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Chapter 196
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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 197
This almost felt like a standard operating procedure.After a few rounds of drinks, Isaac patted Brian on the shoulder and said, "I'm heading to the restroom. Be right back!"Isaac, slightly tipsy, wandered off, while Brian said nothing.Nearby, a clueless woman leaned in close. "Mr. Lodge…"The seductive look on her face instantly froze under Brian's sharp glance. She dared not come any closer."Sir… I can't drink…"Not far away, a woman's distressed voice caught Brian's attention.He turned to see one of the businessmen, Liam Dalton, wrapping his arm tightly around a woman and forcing her to drink. The liquor spilled down the woman's smooth neck, soaking through the thin fabric of her clothing. Her chest was nearly exposed.It wasn't until then Brian recognized that woman. It was Fiona.Seeing Fiona flustered and helpless, Brian stepped forward and grabbed Liam's hand.Liam, mistakenly thinking that Brian was interested in Fiona, immediately tried to please him by releasing
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Brian's gaze turned icy when he saw Ariana's hand resting on the male escort's shoulder. His eyes sent chills down her spine.The male escort, intimidated by Brian's cold glare, leaned closer to Ariana and asked nervously, "Babe, who is that?""Don't you know who he is?" Ariana raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "He's Brian Lodge, the CEO of Lodge Group and my fiancé."The male escort froze upon realizing the man in front of him was Brian Lodge.The other male escorts in the private room immediately sensed trouble—they had been trying to entertain Brian Lodge's fiancée!Ariana, unfazed, said nonchalantly to the escorts, "Be good. Leave now while you still can."The male escorts stood rooted in place, too stunned to process her words.The next second, Brian barked at them with great restraint, "Get out!"Hearing that, the male escorts scrambled for the door and fled in a panic.Selena, worried that Brian might actually lose his temper, wanted to say something in defense of
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Ariana's fingers came in contact with Brian's muscles which were almost burning to the touch.She immediately tried to pull her hand back, but Brian didn't give her the chance. Instead, he tightened his grip even more."Answer me."Brian propped one hand on the couch, his entire body mere inches from Ariana."Whose abs are better to the touch? Theirs, or mine?"Ariana's hand was soft and delicate in his grasp as if it might snap if he applied a little more force.Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a sudden urge surged through Brian—an urge to pin Ariana beneath him and make her beg for mercy. He wanted to see the feisty, sharp-tongued woman—who had repeatedly provoked him—lying under him, eyes red, crying, and pleading.The thought sent a rush of heat through Brian's body.Feeling the heat radiating from his body, Ariana immediately yanked her hand back. Her face darkened as she raised her hand and slapped Brian hard."You pervert!"The slap wasn't particularly forceful, but i
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Selena looked at Ariana seriously and said, "Ari, both William and Victor and better than Brian."Ariana's lips twitched.The news didn't make sense in the first place.Putting aside William, Victor had been loyal to Evelyn in her past life. There were once rumors that he came to Gleaston just for Evelyn.And what did that have to do with Ariana?Besides, Evelyn had once charmed both William and her childhood sweetheart Brennan with her good looks. Brennan and Victor had sacrificed the most for Evelyn in her past life.Ariana did not play any role in that complicated relationship. She was nothing but a pawn. If this were a novel, she couldn't even be considered the second female lead.Right when Selena was selecting the best candidate for Ariana's fiancé. Ariana suddenly received a message from Victor. It had been a while since he reached out.She checked out the chat. Victor had sent her a document that put a smile on her face.Meanwhile, Selena yelled, "Ari! Ari! Did you hea
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"Oops, sorry! I got so caught up in a book I was reading! That's why I was a few minutes late."Under everyone's astonished gazes, Ariana hopped into Victor's car without hesitation.Evelyn, who had just gotten out from Block A, frowned at the whispering crowd that had formed around that luxury car."Did you know? Ariana Torrey—Brian Lodge's fiancée—has gotten into Victor Smith's car!""They must have a special relationship for a guy like Victor to wait for her at the entrance!"The onlookers gossiped.The car hadn't taken off. Evelyn could vaguely see Ariana and Victor chatting and laughing in the car, to her anger. She clenched her fist.As expected, Ariana's promise of introducing her to Victor was just a plan to turn her into a joke!At this thought, Evelyn immediately texted Brennan and urged him to make a move soon. She wanted Brian to see Ariana's true colors!At the same time, Victor's gaze landed on the books in Ariana's arms as they sat in his car. He suddenly chortl
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In truth, Ariana had given Gwen the 90 million dollars, which meant that Gwen would need to pay back the capital, another 90 million dollars, and the high interest.Ariana was definitely winning.But she did so not because she needed the money. She wanted a reason to put Gwen behind bars, as she didn't want to see Gwen around her."Anyway, thank you, Mr. Smith…" Ariana reached out to grab the contract, but he easily raised his arm, and the contract was immediately out of her reach due to their height difference."I'm not helping you for free. Where's the stuff I want?"She pulled out a contract and handed it to him. "Here's one of the land parcels owned by the Torreys in the city, but unlike Evelyn, I'm not rich. I can't give it to you for free.""I thought we agreed on one billion dollars? Not one cent less."Her smile froze when he made that remark. She always thought he was bluffing.In the past life, he had bought a parcel of land from the Grangers with one billion dollars.
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Brian had not gone home after leaving the nightclub, as he struggled to face Ariana. He must have had too much to drink, or he wouldn't have allowed Ariana to touch his abs! How dumb was that?"Mr. Lodge, are you going back?"Emily pushed the office door open at the wrong time, which earned her a glare from Brian.She quickly changed her tune. "Got it. I'll book the hotel room for another night.""Wait a minute!" He stopped Emily.She went up to him. "Mr. Lodge, anything else?""How's Ariana doing today?""Oh, Ms. Torrey?" Emily gave it some thought and answered, "She left the house early in the morning. Nothing special.""Did she not ask about me?""Not at all, but she told the staff not to prepare dinner because she'll be home late."Brian's expression immediately fell. How could she not come home for dinner? Had she forgotten her promise to him in no time?He reflexively took out his phone to check in with her, but scenes from the nightclub flashed across his mind. Inst
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"Ms. Torrey, please enjoy." Victor gestured at the dishes before them.Staring at the T-bone steak with blood seeping out of the meat, Ariana lost her appetite."Mr. Smith, I'm not hungry." Technically, she would never eat dinner. Apart from the few times she had to attend social events, she usually did not take dinner.Victor sat from across her and placed his slender fingers on the table. He gently swirled the contents in the wine glass, saying, "Do you know what happened to the last guy who tried to read my mind?"She remained silent.He went on, "I hate it when people try to read me. I despise those who think they're smart. You should feel thankful that I decided to work with you instead of getting rid of you.""Well, I'm beyond grateful to you." Ariana couldn't even force a smile. She had tried to get Victor to work with Evelyn, but he pulled her into this mess instead.She wondered what Victor saw in her. Although Evelyn was the only daughter of the Granger family, Evelyn
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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 345
"What? This..." The principal looked troubled. This had never happened before!Brian's voice dropped. "Is there a problem?""No… Of course not." How could the principal dare to say otherwise? He wouldn't risk offending the college's financial backer.Since Brian had spoken, the principal had no choice but to quietly instruct the invigilator to escort Ariana to a separate exam room.Ariana frowned. What nonsense was this?When they reached the adjacent exam room, the invigilator gestured for Ariana to sit.Standing outside the classroom window was none other than Brian."Ariana, read the questions and tell me the answers. I'll write them down for you." The invigilator was unexpectedly kind, probably because she had never seen a student receive such special treatment and get an entire exam room just for her."Miss, I can take the exam in the original classroom," Ariana replied."This is the principal's decision. Your hand is injured and it would affect your ability to graduate,"
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Upon hearing that a guest would be inspecting the exam, the students around the room tensed up.Since when were guests allowed to observe exams?A few students who had been preparing to cheat quickly stashed away their notes since they would face immediate expulsion if they were caught cheating at Glea College."Why wasn't there any prior notice about this? Who is coming today?""Who knows? The school has been in chaos recently."A group of girls in the back row whispered among themselves, but a sharp glare from the invigilator silenced them.Ariana paid no mind to them and was focused entirely on her exam.Suddenly, gasps and murmurs from the female students rippled through the room.Ariana was startled by the commotion and instinctively looked up, only to see Brian standing at the door.His gaze swept across the classroom as if searching for someone.The principal assured him, "Our examination process is fair and impartial. There is no room for cheating here."Brian's eyes
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Brian's face fell.Emily stepped forward and hesitantly asked, "Mr. Lodge… Ms. Torrey… left.""I'm not blind. I can see." Brian found the warning tape in front of him annoying at that moment. His tone sharpened. "Take all of this down. It's an eyesore."Emily pouted to herself. Didn't Brian order them to put these up? Why was he now acting like it irritated him?"Oh, right. Have you investigated where Ariana has been staying recently?" Brian asked."Mr. Lodge, didn't you say you wouldn't concern yourself with anything related to Ms. Torrey? So, I…" Emily trailed off. Brian glared at her. "Just because I didn't ask doesn't mean you don't need to know. No matter what, Ariana was once my fiancée, and her matters are tied to Lodge Co.'s reputation! From now on, you should report everything about her to me!""…Yes, Mr. Lodge." Emily had no choice but to comply.With final exams approaching, Julia was quickly expelled from the university and wasn't allowed to take her graduation exa
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At Glea College, Ariana walked to the restroom and looked at the slap mark on her face. She clicked her tongue and muttered, "Did she hit me this hard? Serves her right to be expelled."Julia's expulsion was a done deal.If taking a slap meant getting Julia expelled, then it was worth it in Ariana's eyes.After checking the injury on her face, Ariana turned and exited the women's restroom, only to bump into Brian.Her eyes widened. How could she run into Brian right outside the women's restroom?Ariana wanted to pretend she hadn't seen him, but Brian wasn't going to let her escape."Why didn't you tell me when you were being bullied?" His words made Ariana stop in her tracks.Outside, a bright yellow warning tape was stretched across the hallway, along with a "Do Not Disturb" sign.Ariana turned back and laughed. "Wow, what a coincidence, Mr. Lodge. I didn't even see you just now.""It's not a coincidence. I was waiting for you." Brian had instructed Emily to clear the entire
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"Alright, I agree." Brian suddenly agreed to Evelyn's request.The latter froze.Brian continued, "I won't force you to drop out. You can stay and finish your exams. However, Julia can no longer stay at the school. And you will have no opportunity to study abroad in the future. You can stay in Gleaston if you don't regret it. I won't interfere with your life anymore.""Brian…" Evelyn murmured.Brian had never looked at her this way. For a moment, Evelyn realized she was drifting further away from him."Emily, lead Ms. Granger out," Brian called Evelyn by her last name, which showed how distant they had grown."Yes, Mr. Lodge." Emily stepped forward and took the knife from Evelyn's hand.Evelyn never intended to end her life and was merely using the same old trick of feigning suicide to make Brian yield to her every whim."This way please, Ms. Granger," Emily said coldly.Men despised manipulative tactics because they brought them unnecessary trouble and were a waste of time.
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Halfway through Evelyn's speech, a familiar conversation started to play from Brian's computer."Ah! Eve, what are you doing?" Julia screamed in the recording.Evelyn's voice came through the speaker. "That injury of yours looks serious, but let's face it—it's just a minor scrape. We have no choice but to make it look worse so we can convince the dean to make Ariana drop out of school."Julia, I know I'm asking too much of you, but I'm sure you'll understand because we're friends. Am I right?"Evelyn's expression fell when she heard the sounds from the footage. Then, she heard the footage of her conversation with Christopher last evening."Evelyn—our dear president of the student council—I've made the library look into the security footage regarding the trouble Ariana started today, and we confirmed that she had struck first."I've ordered Mr. Stewart to get Ariana to drop out of school. You have nothing to worry about now.""Right. Thank you for upholding justice, Mr. Gail."
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Brian felt irritated at Emily's question."If the problem has gone away, what's the point of clearing her name?"Brian carelessly tossed the document on the table. At the same time, Evelyn entered his office.She put on a faint smile when she noticed his foul mood. She began, "Are you not satisfied with Emily's work again? What's bothering you?"She had hurried over to his office from campus after she got the word that he wished to meet.Yet, she felt uneasy when she saw he was in a bad mood.Soon, he went straight to the point. "What's going on with all the rumors about Ariana on campus? Were you behind it?"He sounded accusatory. In the past, he had never spoken to her in that tone."Brian, are you confronting me over Ariana?" Sounding disappointed, she added, "You've never talked to me in this way."A frown crept onto his forehead. She continued, "We grew up together. Do you not trust me? I'm not the type to pull such an underhanded tactic. Even Brennan trusts me, so wh
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Christopher promised Ariana in all seriousness. She nodded. "I believe you didn't do all of that on purpose. As for my college withdrawal…""What is that all about?" Christopher immediately played dumb. "Nothing like that has ever happened. I'll call Mr. Stewart right away to clear things up."It doesn't matter what your grades are—you can always study and improve yourself. I won't allow our college to expel a student due to baseless rumors! We'd never do that!"She smirked as she listened to Christopher's righteous statements. Derek did not have the authority to expel anyone, as he was just the head of faculty. He wouldn't want any of his students to drop out, except under the orders of the dean.Anyway, Ariana did not call Christopher out. She played along. "All that matters is I get my name cleared. Thanks, Mr. Gail.""Don't mention it! Ms. Torrey, you'll have to buckle up for the exam, though. The questions will be harder this year."Although Christopher coveted a perfect
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Yet, Julia didn't stop kicking up a fuss. Seeing that, Tim slapped his daughter to silence her.How could she throw a tantrum during this important occasion?Tim himself was just an insignificant board member at Glea College, who had to walk on eggshells around the other board members. One could say that Julia had gained admission solely because Tim paid her way in.How could he face the other board members after they heard the outrageous claims and threats made by Julia?"Dad!""Get lost! Right now!" Tim raged. "Scoot back home if you don't want to study! You can't abuse your power in school! Have you forgotten how I raised you?"At the same time, Tim kept hinting at Julia to stop making a scene, but Julia was too furious to think straight. She believed it was Ariana who had set up a trap for her."Dad, it's all Ariana's fault! She set me up!" Julia rambled on, but none of the men present believed in her accusations.Tim was choking on his anger. "Ariana is giving us a tour
