CHAPTER 31

This was a call from Ariel. The fact that Damon picked up so quickly showed how much he valued this call. Anytime, anywhere, as long as Ariel called him, he would answer immadetaly Even when I, his wife in name, was right beside him, he didn't give a damn. "What's up? Don't cry," Damon's voice was gentler than I had ever heard, "Just stay put I will be right there" After hanging up, Damon promptly pulled over and turned to me, "You can take a cab home, or I can call someone to pick you up" "What happened?" I asked curiously "Something I need to deal with," Damon replied impatiently "Where? Take me with you. I'm not doing anything right now," I stubbornly refused to get out of the car I thought Damon would refuse, but to my surprise, he turned and looked at me, a cruel smile flickering in his eyes, "You really want to come?" If it was Ariel in trouble and he was going to help, I would only witness his care for another woman and feel the sting of jealousy Damon loved to make me uncomfortable, to make me regret marrying him. I answered curtly, "Let's go." Damon said no more. He stepped on the gas, and we were on the road again. Finally, we pulled up outside a mall. I got out and looked around, but Damon was already walking inside. I followed him in, all the way up to the sixth floor, which yes filled with all sorts of eateries. There was a commotion at a Japanese restaurant, seemingly some sort of incident. I didn't go in, just watched from a distance.

Five minutes later, Damon and Ariel came out together. Ariel looked like she had been crying her eyes red Damon reached out and gently stroked her hair, as if he were petting a cute kitten. He even slightly bent down to listen to Ariel attentively

He had always been the subject of various scandals, so he didn't care about being seen in public now. My heart was empty. I tried to ignore my feelings, took out my phone, took a picture, and then turned to leave. As I was waiting for the elevator, I overheard some people discussing what had just happened in the Japanese restaurant. Apparently, Ariel was dining there and found worm eggs in the salmon. She complained to the restaurant owner and ended up in an argument, even being locked in the kitchen. Such a little girl, needing big shot Damon to handle even a small problem. And the worst part was, Damon seemed to enjoy it. I hailed a cab home and sent the photo I had taken to Jones. It was only when I got home that I received his reply: ?

I didn't even know why I had sent him the picture. Was I hoping for his sympathy? Just then, Sofia called, "Eliana, are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes, what's up?" I asked. "Come with me to try on engagement dresses. Ace and I are getting engaged next weekend and planning the wedding for the end of the year", Sofia's voice was cheerful, radiating happiness. "Sounds good,. Just text me the address. Let's meet at eight in the morning, okay?" I replied. "Alright!" Sofia quickly hung up and texted me the address of a bridal shop. I rubbed my temples and walked into the living room. I felt worn out. Cherry and another housekeeper were cleaning. They both greeted me when they saw me come I lay on the sofa, eyes closed, the image of Damon stroking Ariel's hair playing on loop in my mind. It was a tenderness I had begged for ten years to receive, yet Ariel got it so easily, and she didn't even ask for it. "Cherry, I want to ask you something." I opened my eyes and saw Cherry on the floor, wiping the legs of a table. "Yes, ma'am?" Cherry answered respectfully. I thought for a few seconds, then asked, "I have a friend who is still in college. She has a very good boyfriend, they're about the same age and their relationship is great. But recently, there's a married

man pursuing her. She seems to be hesitating. Do you think she should choose her boyfriend, or the married man?" Cherry and the other housekeeper looked at each other before answering. "Of course her boyfriend! A girl shouldn't have anything to do with a married man!"

"What if the married man is richer than her boyfriend and is constantly pursuing her?" I continued probing "She should still reject him. She would be morally bankrupt and would be breaking up a family. Plus, what good can come from a man who cheats?" Cherry was getting heated, it was clear she strongly believed in what she was saying. That whole family has a strong moral compass, so why did everything change in my past life? I admired Damon, He had single-handedly distorted their moral compass. The other housekeeper also chimed in indignantly, "You can't be the other woman. No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she's the other woman, she's nothing but a homewrecker!" Cherry must've thought about her daughter, because the person I described was very similar to Ariel, except she didn't know there was a married man chasing Ariel. She tried to probe, "Ma'am, how old is your friend…?" i casually replied, "She's a senior, graduating next year." Cherry visibly relaxed. "Alright, Cherry, go make dinner," I ordered. It was already evening. All I wanted to do was eat something and then lie in bed, not thinking about anything. I fell asleep on the sofa, only to be woken up by Damon, "Eliana Brook, wake up!" groggily opened my eyes to see Damon's cold face. He was holding a lipstick, the one I had left in his car today. He found it so soon?

Damon must've driven Ariel home from the mall. Otherwise, he wouldn't have found the lipstick so quickly. I pretended to be clueless, sat up and rubbed my eyes, "What's up?"

"Did you leave this in my car on purpose?" Damon threw the lipstick at me, full of sarcasm, "Weren't you waiting for me to divorce you? Weren't we supposed to find other people? Why are you playing these games now?" Picking up the lipstick, I replied calmly, "It's just a lipstick. Why are you making a big deal out of it? It's not like I left poison in your car." Damon looked at me gloomily. "Stop playing dumb." "Oh, so the little miss you helped out today saw it, did she? Was she mad?" I apologized nonchalantly, "I'm really sorry. I'll be more careful next time." "Don't use your dirty tricks on her, or don't blame me for giving you a hard time." Damon seemed worried that I would take more drastic measures against Ariel. I gave a bitter laugh, "Don't worry. I didn't go into the sushi restaurant with you today, nor did I see your girlfriend. I don't even know who she is. How could I possibly do anything to her?" Damon would definitely protect Ariel well. Today's incident would definitely not be exposed to the media, otherwise, Ariel's reputation would be damaged. Damon turned and went upstairs, his back exuding a chill. He had finally waited for Ariel to take the initiative to ask him for help. Their relationship had just gotten a little closer because of this, but as soon as Ariel got in the car, she found another woman's lipstick and thought about the fact that he was already married. Immediately, the distance between them widened again, so it would be weird if he wasn't angry.