In front of the ongoing cameras, Ariana chose to publicly give Jolie the benefit of the doubt. “You say it was an accident, Jolie, so I’ll take your word for it. Let’s not hold any grudges,” she said.
Just as Ariana was about to walk away, Jolie began to cry. Tears streaming, she blurted out, “Thank you, Ariana. You’re so kind. I knew you would trust me. This afternoon, no one else believed me. I couldn’t defend myself. Jennifer and the others ignored me, and I was left without a chance to explain.”
Ariana quickly realized Jolie was trying to cast herself as a victim for the camera, subtly blaming Jennifer and the others for her isolation.
Ariana’s face hardened as she responded firmly, “Jennifer and the rest must have their reasons if they doubted you. After all, people believe what they see. I didn’t see what happened, so I chose to believe you. But those who saw something will trust their eyes. I’m not here to judge your innocence, but don’t try to escalate things.”
After that, Ariana chose not to say another word and turned to leave, leaving Jolie staring at her back, her fists clenched.
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Ariana walked back to her seat and noticed Adrian attentively serving Jennifer, grilling a lot of food just for her. Whenever Wilbert offered Jennifer a piece, Adrian made sure to serve Jennifer two.
The competition between the two men was evident, and Ariana noticed Jennifer’s growing discomfort.
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Then, Holden handed Ariana a piece of grilled meat, giving her a chance to ask, “How did you end up hanging out with Adrian? Do you remember him?”
Holden shook his head. “No, I just met him a few days ago when I was taking the kids to an exhibition. He approached me, wanting to catch up.”
Ariana then questioned, “But hasn’t he been abroad all this time? What brought him back all of a sudden?”
Holden chuckled and glanced over, responding, “The guy returned to the country just to chase after his wife.”
Hearing this, Ariana laughed as she watched Jennifer’s expression turn sour. She hadn’t even touched her food, and Wilbert, sensing something, had paused. But Adrian continued, still trying to compete with Wilbert.
Ariana shook her head at the scene.
After a few moments, Jennifer couldn’t stay seated any Longer. She stood up, her face stormy, and left without saying anything.
Adrian hurried after her. Jennifer walked to a rocky area of the beach, where the breeze was stronger.
She knew Adrian was behind her but didn’t turn around. Instead, she said coldly, “Enough! Who are you trying to impress now? Or can’t you stand to see me happy? Do you have to come over and bug me? Do you feel the need to remind me of what you did?”
Adrian’s face fell as he heard Jennifer’s harsh words, clearly hurt.
“That’s not what happened; let me explain,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a whisper. He reached out cautiously for Jennifer’s hand.
“That night was just a friend’s party, and I regret going. I know I made a mistake, Jennifer. Please, can you go back with me?”
“With that group of friends?” Jennifer scoffed, shaking off his hand.
“It’s too late.”
She pulled out a photo she had received. It showed Adrian at a club, ki*sing another woman.
Adrian froze at the sight of the photo, and Jennifer glared at him, accusing, “Adrian, you’re disgusting. Still making excuses?”
Adrian snapped back to reality, his panic rising as he tried to defend himself. “It’s not what it looks like. I… I didn’t ki*s her. She just jumped into my lap out of nowhere. I don’t know how it looked like that, but I didn’t ki*s her. You have to believe me.”