Chapter 6

The call connected on the second ring.

Aria pressed the phone tighter to her ear, her fingers cold despite the warmth of the hospital corridor.

“… Hello?” she said, her voice steadier than she felt.

More than a second passed before a voice was heard.

“Miss Brooks.”

The voice was male; it sounded much like the man she’d spoken to earlier, but what stood out the most was his tone. He wasn’t surprised, like he’d expected her call; the thought unsettled her.

Her grip tightened slightly. “Yes.”

“Mr. Knight has been expecting your call.”

The sentence made her stomach turn, like a cornered prey, left with nowhere to hide.

Aria swallowed. “I was told to call this number.”

“You were told correctly.” He confirmed.

“There is a location,” he continued. “If you are still interested.”

Aria’s gaze flickered to the hospital room door. Through the small glass panel, she could just make out her mother’s still figure beneath the white sheets.

“… Where?” she asked.

He gave her an address, a place she didn’t recognize.

“We’ll be expecting you in one hour.”

The line went dead.

The building stood on a quieter street, set back just enough to avoid attention. Glass windows, clean lines, low-key elegance. It wasn’t loud, but the simplicity of it held a quiet, magnificent ambience that you could tell wasn’t trying to impress anyone

Aria was surprised at the location; it was in a busy city, one known for its hustle and bustle, usually occupied by the higher business class.

She’d thought I’d be in another estate; it seemed she’d thought wrong. 

Aria hesitated across the street, staring at it.

This was a mistake.

Every instinct she had was screaming at her to turn around, to walk away, to find another solution, any other solution.

But there wasn’t one, and deep down she knew that.

At least, not one that worked fast enough.

Her jaw tightened; with a resolved heart, she crossed over.

Inside, the atmosphere shifted immediately.

Soft lighting, low conversations, the faint clink of glass against glass. It was the kind of place where people didn’t raise their voices because they didn’t need to. A somewhat warm but distant feel.

Stepping in, Aria felt self-conscious, looking down at herself in the clothes she’d had on since the night before. She hadn’t had time for a change, what with the news, but hadn’t cared much.

Now though, she regretted it deeply.

She began fretting with the edge; even if she didn’t know or like the man, she’d at least wish to be presentable when she met him, to back her up with some confidence.

Oh well, this will have to do, she thought.

She straightened unconsciously, her fingers brushing over her clothes.

“Miss Brooks?”

She turned.

A man stood a few steps away, dressed in a dark suit that fit too well to be anything less than expensive. His posture was relaxed but precise. She recognized him to be Victor, the man from earlier.

“Yes,” she said.

“Victor.”

He didn’t offer his hand.

She didn’t either

"This way"

He turned without waiting to see if she followed. The movement almost mechanical.

Aria hesitated for half a second, then followed anyway.

They sat at a table tucked just far enough away from the main room to feel private, but not hidden.

Victor placed a slim folder on the table between them.

Aria had her hands hidden beneath the table, her hands holding themselves steady.

“Mr. Knight asked me to meet with you on his behalf.”

Aria stared blankly at him

“On his behalf, you mean he’s not coming?” she repeated slowly.

“Yes.” he said without an explanation

Something sharp flared in her chest. A mix of disappointment and relief.

“He couldn’t come himself?” Aria said, a big of annoyance slipping into her tone.

Adrian didn’t react.

“Mr. Knight values efficiency, and has entrusted me to this task.”

His answer only caused her irritation to spike

A dry, humorless laugh almost escaped her.

“Efficiency,” she echoed.

Her fingers curled slightly against her lap.

Of course. Why would a man like him waste time meeting her? To him, this was nothing.

A transaction, and nothing more.

Adrian slid the folder toward her.

Aria didn’t touch it, just sat staring at it, wondering if she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life making such a deal with a man who didn’t even bother to show up:

“What is this?” she asked.

“A contract.” He said directly

Her gaze dropped to it.

“And what exactly does he think I’m agreeing to?”

“A mutually beneficial arrangement.” He said while holding eye contact.

It irritated her the way he said it, so carefully worded, he somehow managed to make such a deal sound less of what it was, what she would become,

A glorified prostitute

Aria let out a sharp laugh at that, before she had the chance to change her mind, she took a deep breath, and pulled the folder toward her.

The paper inside was crisp and organized.

Her eyes scanned the first page.

Then the second.

She paused…

Her fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the document.

Her mother’s treatment, covered fully, not partially, but the entire thing, she reread it to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. It seemed almost too good to be true;

Hospital fees, medication, long-term care.

Her throat went dry.

Slowly, she kept reading, and there was more, accommodation, a Monthly allowance, Security.

Every line felt more suffocating than the last.

Because none of it was free, the thought gnawed at her, what was she willing to give.

Her eyes dropped to the clause that mattered.

And there it was.

Her stomach twisted

Her impression of him reducing even lower than it was before

“Miss Aria agrees to be exclusively available to Mr. Knight for the duration of one (1) year from the effective date of this Agreement.”

The document had already been signed by the man, his signature bold and powerful, absolutely impossible to miss. He’d been prepared.

The words were understandable but hard to swallow and although she wanted to fight and argue, although she desperately wished she was strong enough to protect herself and her mum from their current situation, she knew it wasn’t the case and she knew she had to make a choice.

Aria’s fingers hovered over the page.

“I have a condition,” she said.

Victor paused. His eyes lifting briefly to her, with a flicker of disapproval.

“A condition?”

She held his gaze. “Yes.”

If she had to do this, Aria decided she was going to go all out, she was going to be completely shameless about it. Besides it was clear the money was nothing to them.

A short silence followed, both parties with their thoughts.

“And what is it?” he finally asked, tone neutral.

“I want to go back to school.”

without a comment, Victor reached for his phone.

The call connected almost immediately.

“Yes, sir,” he said, voice low and precise. A brief pause. “She has one condition.”

Another pause.

Victor’s gaze shifted to Aria for a second before he spoke again.

“She wants to return to school.”

The silence stretched, short, but enough to tighten the air.

“…Understood.”

He ended the call and set the phone down with quiet finality.

“It’s acceptable,” Victor said.

He slid the pen toward her.

“You may proceed.”

With shaky hands, she collected the sleek black pen and signed her name in the document.

After signing the pages, Victor swiftly collected the papers, almost as if he didn’t want her to have the opportunity to change her mind. 

“Someone will be at your home to pick you up, miss Aria, from now on you will reside where Master Knight does”

With that he turned around and left, and just like that he was gone just as quickly as he appeared.

Aria sat stunned, she hadn’t expected he’d agree so quickly, she only wanted to try her luck. It really was a pleasant surprise.

It was only after her ringtone sounded that she broke out of her reverie, she picked up the phone hurriedly when she realized it was from the hospital.

“Miss Aria”

“Yes, is there a problem” she responded nervously.

“Not at all dear, I’m just calling to let you know that your mothers payments have been made, as well as other arrangements, but as her next of kin, you have to sign the papers. I hope it’s not inconvenient for you but we’ll have to trouble you to come to the hospital to handle it”

“No, it's not” she said, relief washing over her.

“I’ll be on my way right now”.

At the very least, it was nice to know that even if he might not be a good man, he’d done as promised, her mothers treatment was the most important and everything else could be handled afterwards.

With that in mind, Aria stood up, also realizing it was already getting late and she would have to hurry if she wanted to handle the paper work at the hospital and still pack her things before they came to get her.

With a stronger resolve she went on her way.

What she didn’t notice, was the man watching her from a secluded room on the top floor, hidden behind a pane of darkened glass, with the lights dim, and a very clear view of her position.

He sat with his fingers tapping on a wine glass, an inexplicable expression in his eyes.

“It’s done sir” Victor said.

“Hm” he hummed in response.