Ariaâs POVIt had been three weeks since the rooftop.Three weeks since my voice cracked while I told the only man Iâd ever loved that I wanted nothing to do with him again. Three weeks since Iâd broken down in front of him, let every word Iâd bottled up pour out of me like acid, burning both of us in the process.Three weeks since I finally admitted that I loved him, and that his love destroyed me.Some days, I wondered how I got through it.Other days, I didnât wonder. I knew. Iâd taught myself not to feel.I kept repeating the same words to myself like a mantra: He said he used you to pass time. He made a fool out of you. He broke you, and then he moved on like it was nothing.The more I thought about it, the more real it became. And that was the only way I could keep going.Some nights, I lay awake and wondered how I didnât crumble the moment I walked away. I should have. I wanted to. But something inside me, maybe the last piece of pride I had left, kept me upright.I told my bro
ARIAâS POVI needed air. Space. Sanity. Something.The second I stormed out of that office, I didnât stop walking. I just kept going. Past the hallway, past the fake smiles and curious stares, until I hit the rooftop door and shoved it open.Cold wind rushed against my skin like it knew I was seconds from losing it. I walked to the edge, gripped the metal railing, and let out a breath that trembled against the fury in my chest.What the hell was he doing here?Of all the damn places on earth. Colorado. My job. My world.And now he was standing there like a ghost that refused to stay buried.I heard footsteps behind me, and my stomach sank.âAriâŠâOf course.I didnât turn. âDonât come near me.ââI just want to talk.âI turned then, slow, sharp. âYouâve done enough talking, Gabriel. You did all your talking with that divorce paper.âHe flinched, just slightly, but I didnât stop.âYou made me leave, without a word. No explanation. Nothing. And now what? You show up here, what? You buy th
Ariaâs POVSofia leaned in, her voice just above a whisper. âI mean⊠I canât speak on that. But apparently, the new CEO is holding private meetings with all the department heads today before he meets everyone officially. Thereâs no official memo or calendar update, but people are talking.âI blinked, a sudden unease crawling up my spine. âTalking how?âShe tapped her phone. âFrom what I heard, heâs already met with Marketing and Sales. PR is in there now. Editorial is next.ââWhat?â I froze.Editorial. Thatâs my department.How am I just hearing about this now? Why didnât I get any sort of information?I forced a smile, mumbled a quick thank-you, and nodded before heading to my desk. My chest was heavy with nerves. I really hoped I wouldnât have to start from scratch again. Iâd just begun to find my rhythm here. It finally felt like I was getting a footholdâfinally stepping into the future Iâd envisioned for myself. Event planning wasnât just a job to me; it was my second chance. A wa
Aria's POVWeâd been sitting here for a while now, settled into our booth, chatting like it was just any other evening. Dylan was easy to talk to, surprisingly so. Maybe Iâd been wrong about him. He wasnât exactly my type, but he wasnât a bad guy. Actually, he had a way of making me laugh without trying too hard. Maybe that was a nice change.I couldnât help but smile as he raised an eyebrow at the wine list. âHow do you choose between something like this and something more... adventurous?â He gave me a teasing look, like he knew what I was thinking.âWell, you have to be in the mood for it,â I replied, leaning back in the booth, still looking at my menu. âBut sometimes, itâs about taking a risk. You know?âHe chuckled, the sound warm and easy. âTaking risks, huh? Yeah, I can get behind that. Iâve had my share of those.â He shrugged casually, almost nonchalantly. âStarted my own company with almost no money. Almost lost it all, but it worked out. Sometimes you just have to take the le
Gabrielâs POVâMake sure they have the revised proposal by tomorrow morning,â I said, my voice firm as I scanned the papers in front of me, focusing on the numbers that would determine the next phase.Jonathan didnât need reminding. He was already typing on his laptop, his eyes fixed on the screen, furiously going through the details. âAlready on it. Theyâll have it. Anything else before we call it a day?âI leaned back, dragging a hand through my hair, and checked my pocket watch. Her pretty face stared back at me through the glass, and it took me a moment to remember why Iâd pulled it out in the first place, but my gaze quickly shifted to the time: past 8 p.m. Iâd been at this for hours, but the job wasnât done yet. There was no ânormalâ workday when you were closing deals that would change the face of a city.I hadnât wanted to be in DC. To be honest, I hadnât wanted to be anywhere but in the comfort of familiar things, and by familiar things, I mean being in Colorado right now. Bu
Ariaâs POV"Ugh, I swear," Jenna groaned, tugging her hair into a messy bun on screen. "If one more designer tries to sell me a âreinvention of classic minimalismâ thatâs just a white shirt with a pocket, Iâm quitting.""Youâve said that three times this year," Liv teased, propped up against a stack of pillows in what looked like a dreamy Airbnb. âAlso, that white shirt is probably $700.â"Donât remind me," Jenna rolled her eyes. âGod forbid minimalism be affordable.âNicole gave a small laugh as she scrolled through something on her iPad. âMeanwhile, I had to convince a luxury skincare brand today that launching a âgritty street-styleâ campaign with models in couture was not... the vibe.âLiv made a face. "What does that even mean?"âExactly,â Nicole said. âI think they just throw buzzwords into a blender and hope for the best.âI smiled quietly, watching them talk. I didnât say much at first; I just listened. It had been a while since we were all on a call like this together, and so