LOGIN~Aria's POV~
The day dragged on in a blur of forced normalcy. I moved through the penthouse like a ghost, Marcus trailing me with a silence that felt heavier than usual. By the time the sun began to dip behind the Manhattan skyline, the front door finally clicked open.
Lucien didn’t head for the living room. He didn’t call out
~Aria's POV~My fingers flew across the keyboard. I didn’t have much time. Lucien’s encryption was a beast, but the Axiom folder Hayes had mentioned was the key. I bypassed the biometric wall by using a localized server loop, a trick that felt so natural to my hands it was frightening.Buried in a sub-file labeled Legacy Logistics, I found it. It wasn't a dossier or a blueprint. It was a residential deed for a small townhouse in the Echo Park district. It was registered to a holding company, but the primary contact listed was a name I recognized from my hazy, fractured memories, Vane.I stared at the address. 1412 Willow Lane.I looked at the clock. 1:00 AM. Lucien would be at the office for at l
~Aria's POV~I stood in the kitchen for a moment, the silence of the penthouse ringing in my ears. Lucien thought those glass walls were impenetrable, but he’d forgotten that I was the one who had insisted on the smart-home upgrades last month. Or rather, I was the one who had helped the technicians while they were installing the internal intercom system.I moved quickly, my bare feet silent on the hardwood. I didn't go toward the conservatory. Instead, I ducked into the pantry and pulled out my phone. I opened the baby monitor app we’d installed just in case for the guest wing, but I’d synced it to the ambient noise sensors in the conservatory weeks ago when I was feeling particularly restless.
~Aria's POV~The tension from the previous night hadn't faded, it had just settled into the walls of the penthouse. Lucien had spent the early hours on a secure line in his study, his voice a low, jagged rumble that I could hear even through the vents. When he finally emerged for breakfast, he looked like he’d been at a war. He didn’t say much, but he stayed close, his hand resting on my back as I moved around the kitchen. It was his way of checking that I was still there, still real.Around noon, the elevator suddenly chimed. It was a sound that made both of us freeze. Lucien had supposedly locked down the floor, which meant whoever was coming had an override code he couldn't block.Marcus stepped out f
~Aria's POV~The day dragged on in a blur of forced normalcy. I moved through the penthouse like a ghost, Marcus trailing me with a silence that felt heavier than usual. By the time the sun began to dip behind the Manhattan skyline, the front door finally clicked open.Lucien didn’t head for the living room. He didn’t call out for me. He bypassed the kitchen entirely and walked straight toward his private study, his stride fast and clipped. There was an edge to his movements that suggested the board meeting hadn’t been his only concern today.I waited for a while, then stood up. I moved down the hallway, my feet silent on the thick carpet. The study door wasn't fully closed, a sliver of warm light
~Aria's POV~I reached for the device, but as my fingers brushed the sleek casing, a phantom sensation prickled at the base of my skull. It wasn't the sharp, clinical pain of the surgical table from my accident, but something older. A low, rhythmic hum, like a lullaby hummed in a deep voice.“Stay low, little sister. Don’t let them see the light of your eyes.”I gasped, my hand recoiling as if the tablet had burned me. Little sister. I stood there for a moment, my breath hitching in the silence of the library. I had asked him about Vane, the man with the scarred eyebrow from the security footage. Lucien had trembled at the mere mention of his name, his "Dark Lord" mask
~Aria's POV~By the time we got back to the penthouse, the atmosphere had shifted from the adrenaline of the trading floor to something suffocating. The elevator doors hadn't even fully opened before Lucien was barking orders at Marcus."I want the biometric overrides reset on all entrances," Lucien said, not looking back as he strode into the living room. "Double the detail on the service lift. Nobody enters this floor without my personal authorization. Not even the cleaning staff.""Understood, sir," Marcus replied, already tapping into his comms.I stood by the kitchen island, watching Lucien pace. He hadn't taken off his blazer. He hadn't even loosened his tie. He looked like a man preparing for a siege."Lucien, talk to me," I said, my voice steady despite the way my heart was still racing.
Aria's POVI heard a soft, dry chuckle. It was the sound of a woman who had just been handed the ultimate leverage. She knew exactly why he was staying, it was the "Aria effec
Aria's POV"It’s been buzzing for three minutes, Lucien," I whispered, reaching back to stroke his hair. "It might be important ."He finally reached out, his hand grabbing the&z
Aria's POV.Helena circled me slowly, like a jeweler examining a stone for flaws. I felt her gaze catalog every detail, my casual clothes, my minimal makeup, my simple ponytail."Hmm," she said finally, and the sound conveyed volumes of disapproval."Mother," Lucien's voice held a warn
“This is an agreement I've had my lawyers draft. It's quite simple, really. You have six months to conceive an heir to the Blackwood fortune. If you succeed, you'll continue as Lucien's wife with all the privileges that entails." She paused, letting that sink in. "If you fail, yo







