Chapter 16
“Ariana, did he apologize?” Belinda asked.
With Belinda questioning her like that, Ariana purposely cocked her head to glance briefly at Brian.
Seeing that Ariana was about to speak, Brian suddenly realized that she might be harboring ill will toward him and that she could spout nonsense to Belinda. So, he quickly rushed forward and grabbed Ariana by the arm, roughly yanking her to her feet.
“Grandma, I’ve got something to discuss privately with Ms Torrey. We’re going upstairs.”
With
that, Brian tugged Ariana up the stairs with huge strides.
Everything had happened so suddenly. By the time Belinda finally realized it, she shouted at Brian, “Brian, you imbecile! Ari is a woman! I’m not going to forgive you if you bully her!”
Brian pulled Ariana to the second floor and threw her onto the bed. Then, he locked the bedroom door behind him.
“What are you trying to do, Mr. Lodge?”
Ariana leaned against the side of the bed and looked at Brian, standing at the door, with mischievous eyes. “What if Ms. Granger learns about this? It’s going to break her heart. She’s going to be so jealous…”
“Ariana Torrey!”
Brian lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck. He said coldly, “Who gave you the guts to come to my house?”
“Madam Mackle missed me. Of course, I had to come here to visit her,” Ariana said, looking up at him. Although Brian was using force against her, he wouldn’t dare to harm her for real.
Brian looked into Ariana’s cunning eyes and felt anger rising in him. “You’re not scared that I’ll strangle you to death?”
“Mr. Lodge, you’ve been attacking the Torreys for the past few days, haven’t you? You did so many despicable things to us, and it’s all just to see me begging you for mercy, isn’t it? So, why would you strangle me to death if it’s just going to rob you of the pleasure of seeing me on my knees for you?”
Hearing this, Brian sneered coldly and let go of Ariana. He said, “At least you seem to know what’s good for you. So, show me. How exactly are you going to beg me for mercy, then?”
Brian got up and sat down on the couch nearby. He then took the wine from the table and waited for Ariana to grovel on her knees.
However, Ariana just got up from the bed and said slowly, Welton Factory, Central City–There’s a monthly overseas trade fair there, and I remember that Lodge Co. has a huge auction hallin that area. Tens of billions of dollars worth of prized items are being traded there every year. Mr. Lodge, I’m sure that you’re very familiar with this, aren’t you?”
Brian’s grin dropped a little with every location Ariana mentioned. The places she brought up were all part of Lodge Co.’s black market supply chain, and they dealt with illegal trading as well.
Something like this was only known to less than a handful of people in Lodge Co., let alone someone like Ariana who barely knew anything about the outside world. Also, even if the top management people knew about it, none of them knew the details that Ariana just said.
When Ariana saw that Brian wasn’t answering her, she continued, “I hope that you’ll stop it with your funny business against the Torreys, Mr. Lodge. Otherwise, I can and I will publicize the dirty things you’re doing-
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+25 BONUS
Chapter to
“When that day comes, you and I will both end up in the di. But that’s okay–I don’t think the Torreys would lose out that much anyway.”
“Ariana Torrey! Are you threatening me?”
Brian’s voice was laced with danger. Arlana was the first person to do such a brazen thing to him,
“Mr. Lodge, I only fuck around with the people who fuck w me. Let’s end things amicably. If you stop attacking the Torreys, then I will keep your secrets safe from the public. Don’t you think that’s a fair exchange?”
“Ariana, you keep saying that you want to cancel the engagement with me, yet you’re still sucking up to Grandma to back you up. How dare you say that you want to end this amicably?”
Brian scoffed and continued, “Had it not been for Evelyn’s graciousness to forgive you, I wouldn’t have stopped at making you lose just a couple of orders for your company.
