Chapter 1: Birthday Party
"Arianna!"
Arianna scanned through the crowd to find her best friend, Vivian, who was dressed in a beautiful red gown that accentuated her curves.
Arianna’s eyes landed on her own dress. It was also red, tailored by one of Las Vegas’s best fashion designers.
Arianna had no idea that Vivian would be wearing the same dress as her since she’d first shown Vivian the dress before the other had gotten hers.
Vivian glanced at Arianna’s dress before looking down at hers. "You didn’t have to copy me on my birthday, Arianna. You could at least let me have this day all to myself without making it about you for once."
That was a stark remark, the one that made Arianna’s skin prickle with agitation, coupled with the ferocious urge to retort with the same energy.
But she withheld herself.
It was Vivian’s birthday, her best friend. Unlike other birthdays when she would come to celebrate and be happy with Vivian, tonight she’d come to find out the truth about something.
Arianna’s hand tightened around her husband’s arm.
Logan glanced at her with an arched eyebrow before his gaze returned to Vivian.
"Happy birthday, Vivian." His tone wasn’t suspicious. Not the type that would make any wife suspect her husband of cheating but her instincts told her otherwise. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
She’d received a video from an anonymous sender and it contained a clip of Logan and Vivian lodging in at a hotel, together, in the same room.
Her instincts had been screaming at her for the past few weeks especially after she’d seen both Logan and Vivian exchanging glances a lot lately, almost as if they weren’t hiding their relationship anymore.
She subconsciously shook her head. She shouldn’t call it a relationship until she catches them red-handed.
Doubt started to creep into her heart.
Could Logan really be cheating on her with her very own best friend? She didn’t believe it—didn’t want to. She’d sacrificed a lot for that man, helped build him up to grace.
He knew better than to betray her unless he craved to return to the slums she’d pulled him out of seven years ago.
"Happy birthday, auntie," a little girl called. She was Logan and Arianna’s daughter, Clara.
Clara was their beloved child. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
After Arianna had tried multiple times to conceive a child but failed, she and Logan had to resort to adoption.
"Thank you, my love," Vivian said, petting the little girl on the hair. Clara quickly jumped into her arms and Vivian caught her, hugging her affectionately.
Vivian was aware of Arianna’s struggles with having a child. After returning to Las Vegas after almost two years of being away, doing God knows what, she’d met with Clara and instantly bonded with her. Ever since then, they have barely let each go.
"You look beautiful as always, Vivian," Logan chimed in, causing Arianna to look at him. She didn’t say anything, just kept quiet as she glanced at both of them while they exchanged flirtatious gazes as if she wasn’t there. As if she weren’t his wife.
She gulped down her saliva hard, hoping that she was wrong.
The party was loud. It was held in the massive Griffin mansion. Since Vivian was a hot star, everyone was present at her birthday party.
Politicians, celebrities, brand owners, CEOs, name it. As long as they held a great level in the social circle, they were present.
"If you don’t mind, I’d like to greet my other guests now," Vivian said, revealing her pearly white teeth.
"Can I come with you?" Clara asked, jumping on her tippy toes with her hand holding up on her chest, her eyes glistening with excitement.
"Yes, of course—" Vivian quickly stopped herself.
She glanced at Arianna who was watching the interaction, her expression solemn.
"You don’t mind her coming along, do you?" She asked, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Of course not." Arianna held her gaze for a second before she faced her daughter. "Make sure not to run off again. This is a big party and I don’t want you getting lost, okay?"
Clara nodded vigorously. "Okay, mummy."
Then she enclasped her hand round Vivian’s and the two walked off.
From her peripheral vision, Arianna could notice Logan still staring at the two who’d just strode off. But if one looked hard enough, they would notice he was actually staring at Vivian’s butt.
Arianna’s heart instantly shattered.
The evidence was right there. There had been signs, signs that those two were together. Signs of betrayal, but now, she was going to see wonders.
What Arianna didn’t know was that in the midst of crowds, a man was watching her like a predator would watch its prey, taking in each of her movements, her facial expressions, and documenting each and everything into his memory.
He raised his glass of champagne to his lips, his gaze still on her.
"Mr. Langford." Someone called for his attention. "May I have a word with you, please?"
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he reluctantly tore them away from her.
Arianna was by herself now after Logan had insisted on trying to garner more investors for their business.
She sighed, her heart uneasy.
The thought of Logan actually cheating on her with her very own best friend clouded her mind, making it impossible for her to register her environment.
When she realized that she’d been standing in the same spot for way too long, she took a step forward and nearly bumped into a waiter.
"I’m so sorry," she apologized quickly.
The waiter nodded before walking off.
Arianna wiped the back of her head with her palm, her heart quivering.
All of a sudden, her phone dinged with a message. It was a text from that very same unknown number. She’d tried to have the number traced with her connections, but her people never found out who they were, which made her more eager to know their true identity.
She opened the message, and it turned out to be a video of Logan and Vivian, together in one room, making out.
From their familiar clothing, the video must have been taken a few minutes ago.
Three dots in a bubble appeared at the bottom of the video, indicating that the anonymous person was typing.
Her eyes glared hard into her phone, waiting for the person to finish.
"They’re not even hiding it anymore."