A business partner?

ARIA

"Aria!"

Mark called my name again, his voice filled with impatience.

I was sweating deep down, my silk dress suddenly feeling like a cage. I should have listened to Maya. I shouldn't be here, alone, with the same man who tried to murder me.

I turned around slowly, trying to look normal while I was fidgeting on the inside. I forced a calm mask over my panic.

"Yes, Mark?" I answered, my voice steady.

"Come check the liquid assets," Mark said, gesturing to the coffee table. "You gave your word. You said if you saw five million in there, you would sign the check right now. Well, come look."

I walked over, my legs feeling heavy. Mark brought the laptop closer, tilting the screen toward me so the blue light illuminated my face.

"We have more than five million dollars there," he said, a smug grin playing on his lips.

He opened the Cayman accounts. I leaned in, expecting to see a zero, or maybe a few hundred thousand. I expected to catch him in a lie.

Instead, I saw the number.

$8,250,000.00

My heart missed a beat.

Eight million dollars.

"How is that possible?" I muttered to myself, staring at the screen.

I had checked. I did a thorough check on everything. Maya and I had spent months digging into his finances. We knew his debts. He should have been in the red.

Is Mark playing a trick on me? The thought raced through my mind. No, it can't be. This is a live banking interface. I know the code.

That meant he had money I didn't know about. It meant he was smarter, or more deceitful, than I had given him credit for.

"You've seen it, right?" Mark asked, his voice dropping to a low, triumphant purr.

He stepped closer to me, invading my personal space. I could smell the expensive scotch on his breath.

"Listen, Aria," he whispered, looming over me. "We can make good business partners. You just need to trust me."

He reached out, his hand brushing my arm. It took everything I had not to flinch.

"You will enjoy working with me," he murmured, his eyes dark with greed. "And I hope I do too."

He stepped back and shoved a tablet into my hands. The digital contract was already loaded, the signature line glowing white and waiting.

"Here is your signature," he said.

I stared at the tablet. My hands were trembling slightly.

How could he outsmart me like this? I wondered, feeling a wave of nausea. What the hell just played out here? Something is not right.

If he had eight million dollars, why was he so desperate for my twenty-five? Why was he rushing me?

"Aria!" He called me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, looking up. "Yes?"

"Here," he tapped the screen aggressively. "Read the document I sent you again if you have doubts. But the money is there. The deal is solid."

I looked at him. I looked at the contract. If I didn't sign, I lost my access. I lost the chance to destroy him. I had to walk into the trap to spring it.

"Well understood," I said, my voice hollow.

"Now, please sign at the appropriate place."

I reluctantly lifted the stylus. It felt heavy, like a lead weight. I pressed it to the glass and completed the transaction.

TRANSFER COMPLETE.

My confidence really failed me on this. I felt exposed. I felt like I had just handed a loaded gun to my executioner. But how? How did I miss the eight million?

Mark checked his phone. A notification pinged.

He looked at the screen, and his entire demeanor changed. The tension vanished from his shoulders. He looked so elated, like a man who had just gotten away with the perfect crime.

"Done," he breathed out. "It’s done."

He walked to the bar, his movements loose and happy. He poured himself another drink, not even offering me one this time. He was celebrating.

I needed to know why. I needed to know who else was involved. I walked toward the window, trying to steady my breathing.

"Mark," I said, keeping my voice casual, masking the fear with curiosity. "Aside from you and your wife... is there an external person helping run the company?"

I turned to face him.

"You must really have a lot on your shoulders," I said, covering the sympathy with a probe. "It seems impossible for one man to manage all these assets alone."

Mark laughed. He took a large gulp of his drink, his guard completely down. The money had made him careless.

"You're right," he said, nodding. "A lot is on me. With little or no help from the board. They're useless."

He paused, a secretive smile curling his lips.

"But there is someone," he admitted. "Someone I partially run it with."

"Really?" I asked, forcing a smile. "Wow. That’s nice. As I am now a partner, I’d like to know him in person, too. It’s only fair."

"Yes, of course," Mark said, waving his hand dismissively. "What a coincidence you asked. It’s the end of the year. He will come back to spend the festive season with us."

"Okay," I said, my stomach tightening.

"Yes," Mark grinned, leaning back against the mahogany bar. "You’d really like Jason."

The name hit me like a physical blow to the chest.

Jason.

A sudden cough erupted from my throat, violent and uncontrollable. A cold shiver ran down my spine, vibrating through my bones. The room seemed to tilt.

Jason, my first ex. The boy from high school and the very man in the front seat of the kidnapping van who wanted to end my existence. Mark was at my side instantly. "Whoa, easy. Should I get you water? Are you fine?"

"Yes... yes, I am okay," I choked out, waving him away. I fought for air. "Just... went down the wrong pipe."

I straightened up, terrified that he would see the panic in my eyes.

"His name is Jason?" I asked, my voice thin and brittle.

"Yea," Mark said, completely oblivious to my terror.

"A business partner?" I asked. "Or..."

"No, not at all," Mark chuckled.

He seemed so happy letting out words that seemed like a secret to him on a normal day. This transaction had really turned his head. He felt untouchable.

"Jason is not a business partner," he continued, taking another sip.

He looked at me, his eyes shining with a twisted sort of familial pride.

"He's my stepbrother," Mark revealed. "From the same mum, different father."

Stepbrother?