I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 238

Steven glanced at his phone and pressed the screen off.

He kept serving food for Arianna and Natalie, topping off their juice whenever their glasses ran low.

The phone started buzzing again.

Another call. Steven looked down, then pressed decline.

“Who’s calling? Why don’t you pick up?” Arianna asked, her voice full of curiosity.

A tiny flicker of discomfort passed over Steven’s face, so quick you might miss it. “It’s nothing, just sales calls.”

Arianna accepted his answer and went back to her meal.

Natalie watched the whole thing quietly, taking it all in. She’d caught a glimpse of Steven’s phone earlier. The caller ID only showed the letter W. It had to be someone with the last name Ward. Isabella Ward.

The phone buzzed again, more persistent this time. Steven glanced at it, then looked up at the table.

“You two go ahead and eat. It might be a client. I should take this.”

“Go ahead,” Arianna said, waving him on.

Natalie didn’t see the screen, but judging by the way Steven’s eyebrows knit together for a second, she figured it was the same person calling again.

Arianna reached over and put some food on Natalie’s plate.

“Arianna, are you really sure about Steven? Do you actually want to be with him?” Natalie asked, her voice low.

She’d seen the way Arianna looked at Steven earlier. It was obvious Arianna was falling for him, maybe too fast. Men like Steven always knew just where to strike, always found your weak spot. He’d even managed to wrap Isabella Ward around his finger, and that said a lot.

Natalie worried that Arianna was already in too deep. If she ever saw Steven’s true colors, it might break her.

“Natalie, I—” Arianna started, but Steven was already coming back, so she dropped it.

Natalie kept her eyes on Arianna. When Steven said he was leaving, Natalie saw a flicker of understanding and disappointment in her friend’s eyes.

“Arianna, has this happened before?”

Natalie had seen Steven with two other women besides Arianna. She had a feeling this wasn’t the first time for something like this.

Arianna put her fork down. “Steven has someone else.”

Natalie was so surprised she couldn’t say anything for a few seconds. She hadn’t realized Arianna already knew. But how much did she actually know?

“On his birthday last month, I booked us a private room at a nice restaurant. Got him a cake. Even asked the staff to decorate the place. He came, but he didn’t even stay two minutes. I didn’t even get to give him his present before he said a client needed him and he left.”

“After he left, I noticed he’d forgotten his wallet on the table. I ran out to catch up with him and saw him get into a red sports car. There was a woman driving, and they…”

Arianna stopped, took a steadying breath, and finally said, “They were kissing.”