로그인Lara’s POV Almost forty minutes later, I realized we were nowhere near the city anymore. I frowned slightly while looking outside the window. “Aiden.” “Hm?” “Where are we going?” “You’ll see.” I rolled my eyes. “You’ve said that five times already.” “And yet you’re still here.” Unfortunately, he had a point. I crossed my arms dramatically and looked back outside. Then suddenly— The large gates ahead opened. I straightened immediately. My confusion slowly turned into shock as the private airstrip came into view. And then I saw the jet. My mouth fell open. “…No way.” Aiden parked calmly like this was completely normal. Meanwhile, I was sitting there trying to process the fact that there was an actual private jet in front of me. I slowly turned toward him. “Aiden.” “Hm?” “Tell me that’s not yours.” A faint smirk appeared on his face. “It’s partially mine.” I stared at him. “You own a jet?” “You sound offended.” “You own a jet,” I
Aiden’s Pov I drove through the city, traffic lights turning from red to green without really registering. My hands were steady on the wheel, but my mind wasn’t. It felt strange—leaving work in the middle of the day, ignoring meetings that would usually chain me to that office. Still, for once, I didn’t feel guilty. At the next red light, I pulled out my phone and dialed Lara’s number. She answered on the second ring. “Aiden?” Her voice was soft, warm, like it always was. It did something to my chest every time. “I’m on my way home,” I said. There was a brief pause. “Home? This early?” she asked, surprised. “Did something happen?” “No,” I replied, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Just get ready.” “Get ready for what?” she asked, curiosity slipping into her tone. “I want to take you out,” I said. “We’re spending time together today.” Another pause—shorter this time—but I could almost hear her smile through the phone. “And where exactly are we going?” “You’ll see,”
Aiden’s POV Kailin studied me for a long moment, his gaze steady, almost too steady. “If you knew all this,” he asked finally, “then why did you wait until now?” I let out a slow breath, leaning back in my chair. The answer had always been there. I just never bothered to say it out loud. “Because I didn’t care,” I said. Not enough to fight it. He frowned slightly. So I went on. “For a long time, marriage was just… another arrangement. Another decision made on my behalf that I didn’t bother to question.” I shrugged. “Elena, someone else—it wouldn’t have mattered. I was taking whatever came my way without complaints because it was easier that way.” Kailin’s lips parted, like he wanted to interrupt, but I didn’t stop. “I didn’t want a reason to break the proposal,” I added quietly. “Having one would mean I’d have to face what I actually wanted. And I wasn’t interested in doing that.” He watched me carefully. “But now?” he asked. I nodded. “But now I do care.” The w
Aiden’s POV I stared at the edge of my desk, jaw tight, my fingers tapping once… twice… then stopping. No. That couldn’t be it. Not after everything. “That’s it?” I asked quietly, lifting my head to look at him. My voice didn’t rise, but there was something sharp underneath it. “That’s all the information you got from him?” Kailin met my eyes, his expression serious. “That’s all he was willing to say,” he replied. “I pushed where I could.” I exhaled slowly through my nose and stood up, walking away from the desk toward the window. The city looked the same as always—busy, loud, alive—but inside me, things were shifting. Too many pieces didn’t fit. My father. His past. The things that never made sense growing up. I’d lived with questions for years without even knowing they were questions. Now that they were right in front of me, I wasn’t about to let them slip away. “That’s not enough,” I said, more to myself than to Kailin. I turned back to him, my resolve settling in. “Anto
Aiden’s POV Kailin shifted in his seat, the humor draining from his face, replaced by something more focused. That was the version of him I trusted—the one who didn’t joke, didn’t waste time, didn’t let emotion cloud judgment. He took a slow breath before speaking. “I was supposed to meet Anton Varek last night,” he began. My fingers stilled on the edge of the desk. “At the club?” He nodded. “Our usual spot.” That alone made my stomach tighten. That club had been safe for years. Neutral ground. No cameras. No leaks. No loose mouths. If something had gone wrong there, it meant a serious breach. “I got there early,” Kailin continued, leaning forward slightly, forearms resting on his thighs. “Too early to blend in. And that’s when I noticed it.” “Noticed what?” I asked. “Eyes,” he said simply. “Too many. In the wrong places. People pretending to drink, pretending to flirt, pretending to gamble—badly.” I exhaled through my nose. “So we’ve been compromised.” “Tracked,
Aiden’s POV The clock on the wall ticked louder than it should have. I checked it again, even though I already knew what it would say. The meeting time had passed. Three hours, to be exact. Three hours of sitting in my office, pretending to work while my attention stayed fixed on the door. Kailin was never late. Not late late. Not like this. He was the kind of man who arrived five minutes early and waited in silence, already prepared, already ahead. If he wasn’t on time, it meant something had gone wrong. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed a hand over my face, unease settling deep in my chest. “Where the hell are you?” I muttered. I picked up my phone and checked it again—no missed calls, no messages. I’d already called him twice. Both times it rang until it stopped. No answer. No voicemail. That bothered me more than the delay. Kailin didn’t ignore calls. Especially not mine. Especially not on meeting days. I stood up and walked to the window, staring out at t
Lara’s POV In these few days, I realized something simple and terrifying. Being with Aiden was beautiful, more than I had imagined. That morning, I woke up before my alarm. Sunlight slipped through the curtains, soft and warm, and for a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, smiling
Rose’s POV Days had passed since that night. And somehow, I still kept coming back here. Same club. Same noise. Same lights. Every night, I told myself I was done. That I wouldn’t come again. And every night, my feet still brought me here. I’d sit in the same area, order the same drink, and
Elena’s POV “Go get my hat!” one of the contestants barked at her stylist. The poor girl scrambled, nearly tripping over a makeup bag. The room was chaos. Contestants chattered about how the crowd clapped for them, some bragging, some faking humility. One girl was still humming from her singing
Lara’s POV I stared at him, refusing to look away. “Well?” My voice was firmer than I expected. Aiden leaned back, exhaling slowly, like the weight of my question pressed on his chest. His eyes darkened. “Lara… you don’t understand. I want you. god knows I do. But if I let this happen—if I let







