LOGINAria's POV
Brandon stormed out, the door slamming hard enough to rattle the glass walls. The echo hadn’t even faded before the silence rushed back in. I chuckled lightly, feeling better that my plan had just began. Ethan’s arm was still locked around my waist, his thumb tracing slow, deliberate circles just above the curve of my hip. His storm-gray eyes searched mine, dark with heat and something dangerously close to amusement. “Girlfriend,” he murmured, tasting the word like it was new on his tongue. “You play a bold game, Aria Sinclair.” I didn’t answer with words. I rose on my toes and crushed my mouth to his. The kiss was soft. It was tender, it felt like something Brandon could ever do. But It was also every ounce of rage and hurt and hunger I’d swallowed for years, poured straight into him. I kissed him the way I’d watched Brandon kiss Amelia that day on the sofa—hungry, possessive, like I was claiming something that should have always been mine. Ethan didn’t hesitate. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he took control, lips parting mine, tongue sliding in deep and demanding. His hands gripped my hips, lifting me effortlessly until my legs wrapped around his waist on pure instinct. The hard line of him pressed against me through his trousers, and a sharp bolt of need shot straight to my core. He carried me backward three steps and set me on the edge of his desk, papers scattering to the floor. My skirt rode up as he stepped between my thighs, pushing them wider. “Tell me to stop,” he said against my mouth, voice rough, “and I will.” I answered by dragging his tie loose and yanking his shirt open, buttons pinging softly against the wood. He smiled..dark, wicked..and dipped his head to my neck, teeth grazing the sensitive skin just below my ear. His hands slid up my sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts through the thin silk of my blouse. When he unbuttoned it slowly, deliberately, cool air hit my skin and my breath hitched. I arched into him, fingers threading through his dark hair, holding him there. Pleasure sparked everywhere he touched, drowning out every memory of cold beds and empty promises. His hand slipped under my skirt, tracing the edge of my panties before pushing them aside. One thick finger slid through my wetness, then inside me ,curling just right. “Fuck,” I gasped, head falling back. He added a second finger, stretching me, . “Look at me,” he ordered, voice low and commanding. I forced my eyes open. His gaze was locked on my face, watching every flicker of pleasure he pulled from me. Heat coiled tighter and tighter in my belly. My hips rocked against his hand, shameless, desperate. “That’s it,” he murmured, lips brushing my ear. “Let go for me, good girl.” The words shattered me. I came hard, pulsing around his fingers, a broken moan tearing from my throat as waves of white-hot pleasure crashed over me. He kept moving, drawing it out until I was shaking, boneless, clinging to his shoulders. Only when the last tremor faded did he ease his fingers out, bringing them to his mouth and licking them clean while his eyes never left mine. I was still catching my breath, skirt bunched around my waist, lips swollen, heart racing—when a sharp knock sounded at the door. A bright, high-pitched voice sang through the wood. “Hi, Ethan! It’s Sophia… I’m back!” The air in the room went ice-cold. Ethan stilled, his expression shifting from raw hunger to something carefully blank in the space of a heartbeat. Sophia. Whoever she was, she had perfect timing. I slid off the desk on unsteady legs, tugging my clothes back into place while Ethan buttoned his shirt with calm, infuriating precision. I straightened my spine, wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, and smiled— sweet, and dangerous. "Just a second." He said. As the door opener, I felt panic rushing through me. I quickly went under the desk, at this point. I was between his legs. I inhaled his scent shamelessly. As the annoying lady began to speak, so did I begin to move. I wanted to feel wild, spontaneous and young. He shifted closer, grabbed my hair and pulled me to his zipper. But he stayed so calm, he nodded at whatever the lady said without breaking contact. She flirted with him nonstop. I knew it was supposed to be fake dating...But why was I feeling jealous? "Will you go out with me this Friday? As friends of course..." She said, saying the word "friends" like it burnt her tongue.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
Aria’s POV“You’re doing great,” I said, smiling as Ethan pulled me closer, letting me lead for once. “I told you this would be fun.”I had lost track of time. Every step, every turn felt new—like breathing for the first time in years. The music wrapped around us, soft and slow, the kind that made the world shrink to just two people. His hand rested warm at my waist, guiding without forcing. I felt light. Happy. Truly happy.But beneath the joy, doubt coiled like smoke.Does he really love me?I smiled up at him, trying to hide the storm inside.“What’s on your mind?” he asked softly, his voice barely audible over the music, eyes searching mine with that intensity that always made my stomach flip.“Well… it’s just that—” The words caught in my throat, heavy and sharp. “I’m having a great time,” I finished weakly, forcing brightness into my voice.'Oh Aria, you're such a coward.' I thought.I wanted to ask. Needed to know. Was this real for him, or was I just a rebound? A distraction?
Brandon’s POVThe luxurious bar’s dim lights blurred as I stared at the empty doorway where Aria had just disappeared, her perfectly peach dress still burned into my vision like a brand. The way the silk clung to her body, the slit flashing leg with every step, the diamonds catching the light....she’d looked like something out of a dream I’d once had and stupidly thrown away. She didn't smell like Jasmine, she smelt like strawberries. Maybe I was doing too make by making her smell like Amelia, but still I could not stand Aria. It was the only way I could feel closer to Amelia.My friends’ laughter grated against my ears, low and mocking.Ken wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, still grinning. “Damn. Your ex cleans up nice.”Victor whistled low. “That’s not the Aria I remember. She’s… something else now.”Mitchell leaned back, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with amusement. “And that guy she’s with...Harlow, right? CEO of the whole damn empire. Looks like she traded up.”I gripped
Brandon’s POVI slammed the front door behind me harder than I meant to, the sound cracking through the marble hallway like a gunshot. For a brief, petty second, I hoped it would scare someone into silence.Oh boy It didn’t.The house that once felt like a trophy now echoed like a punishment chamber. A place I now avoided after work hours. I missed finding hot meals and running water, but now? I had to cook, clean and wash because my girl, Amelia was pregnant.Aria would have done those things. I thought.She never gave excuses, even after she had her first miscarriage.Every step I took inside it reminded me of how much money I’d sunk into things that didn’t matter....unpolished floors no one respected, glass tables constantly smudged with fingerprints, walls too white, too clean, too empty.From the living room came Richard’s shrill voice, rising and falling in dramatic wails that grated straight into my skull.“No! I don’t want that one! I want the red one! The red one!”Amelia’s v
Aria’s POVI stepped into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind me. The faint scent of Ethan’s cologne still lingered in the air from earlier, and my heart did that stupid little flutter it always did when I thought about him. Tonight was our night. Where we didn't have to work or face any drama.On the bed lay the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen, it was soft peach silk, elegant and feminine, the kind of gown that made you feel like a princess. A single red rose rested on top, and beside it, a small note in Ethan’s handwriting.*For tonight. You’ll look perfect. —E*My cheeks warmed. He’d thought of me. Planned this. I lifted the dress carefully, already imagining how the fabric would skim my skin, how his eyes would light up when he saw me.Then I saw the tear, it was so long and had slashes cut through the silk and across the bodice, the waist, the skirt. Places that would expose everything if I tried to wear it. The beautiful peach was ruined, hanging in ragged strips.M







