Chapter 5: Ghosts and Rivals

Ariana’s POV

The hum of Voss Enterprises is a dull roar in my ears as I sit at my desk, sorting through Damien’s endless emails.

My second day here, and I’m already drowning in his demands, calendars, reports, and coffee runs.

The glass walls of his office loom behind me, a constant reminder that he’s watching, waiting for me to crack.

I won’t. Not for him. Not for anyone.

But my hands are still shaky from yesterday, from the way his eyes lingered too long, the way his voice dipped when he said my name.

I shove the thought down, focusing on the screen, when the elevator dings.

I glanced up, expecting another courier or one of Damien’s assistants.

Instead, my heart stops.

Jake.

Jake Matthews.

He’s striding across the reception area, all broad shoulders and easy confidence, his dark hair tousled just like I remembered, his hazel eyes locking onto mine like no time has passed.

My breath catches, and the world tilts.

My first love. My first heartbreak. The boy who held me when the scandal tore my family apart, then vanished without a word, leaving me to pick up the pieces alone.

He’s dressed like he belongs here, a tailored navy suit, a watch that screams money, but I know better.

Jake wasn’t born into this world of glass towers and power plays. He was like me, caught in the wreckage of our families’ falls, trying to find solid ground.

Or so I thought, until he left me standing in the rain outside my old apartment, no explanation, no goodbye. Just gone.

“Ms. Blake,” the receptionist says, her voice cutting through the fog in my head. “Mr. Matthews is here for his meeting with Mr. Voss. Can you escort him?”

My mouth goes dry.

Jake’s smile is slow, familiar, and it slices through me like a knife.

“Ana,” he says, his voice warm, like we’re still Eighteen, sneaking kisses in his beat-up car. “It’s been a while.”

I stood, my legs unsteady, my heart racing so fast I’m sure he can hear it.

Memories flooded in, his hand in mine during Dad’s trial, his whispered promises that we’d get through it together, the way he looked at me like I was his whole world.

And then, nothing. No calls, no texts, just silence that broke me more than the scandal ever did. I want to break down, to demand why, but I’m frozen, staring at the man who was my everything and my nothing all at once.

“Jake,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“Business,” he says, but his eyes say something else, something that makes my skin prickle. “I heard you were working for Voss. Had to see it for myself.”

My chest tightened. He knew I was here.

This isn’t a coincidence. I opened my mouth to respond, but the door to Damien’s office swung open, and there he was, Damien Voss, all sharp suit and sharper eyes, his presence like a storm cloud rolling in.

“Ariana,” he says, his voice clipped. “Bring Mr. Matthews in.”

Jake’s smile doesn’t waver, but there’s something in his eyes, something hard, something personal.

I nod, my throat tight, and lead him into the office, every step feeling like I’m walking back into a past I thought I’d buried.

Damien’s POV:

She’s standing too close to him. That’s the first thing I noticed, and it hits me like a fist to the gut.

Ariana, with her dark hair pulled back, her green eyes wide with something I can’t read, fear, anger, or something worse. And Jake Matthews, leaning toward her like he owns her, his smile too easy, too familiar.

My jaw tightened, and I don’t know why it bothers me so much.

She’s a Blake. My enemy. The daughter of the man who destroyed my family. I shouldn’t care who she’s looking at, who’s making her breath catch like that. But I do, and it’s pissing me off.

“Mr. Matthews,” I say, forcing my voice to stay even as I gestured to the chair across from my desk. “Let’s get to it. You’re here about the merger proposal?”

Jake sits, his posture relaxed, but his eyes are sharp, sizing me up. I know his type, hungry, ambitious, and the kind of man who thinks charm can mask a knife.

I’ve heard of him, a rising star in tech, but I didn’t know he was her Jake.

The ex who broke her, if the rumors are true.

The thought makes my blood burn, and I don’t know why. I shouldn’t care about her past, her pain. I shouldn’t notice the way her hands tremble as she sets a tablet on my desk, the way her lips part when she glances at him.

“Merger, sure,” Jake says, his tone too casual. “But let’s be real, Voss. This is personal, isn’t it? You’ve got Ariana here, playing assistant. That’s not just business.”

My eyes narrowed, and I leaned forward, my hands flat on the desk. “Careful,” I said, my voice low, dangerous. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” He leans back, his smile sharp now, cutting. “I know the Blakes. I know what they did to you. And I know Ariana.” His voice softens on her name, and I feel it, a surge of something hot and ugly in my chest.

Jealousy? No. It can’t be. I don’t get jealous, especially not over her.

But my fists clenched under the desk, and I couldn’t stop picturing his hands on her, his voice in her ear, all those years ago when I was rebuilding my life from ashes.

Ariana’s standing by the door, her face pale, her eyes darting between us. She’s hearing this, and I hate that she is. I hate that she’s seeing me lose control, even if it’s just a flicker.

“The merger,” I said, forcing the conversation back. “Your company’s AI platform. We could integrate it with ours. Synergy, growth, profit. That’s what you’re here for, right?”

Jake’s laugh is low, mocking. “Sure, let’s call it that. But we both know you’re not keeping Blake Enterprises alive for profit. You’re keeping her close for a reason. Same reason I’m here.”

His eyes flick to Ariana, and I swear I saw her hold her breath. “She’s hard to let go of, isn’t she?”

My jaw tightened so hard it aches.

I want to punch him, to wipe that smug look off his face, but I don’t. I can’t. Not with her watching, not with the weight of my family’s pain pressing down on me.

My mother’s voice echoes from last night, Why her, Damien? She’ll stab you in the back. My sisters’ warnings, my father’s broken gaze, the years I spent clawing my way up from nothing.

I built Voss Enterprises from a basement, from code written on a secondhand laptop, from deals made with men who laughed at my name.

All because of the Blakes. Because of her father. And now, here she is, standing in my office, and I’m noticing the way her breath catches, the way her eyes shine with unshed tears, and I hate myself for it.

“Enough,” I snapped, standing, my voice like ice. “If you want to talk business, talk. Otherwise, get out.”

Jake raises his hands, mock surrender, but his eyes are still on Ariana, and I feel that burn again, that urge to step between them, to shield her.

Shield her? From what? She’s a Blake. She’s the enemy. But the way she’s looking at him, she felt hurt, haunted, like he’s a ghost she can’t escape, it twists something inside me.

“Ariana,” I say, sharper than I meant to. “Leave us.”

She blinks, her eyes meeting mine, and for a while, I saw her pain, raw and real, the kind I’ve carried since the scandal.

Then she nods, her shoulders straightening, and walks out, the door clicking shut behind her. But her presence lingers, like a bruise I can’t ignore.

Jake leans forward, his voice low. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Voss. She’s not what you think.”

“And you’re not as clever as you think,” I shoot back, my voice a blade. “Stay away from her. And stay out of my business.”

He laughs again, standing, buttoning his jacket.

“We’ll see,” he says, and the words are a promise, a threat.

He walks out, leaving me alone in my office, my heart pounding, my mind a mess of anger and something I refuse to name.

I sank into my chair, staring at the city skyline, but all I saw was her, her trembling hands, her haunted eyes, the way she stood there like she was facing a firing squad.

I want to hate her. I need to hate her.

But all I can think is that Jake Matthews doesn’t get to have her. Not now. Not ever.

And I don’t know what that says about me, or what I’m becoming.

What have you done to me, Ari?