mother tightly, saying, "Mom, I was so scared. I don't want you to leave us, especially me. Mom, I can't live without you."
Carla reassured him, "My, my, you make me cry, Max. I also can't live without you, my son. I love the two of you more than anything in this world."
After their emotional reunion, Carla suggested they cook dinner. As they ate, Aria couldn't help but think of Ace. She smiled, feeling excited about their new relationship.
Meanwhile, Ace was smiling to himself at home. He gifted his brother a new ball and lay on his bed, still grinning. "Why didn't I get her contact? Now I'm thinking of her, but can't call her. How did I become so dumb?" He chuckled, attributing his forgetfulness to love.
The next morning, Aria and Ace were eager to go to school, hoping to see each other. However, they didn't meet until lunchtime, when Aria and Helena headed to the lunchroom.
Helena mentioned feeling unwell, and Aria expressed concern. Helena asked if Aria had seen Ace, and Aria replied that she hadn't. Helena teased Aria about missing Ace already.
Aria defended herself, saying she had every right to miss him. Helena joked about Aria giving herself to Ace, leaving Aria stunned and embarrassed.
As they ran to the lunchroom, Ace suddenly appeared, saying, "Good for you; I'm seriously tempting, yeah?" Aria and Helena were caught off guard, their faces turning bright red.
Manson added fuel to the fire, saying, "Oh, Aria, don't be red; we understand. Yes, we seriously understand. I know my friend is so tempting, yeah, seductive."
Aria and Helena were mortified, struggling to come up with an explanation. Aria attempted to cover, saying, "No, she meant we suit each other, hehehe."
Ace teased, "But we clearly heard 'tempting.'" The atmosphere became awkward, with neither the boys nor the girls knowing what to say.
As they sat at their table, Aria and Helena lowered their heads, eating in silence. Meanwhile, Diana watched from afar, smiling to herself as she remembered her plan to sabotage Aria and Ace's relationship.