A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer The Back Up Novel

Chapter 7

It was wonderful to hear that Ms. Torrey would be joining them. "Ms. Torrey, this way, please," Emily said, politely gesturing toward the car. Ariana could empathize with Gwen's anxiety. The final deadline loomed tomorrow, and if Brian chose not to invest, the Torrey family would face utter bankruptcy. Understanding Brian's likely thoughts, she relented and said, "Fine. I'll come along." Emily stepped aside, allowing Ariana to enter the car. As she climbed in, the adoring smile on Gwen's face transformed into a sneer. "Pretending to be high and mighty, huh? She ends up getting into Mr. Lodge's car anyway."

They arrived at the Lodge residence twenty minutes later. Emily guided Ariana into the mansion. The moment she stepped inside, a wave of familiarity washed over her. In her past life, she had shamelessly moved into the Lodge residence, tirelessly attending to Brian and Belinda's every need. All it had brought her was humiliation and misery. Each corner of the mansion bore the marks of her past lowly self and the torment she had endured.

Ariana walked in with a cold expression. She noticed the dining table was empty, devoid of any dinner preparations. Belinda sat on the couch in the living room, smiling warmly and waving Ariana over. Brian seemed to have anticipated Ariana's arrival; he sat there with a flash of mockery in his eyes. She had flirted with William during the day and was now currying favor with Belinda at night. How insatiable could she be?

"Ariana, you're finally here! You have no idea how much I've missed you these days. I haven't been eating or sleeping well, and the same goes for Brian," Belinda exclaimed. Across the room, Brian frowned, clearly disagreeing with Belinda's words. Ariana did not believe for a second that Brian was yearning for her return.

With a smile, she asked, "Why have you been asking for me, Mrs. Lodge Senior?"

"Brian has been craving lamb crown roast lately. He's never satisfied, no matter how our chef prepares it, and he thinks yours is the best. Why don't you make dinner tonight? I happen to have an event this evening, so you can stay the night as well."

Ariana sneered at her words. So, that was why she had been summoned—to cook for Brian. Of course, this was all too familiar. In her past life, Ariana had foolishly believed that the way to a man's heart was through warm and comforting meals. Being able to cook for Brian had felt like an immense privilege. Preparing a lamb crown roast was a tedious task; she had never been in the kitchen but had painstakingly learned the technique from a master chef just to satisfy Brian's picky palate. Often, she had injured her hands in the process, but Brian had responded to her sincere efforts with nothing but disdain.

"I'd gladly prepare the dish for Mr. Lodge," she replied, "but I hurt my hand today, so I'm afraid I can't do that."

"You're hurt? What happened?" Belinda reached out to inspect Ariana's hand when Brian interjected with a sneer, "What else? She must've hurt herself slapping someone."

"Slapping someone?" Belinda echoed, frowning.

Brian glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's . There's no point in me staying since Ms. Torrey can't cook. I'm leaving."

He turned and headed for the door, but Belinda called out coldly, "If you step out of this house today, don't bother coming back!"

Brian halted in his tracks.