The Reborn Wife Of The Tyrant CEO
Chapter 313 - 309

Chapter 313: Chapter 309

Ever since that call, my communication with Damon had dwindled to almost nothing besides necessary interactions.

I didn’t idle about it, though. After settling the Morse family’s folks, I started digging for dirt on FarHorizon Group. If they were into money laundering, they must have some weak spots.

Still, I had no clue when I would stumble upon these weak spots.

"Ms. Brooks, your mom wants her phone back now. She wants to chat with some friends. What should I do?" Hannah approached me nervously.

"I’ll invite her friends over for dinner and a chat. Tell her that the doctor advised her to avoid overworking her brain. We’ll return her phone when she’s feeling better, save her from straining her eyes," I advised Hannah.

Hannah nodded, knowing full well that this was a temporary solution. My mom would grow suspicious eventually.

Armed with some documents from home, I had James drop me off at a gathering.

Ethan orchestrated the party. I knew beforehand that I’d be running into some faces I’d rather not see.

Sure enough, Nancy, Ariel, and Karen were present when I arrived. Thankfully, Damon wasn’t.

Nancy was really bold, openly hanging out with Ethan despite being married. She seemed utterly indifferent to the gossip.

"Ms. Brooks, you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat," Nancy greeted me with a phony smile.

I returned the smile and sat down, facing Ariel.

Ariel glanced at me. To my surprise, her gaze wasn’t filled with the usual jealousy and hostility. Instead, she looked calm and smug, like a winner.

Seemed like Damon had been treating her well over the past few days, or she wouldn’t look so smug.

The thought of Damon sacrificing his comfort because of me made me feel a bit guilty. Yet, a part of me felt he deserved it. Who asked him not to let go of me?

This gathering was clearly a setup. Ethan , a seemingly polite and cultured man, had a cunning aura about him.

He seemed to have conveniently forgotten about drugging me and was still eager to collaborate with me.

The conversation at the gathering revolved around our future cooperation. FarHorizon Group was not only collaborating with my company but also with Soul Enterprises.

These guys had no genuine intention to cooperate. They merely wanted to harm me. Therefore, I took everything they said about business with a grain of salt.

"Excuse me, I have to take this call," Ariel suddenly interrupted, her face glowing with joy.

"Is it Damon? Go ahead," Nancy said, smiling.

I watched silently as Ariel happily answered the call, even putting it on speaker as if to make sure I heard everything

Damon’s voice always had a special texture that was pleasant to the ears. He asked, "Where are you?"

"I’m having dinner with mom and dad," Ariel said, referring to Nancy and Ethan as her parents with ease.

"When will you finish? I’ll pick you up," Damon said, prompting Ariel to glance at me, seemingly searching for my reaction.

I lowered my head, avoiding her gaze, taking a gulp of my drink.

Now, Damon was the one being proactive. I felt a pang of discomfort. While I had hoped Damon would use Ariel to find Ethan’s weakness, he had always been reluctant, even preferring a more direct approach.

Hearing him speak so gently to Ariel was startling. It reminded me of a time when I overheard him talking to Ariel like that.

I was slightly dazed. It felt like I was thrown back in time.

"It might take a while. Have you finished your meeting?" Ariel asked, her entire aura radiating happiness.

"It’s over. Tell me where you are," Damon’s voice remained gentle.

"I’ll text you later. Don’t come over too soon. It might be awkward," Ariel hesitated.

Damon just laughed and said, "Don’t worry. What could possibly make me feel awkward? I’ll be there soon."

With that, he hung up. Ariel blushed, her happiness apparent as she said, "He’s really attentive nowadays. Can’t help it."

"That’s great. You two are getting closer. Maybe you could consider getting engaged soon," Nancy suggested.

Rumor had it that Damon and Ariel were engaged before, which fell through. If it happened again, Ariel would be the laughingstock.

"Sure, we’ll see what he decides," Ariel responded.

The taste of the alcohol lingered on my tongue, but I felt no burn. Damon’s voice and tone echoed in my mind.

Was I jealous? The sudden realization took me aback.

Damon had once blamed me for not being jealous, yet here I was, consumed by envy.

How could this happen? I was slightly perplexed. I tried to brush off the jealousy brewing within me.

"Let’s not discuss personal matters now. Ms. Brooks is here. I hope our companies can cooperate happily and mutually benefit," Ethan turned the conversation back to business.

"Sure, Dad. I understand," Ariel responded.

"Here’s to a fruitful collaboration," I raised my glass, plastering on a polite smile, careful not to reveal my inner turmoil.

Damon would arrive soon to pick up Ariel. I didn’t want to run into him, lest our eye contact give away our little secret to Ethan and Ariel.

So, after finishing most of my drink and wrapping up the conversation, I got up to leave.

"Eliana, I’ll leave with you," Ariel stood up as well. "Damon should be here soon. I’ll wait for him downstairs."

Wasn’t this just her being spiteful? I knew it full well, but I still didn’t refuse Ariel. "Alright, let’s go."

We both went down the stairs, crossed the fancy hotel lobby, and got to the main entrance.

Throughout the whole process, Ariel didn’t say a word, which was way off the norm.

Now that she considered herself Damon’s lover, she thought I had already lost, so she didn’t feel the need to mock me anymore. Wasn’t this just how it was in my past life? Damon was protecting her, so she didn’t need to confront me head on. All she had to do was hide behind Damon, and she could easily win the war.

Maybe this feeling made it easy for me to slip into the dissatisfaction from my past life, and my mood suddenly became very irritable.

Damon’s ride was already here. His speed was really something, like he was in a hurry to pick up Ariel and scared she might have to wait too long.