تسجيل الدخولAria's POVThe air in the room was thick, saturated with the warm musk scent of his skin and the faint vanilla clinging to mine. The bedside lamp painted everything in a hazy gold, but my heart hammered so violently I could feel it in my throat, drowning out the distant hum of the city.Ethan hovered above me, breath ragged, eyes almost black with desire. His thumb traced my lower lip, he licked his lips when his eyes pierced into mine.....and I parted for him without thinking. That single touch ignited a spark that raced straight to my core, but beneath the heat, something twisted.. A dozen worries I had buried inside my mind.What if this changes everything? What if I’m not enough? What if, after this, he sees me differently… or I see myself differently?I’d wanted him for so long, dreamed of this exact moment, but now that it was here, doubt clawed at the edges of my certainty. I’d never gone this far with anyone. Never let anyone this close. The vulnerability terrified me as
Aria’s POVHis arms were still around me, loose enough that I could step away if I wanted to.I didn’t.The hallway felt smaller than it had moments ago, as if the walls had leaned in to listen. The lights were dimmed, casting everything in soft amber shadows, and the storm outside had finally quieted, leaving only the romantic aura of the house and the sound of our slow and uneven breathing syncing without either of us trying.He looked into my eyes like he'd been longing to touch me and kiss me l, to fuck me till my legs couldn't walk.My palm throbbed beneath the makeshift bandage he’d wrapped himself. The ache was dull now, pulsing in time with my heartbeat, a reminder of everything that had gone wrong tonight… and everything that somehow felt dangerously right.Ethan’s forehead rested against mine. I could feel the warmth of him, solid and real, grounding in a way that made my knees weak. His thumb brushed a slow, absent-minded line along my side, not demanding, not possessive—ju
Aria’s POVThe heavy front door of Ethan’s mansion clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing like a final punctuation to the nightmare outside. My hands trembled as I leaned against the cool wood, closing my eyes for a moment. The night air still clung to my skin...That man's rough grip on my arm, his casual sinister smile that hid something rotten. He looked like he had done that so many times. For which he did, I knew men like him liked girls they can ruin. If not for Ethan showing up, I would have called my men to destroy him." I was not helpless, but what if I blew my cover and Ethan found out about my identity?" I murmured as I walked in slowly.And Ethan… Ethan showing up just in time, yet too late to stop the hurt from sinking in."You left me alone." I sniffled, "And Amelia must have enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing me destroyed." I couldn’t shake the image of him disappearing earlier, pulled away by that phone call. My agent says he was locked in a room and he literal
Ethan’s POVEverything inside me went cold.Claire’s words didn’t need repetition. Her father. The man holding Aria. I already knew what that meant. I had seen his kind before—men who smiled easily, who touched without asking, who believed money erased consequences.It was a shock he was not arrested yet, money and power had a way of shielding criminals.The road ahead blurred as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. My mind shut out everything except a single image: Aria trapped, standing still because fighting would only make it worse.I slammed the car into reverse. Tires shrieked as I turned us around, my foot pressing hard on the accelerator. The streetlamp came back into view far too slowly.“Ethan—” Claire said, panic edging her voice.“Hold on,” I said.I barely recognized my own tone. Flat. Controlled. There was no room for fear now.The locked room replayed in my head. Sophia’s call. The timing. I had stepped away at the exact wrong moment.I should have stayed.I stopp
Ethan’s POVMy phone kept vibrating in my pocket while stepped into the quiet room where I could answer the call.... The music slightly loud, some ladies kept glancing at me, trying to get my attention but none of it held my attention. I checked the screen again and saw Sophia’s name.With a quiet sigh, I stepped away from the wooden door and slipped into another small side room near the service corridor. The moment I closed the door, the noise faded instantly."This better be important. What is it?" I asked.“Ethan,” Sophia said, "I am not feeling well. I feel dizzy."Her voice was thin and trembling, it was so weak."Where is Silver?" I asked. "I don't know...They should be sleeping.""It's their job to take care of you. Wake them up." I said, feeling irritated. I hated that I owed her my concern. She was my ex, someone who broke me deeply. She told me she felt dizzy again, nauseous, like she might faint. I leaned back against the wall, listening, but my mind kept drifting back
Aria’s POVThe rooftop door closed behind me with a soft thud, sealing away the music and the warmth of the elite crowd below. The night air hit my face like a slap cold. I wrapped my arms around myself, the silk of my gown suddenly too thin, too fragile against the chill that had nothing to do with the wind.I needed to breathe.Then I saw Amelia leaning against the glass railing, backlit by the glittering skyline, a small, dark object catching the light in her hand.A gun.My heart stopped instantly. My eyes wide as saucers. Time slowed to a crawl. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. All I could do was stare as she turned, her smile slow and vicious, the weapon held loosely at her side like a toy she’d been waiting to play with.“Well, well,” she said, voice smooth and poisoned honey. “If it isn’t the little assistant who thinks she’s found her prince.”The words cut deeper than the cold. "What do you want? You have Bran







