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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 25
Among the crowd, Brian scoffed.Was Ariana trying to grab his attention with this? How laughable."200 million dollars," he said firmly.Did she really think he wouldn't be able to deal with her?"250 million dollars.""300 million!"As the bidding escalated into absurd territory, Evelyn frowned. "Brian, this land isn't worth that much."Brian frowned as well.Beside him, Emily said lowly, "Mr. Lodge, the price has exceeded our estimated value."Hearing this, Brian smiled coldly.Ariana did not have much money to begin with. She was clearly only bidding to be contrary.Fine, then. He would teach her a lesson tonight, even if it meant taking a loss.Coldly, he called out, "320 million dollars!"William watched in satisfaction as Brian took the bait.According to his estimation, Brian had already taken a loss of 50 million dollars at this point.He hadn't expected Ariana to be so cunning, goading Brian into taking the bait. He had underestimated her.Just as he was abou
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 26
"Stop right there, Ariana Torrey!"During the intermission, Ariana excused herself to go to the bathroom when she heard Brian's voice sound from behind her. "Mr. Lodge? Did you need something?" She turned back, her voice distant, as if they were but mere acquaintances."Aren't you something else, Ariana? You knew that my company had its eye on that piece of land in South Gleaston, and you went and doubled the price, even at a loss, to buy it. What's your game? Are you really opposing me, or are you just trying to get my attention?" Brian snapped."You've got the wrong idea, Mr. Lodge. I just really liked the location. It's got nothing to do with you," Ariana said sincerely. However, Brian did not believe a word of it.Just then, Evelyn rushed over to cut into their conversation. "Ms. Torrey, you were too impulsive. That piece of land will lose you a small fortune!"Then, glancing at Brian, she continued, "I know that Brian bringing me here tonight might have embarrassed you, but
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 27
"Looks like you know your ex very well, Ms. Torrey," William said dryly.That was an understatement.Ariana reflected on the final years of her past life. She had spent a humiliating three years kissing up to Brian at all costs, almost worshiping him.Every look he gave her convinced her that he was seeing her differently. Every word he said to her made her feel like he was finally warming up to her.She'd done everything for him—from securing sponsorships for his company to taking care of Belinda on his behalf. She'd cooked for him and kept his house for him.She knew all of his preferences, down to the amount of time he usually spent in the shower and the toilet. She had obsessed over the smallest details."Just wait and see, Mr. Kingsman," she said. "You'll be the ultimate victor tonight."She downed the champagne in front of her.The auction had already started by then. Eventually, the auctioneer got to the plot in Goldfront Bay. "Goldfront Bay land parcel, six acres on the
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 28
"Congratulations on securing Goldfront Bay," Evelyn said with a smile, completely oblivious to Brian's darkening expression. "Lodge Co. will definitely make a fortune with that land."Meanwhile, Ariana made no effort to conceal her pleased smirk as she clinked her champagne glass with William's.Brian's eye twitched at the sight."What should we do now, Mr. Lodge?" Emily hadn't expected William to back out of the bidding so easily. Just a few days ago, he had been determined to get that piece of land.Why did he give up so easily?"What else can we do?" Brian snapped.They could only accept the loss.Brian rose from his seat, his usual smile replaced with a stormy expression.Something was off.This definitely had something to do with Ariana!"Brian!" Evelyn wanted to leave with him. Panicked, she grabbed his arm, but Brian reflexively shook her hand off and said, "Go home, Evelyn."Surprised, Evelyn paused. By the time she snapped out of it, Brian had already left.He'd
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 29
"You've got it wrong. This money isn't from the Torrey family," Ariana said.William frowned. "No?""It's the money that my father left me before he died."In her last life, Gwen had coveted her inheritance, which was why she had schemed tirelessly to gain control of the Torrey family. The reason why she had pushed her to marry Brian was also because she wanted to get her hands on the 500 million dollars.Somehow, she found out that Belinda liked Ariana and wanted her to marry Brian, so she spoke with Belinda behind Ariana's back and convinced her to ask Ariana to use the money to resolve Torrey Co.'s financial crisis.In the end, no crisis had been resolved as Gwen had run off with the money.This time, Ariana would turn the tables. Not just her inheritance—Gwen would never get anything related to the Torrey family at all."Mr. Kingsman, please hold off on investing in Torrey Co. for a few days.""If I don't invest in your company, it's going to collapse," William said in surp
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 30
"You deliberately announced that you're breaking off our engagement at the engagement party. Then, you got the press to release that ridiculous article. Now, you're flirting openly with William Kingsman and provoking me at the auction. Didn't you do all this just to get my attention? Well, now you have it," Brian said, reaching out a hand to tilt Ariana's chin higher.Just as he leaned his face closer, Ariana laughed. "Do you think this is fair to Evelyn, Mr. Lodge?"Brian froze when he heard Evelyn's name.Seeing this, Ariana pulled herself from his grip and wound her arms around Brian's neck instead, giving him a seductive look. "You're right. I've done all this just to get your attention. But honestly, the sofa is too cramped. Why don't we move to my room?"Now that Ariana had revealed her true colors, Brian immediately shoved her aside with a look of disgust. "Stop using these cheap tricks on me, Ariana!" he said coldly."You enjoy my cheap tricks though." Ariana leaned agains
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 31
Ariana's expression was dark. She started, "This isn't—"Gwen cut her off. "Ariana would never fall for someone else when she's so in love with you, Mr. Lodge! There must be a misunderstanding here!""It does seem that way," Brian said sarcastically as he picked up the things that had fallen to the floor. There were merchandise items along with the photos."I'm sure you can tell how much Ariana likes you, Mr. Lodge. Mrs. Lodge Senior also adores her, so the engagement…""Calling off the engagement is a done deal, Ms. Lambert. Mr. Lodge and I will end things on a nice note, and he'll stop attacking our family because of our past relationship. Isn't that right, Mr. Lodge?" Ariana gave Brian an opportunity to resolve this mess without things getting ugly.Brian held onto a bolster and asked, "When did I ever say anything about calling off the engagement?""You—" Ariana started."Also, who told you it's a done deal?" He sneered. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me so I'l
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 32
The following day, Torrey Co. announced that it would be temporarily halting operations. This made the shareholders panic—halting operations generally meant that something was seriously wrong with the company's cash flow! It was highly likely there would be a breach of several contracts if the problem wasn't immediately dealt with.Everyone sat in the conference room and waited for Gwen to arrive and make a decision. She'd been managing the company, after all.Soon, John arrived. Gwen was behind him. When everyone saw her, they hurriedly asked, "What should we do now that operations have been halted, Mrs. Torrey? Everything will be over if we continue like this!"Gwen wasn't sure what to do when she saw how panicked everyone was. She'd come to the company to destroy the evidence of her embezzlement because she was afraid of Ariana checking the accounts. Who would've expected something like this to happen?It was all Ariana's fault! She'd pissed Brian off, resulting in problems with
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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 186
Might not be true?Evelyn had heard it clearly.Brian had forced a kiss on Ariana, and the Lodge residence was being revamped for her.Thinking of this, Evelyn headed straight to Brian's office.When she reached the door, Emily stepped forward to stop her. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Lodge is in a meeting. He can't see anyone right..."Before Emily could finish, Evelyn pushed the door open.Inside, Brian was wearing a headset and speaking to an international firm via video call. He shot Evelyn a frown for barging in.He swiftly ended the call with a few short words."Eve, I'm working."Evelyn would never have been this impulsive before.Brian put down his headset and looked at her.Evelyn lowered her head and said, "I... I didn't mean to interrupt you.""What's the matter?" Brian asked."I came to pick you up from work," Evelyn replied, forcing a smile that looked incredibly stiff.Brian didn't seem to notice anything unusual about Evelyn's mood. "I've got something going on tonigh
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 185
Brian thought Ariana was hinting at something. He said, "We're engaged. It's perfectly normal for us to share a room. My bed is big enough for three, so if you want...""Mr. Lodge, if you're trying to take responsibility for what happened earlier, there's really no need. I understand you acted on impulse because you were angry. It was just a kiss. I don't care at all."Hearing Ariana's words, Brian thought he must have misheard. "You... You said you don't care at all?""Of course. It's the 21st century. A kiss isn't a big deal. I'm not going to lose sleep over it."Brian was momentarily speechless. Ariana's words made him so angry that he just laughed.So, he was the only one who still cared about it?"You're right. I thought you cared about your chastity more than anything. Looks like I was wrong. Forget what I said before."Brian felt something tighten in his chest. He went upstairs, then stopped halfway, remembering he had come back specifically to talk about their relationsh
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 184
At that moment, Brian's voice came from behind Ariana. "Alright. I agree."Hearing this, Ariana turned around. She hadn't expected him to come back at this moment.She turned too fast and bumped into his chest, banging her nose against the badge on his suit. She stepped back, rubbing her nose. "Mr. Lodge, did you really agree to all that?"From what she remembered, he was never so easy to deal with.Brian said calmly, "What's wrong? Now that I've agreed, you're not happy about it?""If you're on board, of course I'm happy."With that, Ariana acted as though she was afraid he might change his mind. She said to Emily, "You heard it, Ms. Weston. Mr. Lodge is fine with everything. I'll leave the arrangements to you.""Yes, Ms. Torrey."Emily hurried off to prepare Ariana's new room.Ariana looked at Brian. "Mr. Lodge, if there's nothing else, I'd like to go get some rest.""Hold on." Brian suddenly grabbed her arm.Ariana frowned and glanced at his hand, wishing she could slice
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 183
Belinda had seen Gwen's true colors a long time ago. Yet, because Gwen was Ariana's stepmother and the lady of the Torrey family, Belinda treated her with courtesy.But when Belinda thought of Igor's disgraceful behavior from the previous night, she had no desire to humor Gwen any further.She asked indifferently, "Mrs. Torrey, how much money are you hoping to borrow?""Not a lot... just 90 million."Belinda froze. 90 million? That was a bold request indeed."Mrs. Lodge Senior, I know the Lodge family has immense resources. 90 million is just a drop in the bucket for you. Please have mercy on us. We really are facing a crisis, or else I wouldn't be begging for your help."Gwen was anxious to redeem the Aurora Pearls. The seller had said the price would rise again in a couple more days. If she waited too long, even 90 million wouldn't be enough."Mrs. Torrey, you're quite brazen. Do you think we're just a convenient ATM for the Torreys?"Belinda was already displeased with Arian
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 182
Ariana's eyelid twitched as she asked, "Emily, what does this mean?""It's a gift from Mr. Lodge. He asked me to apologize for his impulsive behavior earlier..."Before Emily could finish, Ariana shut the door in her face.Emily called out urgently, "Ms. Torrey! Mr. Lodge really is sorry! He even sent someone to pick you up! Please don't make this difficult for us! We're just following orders! Ms. Torrey!"Inside, Ariana ignored Emily's shouts.However, Gwen hurried downstairs. She pointed at Ariana and snapped, "What's wrong with you? You dare turn away Mr. Lodge's secretary?"Since Igor had offended the Shaw family, Gwen was desperate to latch on to Brian now. She couldn't afford to offend him.Putting on a flattering smile, Gwen opened the door and said to Emily, "Ms. Weston, don't mind Ariana. She's just shy. I'll make sure she goes with you!"Ariana found it laughable to see Gwen currying favor with Emily.Gwen still owed Ariana money, yet she shamelessly suggested sendin
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 181
Only Ariana had slapped him again and again. Only she dared to do that."Mr. Lodge..."Emily entered the office and said, "Ms. Torrey knocked over the decorative plant by the entrance as she left.""Let her knock it over.""What?" Emily was taken aback.Let her knock it over?Brian wiped at the blood where Ariana had bitten his lip. "Go to the Torrey residence and bring Ariana back here. Tell her I said she isn't allowed to go anywhere without my permission.""Mr. Lodge, that might not be a good idea. What if she leaves again? That would only make you look bad."The last time Ariana left, Brian threw out all her belongings in anger. Going back to fetch her now would be embarrassing enough. If Evelyn learned about this, it could blow up.Brian said, "I told you to do it. Are you going to defy me?""Certainly not." Emily quickly lowered her head.Brian said, "Ariana is my fiancée. I want her to live with me. Is there a problem?""No.""Then get going. Don't make me say it th
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 180
Seeing Brian speak up for Ariana, Belinda merely nodded."Ariana, you've always been smart and well-behaved, but when it comes to matters affecting both families' reputations, you've been too careless. We'll let last night slide, but if it happens again, don't blame me for being mean. I'll have to reconsider your engagement then," she said with a smile, but there was a warning in her tone.Ariana tried to free her hand again, but Brian held on firmly. She was about to speak when Brian said, "You're right, Grandma. Ari has always been smart and well-behaved. Her brother is the one causing problems. Next time, she'll watch him more strictly, so it won't happen again."He then turned to Emily. "Emily, please escort Grandma out.""Yes, sir." Emily helped Belinda out.Brian pulled Ariana behind him, blocking her from view. She frowned and reached out with her free hand to pinch him hard at the waist.He gasped but had to stifle the sound in front of Belinda. Ariana felt a bit gratifie
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 179
Ariana lowered her gaze slightly.Belinda said, "Igor is already 19, isn't he? Why can't he watch his mouth? I heard he's been going around saying he's the future brother-in-law of the Lodge family. What's that about? Does he think the Lodges will back him up if he causes trouble?"Brian spoke up. "Grandma, I'll handle this.""How exactly will you handle it?" Belinda glanced at Brian. "Are you going to call off the engagement with the Torrey family?"At the mention of calling off the engagement, Ariana's lips curved slightly. She had allowed Igor to run wild at the banquet precisely because she knew Belinda's temperament.In her past life, Igor had acted the same way at a banquet. He ended up offending the Shaw family.At that time, Ariana kept apologizing to the Shaw family on Igor's behalf and ended up disgracing the Lodge family. When Belinda found out, she began to dislike Ariana.In her previous life, Ariana went to great lengths to win Belinda's favor once more. She did ma
A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 178
Gwen felt sick at the thought of how much money she had lost.Ariana didn't care about Gwen's losses and deliberately drove away in the sports car that Gwen had sent over. Admiring the vibrant red color, she said with satisfaction, "This sports car is fantastic. I love it. Thanks, Ms. Lambert."With that, Ariana got into the driver's seat, leaving Gwen on the verge of fainting again in the driveway.In the rearview mirror, Ariana saw Gwen raging in the front yard. A faint smile curved her lips."Gwen, did you think this was over? No, it has only just begun," Ariana thought.Meanwhile, Brian was busy at Lodge Co."Mr. Lodge, aren't you going to step in? The Torrey family is in chaos, and Ms. Torrey might not be able to handle it all by herself," Emily said quietly.Everyone knew about last night's fiasco. It was going to be a lifelong joke. Igor's reputation in their circle was shot.Ariana, as his sister, was bound to be affected. If Belinda heard about how disreputable the Tor
