Chapter 3: Lucas' infidelities

Aria was getting rid of her clothes when her phone rang. She snorted,

not wanting to pick it up, but it was Robin, her assistant. Robin wouldn't call if it wasn't relevant. Instead of picking the phone up, she picked up the call and turned on the speaker.

“Yes?” She said in a stiff voice as she kept trying to get rid of her clothes.

“Aria, your father is also here.”

“What?” Aria screamed. “Are you certain?” She asked in a panicky voice.

“I am sure. I saw him leave the restaurant after Lucas.”

“Where is he now?”

“I think he is on the way to your room. You should find anywhere to go right now except your room. He looks furious.” Robin reported with a worried voice.

“Oh no! Get my car ready. I will be coming out now?” She yelled into the phone.

When the phone rang, Aria had already removed everything except for her bra, which was what she was unhooking when the call came in. After speaking with Robin, She rehooked the bra and started picking up her clothes, piece by piece, she wore them back. She was very fast and before long she was back in the sitting room, with a flat heel, this time. Taking a deep breath, Aria unlocked her door and froze. Her father was standing behind the door. She was not fast enough.

“Dad!” Aria screamed in shock as she almost ran into his face.

His dark, grim face.

Aria backed up into the room and Anthony followed silently.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Aria asked as she schooled her face and body to calm down, pretending to be surprised.

“What do you think?” He sneered as he walked past her and settled into a couch.

Seeing how there was no way she could get around this confrontation, Aria decided to go all out from the very beginning.

“He was with a hotel maid two hours before our meal." She started. "They did it in the room he rented at Pines Hotel!” Aria briefly explained and paused to see how he would react.

On a good day, Aria wasn't a woman whose feathers could easily be ruffled. But this was her father in his angry mode. Furthermore, she had promised him that she would marry the next man she finds. If she had known that he was here, she would probably have accepted the ring and later found a way to dispose of it. This situation wasn't good at all.

“You promised to stop nitpicking your men.” Anthony gruntled after a bit. He thought that Lucas was a good man and was happy to let his daughter marry him. He was even the one who hurried Lucas into proposing. But what sort of man goes whoring before proposing to their girlfriend? Such trash. Not even for a moment did Anthony doubt Aria's accusations. This was his daughter. He knew her inside out. But even then, that trash was better than nothing. He was from a decent family and if not that Aria was always obsessed with knowing everything about her spouses, it wouldn't have mattered if she didn't know.

“Dad, That's not all.” Aria pouted obstinately, seeing how she was losing him. Just by looking at his expressions, Aria could figure out almost all of her father's thoughts.

Anthony groaned and relaxed on the couch. He closed his eyes and waited for her to continue. What was done couldn't be undone. He came here intending to talk her into going back to take the ring, but after what Lucas did, Anthony didn't dare to tell his daughter this. He would have to wait until she calms down.

Aria walked over to him and sat on a couch facing him.

“He has six girlfriends, a toy boy, and a child.” Aria was cautious while mentioning the child, hoping it would be a dealbreaker for him. When Anthony's eyes snapped open, Aria signed in relief. She was right, Anthony was now even angrier than her.

"Are you sure?' Anthony sat up and glared at Aria.

“I have both video and picture evidence of both his infidelity and that child. You know I don't do things by halves.”

“That bastard!” Anthony roared.

“I was going to marry him as promised, but I was hoping he would tell me about the child first. He didn't.” Aria quickly followed up, intentionally riling her father up.

Anthony was silent and in deep thought after he heard his daughter's words. Finding a man who doesn't cheat is like finding a needle on an ocean floor. It's near impossible. Even though Anthony wasn't happy that Lucas had that many girlfriends, — he could accept and work with that. He would have let Aria calm down for a few days, then talk to her again. Anthony was sure that if he threatened her with the CEO position she and her sister are competing for, she would do as he says. But now that he found out that Lucas has a child outside of marriage and didn't tell his girlfriend of 15 months, Anthony's plans changed. Anthony was ready to overlook the cheating, but will never force his daughter to marry a man who already has a family. That is a disaster waiting to happen.

After concluding within himself, he heaved and stared Aria down.

“Okay.” He nodded and signed. “What will you do now?”

“Aaah… I will get another man, I guess.” Aria shrugged. She was yet to think that far. Presently, she was just relieved that she broke her promise and gotten away with it.

Anthony shook his head in resignation. He was so done with the way his daughter changes men like changing cars. When he first noticed, he didn't think much of it. She was young and beautiful, after all. Even when she dropped that sack of potatoes called Peter of Cambridge or was it Waterbury? Anthony couldn't remember again. He never approved of the man anyway.

He started worrying when she got to her mid-twenties and was still the same. Anthony can't remember any man ever breaking up with Aria. She was the one always initiating the breakup. Yes, the men cheated, yes, her reasons were always valid, but how could a woman be that cold and unbothered? Once Aria decides she doesn't want a man again, she would give everyone a cold shoulder. Anthony had never seen a heartbroken Aria before. Once she breaks up with a man, the cool and aloof Aria would be gone, replaced by some stranger who would announce the breakup on social media, asking the netizens to give her privacy then proceeding to take a month or two off work. She would travel and vlog it. Post the vlog on social media, thereby giving the netizens enough ammunition to start world war three against herself. After doing this for like two months, she would disappear from the public eye and only appear when she gets into another relationship. They have called her a gold digger. Accused her of every crime related to love and relationships, and urged her exes to sue her in court. Some were even crazy to the point of suing her on behalf of her Exes. Anthony was tired. All those scandals didn't affect the family business. It gave them lots of visibility, but a good name is something everyone desires. Aria was a good girl through and through, but very misunderstood because she didn't care for what people said.