In front of the ongoing cameras, Ariana chose to publicly give Jolie the benefit of the doubt.
âYou say it was an accident, Jolie, so Iâll take your word for it.
Letâs not hold any grudges,â she said.
Just as Ariana was about to walk away, Jolie began to cry.
Tears streaming, she blurted out, âThank you, Ariana.
Youâre so kind.
I knew you would trust me.
This afternoon, no one else believed me.
I couldnât defend myself.
Jennifer and the others ignored me, and I was left without a chance to explain.
â
Ariana quickly realized Jolie was trying to cast herself as a victim for the camera, subtly blaming Jennifer and the others for her isolation.
Arianaâs face hardened as she responded firmly, âJennifer and the rest must have their reasons if they doubted you.
After all, people believe what they see.
I didnât see what happened, so I chose to believe you.
But those who saw something will trust their eyes.
Iâm not here to judge your innocence, but donât try to escalate things.
â
After that, Ariana chose not to say another word and turned to leave, leaving Jolie staring at her back, her fists clenched.
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 Jenniferâs growing discomfort.
Then, Holden handed Ariana a piece of grilled meat, giving her a chance to ask, âHow did you end up hanging out with Adrian? Do you remember him?â
Holden shook his head.
âNo, I just met him a few days ago when I was taking the kids to an exhibition.
He approached me, wanting to catch up.
â
Ariana then questioned, âBut hasnât he been abroad all this time? What brought him back all of a sudden?â
Holden chuckled and glanced over, responding, âThe guy returned to the country just to chase after his wife.
â
Hearing this, Ariana laughed as she watched Jenniferâs expression turn sour.
She hadnât 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 couldnât 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 didnât turn around.
Instead, she said coldly, âEnough! Who are you trying to impress now? Or canât 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?â
Adrianâs face fell as he heard Jenniferâs harsh words, clearly hurt.
âThatâs not what happened; let me explain,â he murmured, his voice dropping to a whisper.
He reached out cautiously for Jenniferâs hand.
âThat night was just a friendâs party, and I regret going.
I know I made a mistake, Jennifer.
Please, can you go back with me?â
âWith that group of friends?â Jennifer scoffed, shaking off his hand.
âItâs too late.
â
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, âAdrian, youâre disgusting.
Still making excuses?â
Adrian snapped back to reality, his panic rising as he tried to defend himself.
âItâs not what it looks like.
I⦠I didnât ki*s her.
She just jumped into my lap out of nowhere.
I donât know how it looked like that, but I didnât ki*s her.
You have to believe me.
â