Hidden Behind Glass and Lies
Aria Cole had spent her childhood surviving a broken home, a reckless father, and an alcoholic mother. Love was never part of her plan.
On the last night of high school, she took off her glasses, stepped into a world she didn’t belong in, and caught the attention of Noah Sterling, the boy high school girls wanted. One night changed everything but by morning, she was gone.
When fate brings her back into his world, as nothing more than a secretary in his father’s company; Aria is determined to keep her distance. But Noah has never forgotten her. And this time, he isn’t letting her disappear. What begins as silent tension soon turns into something deeper until betrayal strikes. Aria uncovers a truth that was never meant to be found.
Heartbroken, she disappears, only to return later not as the fragile girl she once was but as a powerful and untouchable CEO, standing face to face with the man who had failed her and the family that ruined hers.
Now, she has the power to destroy everything Noah holds dear. But when the truth unravels, and sacrifices are made. Aria must choose between revenge and the love she was never meant to have.
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Chapter: Chapter 21: The Things He Does in SilenceAria"I'll come and pick you up tomorrow morning."My eyes widened a little, but I tried to remain composed, keeping my gaze on my clasped hands."Do you want me to pick up any documents from the office that we'll be using?" he asked.I could only manage to ask, "Where will we be preparing for the meeting?""Since you're still recovering, we'll use my place."His place?I looked up and found him staring back at me."I'll pick you up in the morning and drop you off before dinner," he added, as though he had already figured everything out in his head.Well, I certainly hadn't expected us to work in my hotel room. But then again, I couldn't imagine preparing a business proposal in his home either.I nodded."There's a black ledger among the files you gave me. We'll need that one, along with the sales reports for the last two quarters and the documents containing the full list of products."I continued listing the files I thought we would need, and by the time I finished, he was nodding.
Last Updated: 2026-10-20
Chapter: Chapter 20: An Unexpected PleaAria I waited patiently for Erica to return after she sprang out of bed to go after Noah. I had tried to pull her back, telling her not to follow him, but she had left anyway. I only realised she had been waiting for him to turn his back so that she could follow him.My eyes drifted to the gift ba he had left behind.What was he thinking when he bought these things for me? I brought out one of the bottles and examined it closely. I was about to open it when Erica walked back into the room. I quickly dropped it into the bag and stood up.“What did you say to him?”She ignored my question and sat on the bed.“Erica, you know he is still my boss”“Relax, I only gave him a piece of my mind”She stopped talking, and I waited for her to continue, but her phone beeped before she could say another word. She reached for it, glanced at the screen, and suddenly sat up."Oh, shit! I have to go back today."My brows furrowed. "Why?""You remember my application to Nile University? It got approve
Last Updated: 2026-10-19
Chapter: Chapter 19: A Chairman's First TestNoahI was still sitting in the same spot, not knowing what to do. I had never been good with figures. Even in high school, I had spent most of my life playing hockey, and I was expected to run an entire division of a company. A headache began throbbing on the left side of my head. I rubbed my temple before finally pulling the file closer and opening it, hoping to find something useful, anything that could give me a clue about where to begin.The first few pages contained reports on the division's performance, while the remaining documents outlined its current products and sales figures. I flipped through the pages, trying to make sense of the numbers and the words, but nothing seemed to make sense.I sighed and turned another page.Then I reached the last document, and my hands froze as my eyes moved over the content.It was a notice for the shareholders' strategy meeting.The presentation was scheduled for Friday morning.I stared at the date, and before I could stop myself, the fi
Last Updated: 2026-10-16
Chapter: Chapter 18: The Weight of his MistakesNoahThe past two days had been hard; I didn't know how to feel or how to do things right. Guilt weighed heavily on my chest after what I had done to Aria. I didn't even know if she was okay; thankfully, I reached the receptionist in time. It had taken some explanation to do to Miss Gina to make her understand why I left the party so abruptly. I told her Aria had fainted and I had to rush her to the hospital. It didn't justify the way I had behaved, but I think it helped soften her towards me a little. Father still hadn't reached out to me, but that was fine. I had other things to worry about.Standing at the hotel reception now, waiting for the receptionist to contact Aria, I almost changed my mind and decided to leave. I could already imagine the look on her face when she saw me, and I wasn't sure I was ready for it.But then I looked at the phone in my left hand, and the thought of leaving disappeared. At least I had an excuse to see her. I wanted to return her phone and tell her
Last Updated: 2026-10-16
Chapter: Chapter 17: A.Place to BreatheAriaI stayed longer in Erica's embrace than I had intended, or maybe none of us wanted to let go of one another. The tears I thought had stopped before entering the hotel began to fall again. This time, without restraint, they made a soft outline on her pink shirt. Neither of us seemed to care that we were standing in the middle of the hotel lobby, and that a few pairs of eyes had glanced towards us from guests that passed by. To us, it felt like nothing existed except us. Erica simply rubbed my back gently. “I'm here, Ari.” “I'm here now,” as though she understood that those were the only words I needed to hear. And truly, there was enough reassurance that someone in this world still cared about me deeply.I pulled out slowly from the hug and wiped my face with the back of my palm, muttering “I'm sorry” before breaking into a little smile. She shook her head, but when I looked at her properly, I noticed a tear slipping down her face. Erica would always be my friend in this lifetim
Last Updated: 2026-10-11
Chapter: Chapter 16: Something Close to ReliefAriaThe ride to the hotel felt longer than it should have, even though the roads were nearly empty. I sat quietly, my head leaning slightly against the window, watching the city come alive in slow motion as the sun stretched across the buildings.Tears kept slipping down my face no matter how many times I wiped them away. At some point, I stopped trying to hide it.By the time the car pulled up in front of the hotel, I didn’t feel like I had arrived at my destination.I felt… lost.I reached for my purse, my fingers trembling slightly as I searched for money, but when I checked properly, there was nothing inside.Nothing.A wave of embarrassment washed over me immediately. I looked up slowly and met his eyes in the rearview mirror.Before I could say anything, he turned off the engine, stepped out, and came around to my side. He opened the door and extended his hand toward me.“You don’t have to worry about the money,” he said gently.My lips pressed together as I bit down, trying to
Last Updated: 2026-10-10
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