Preparing

CHAPTER FOUR

"Every single word,” I seethed, my voice hard. “Every single insult and shame you painted on my name. I heard every bloody thing, Marcus.”

"Aria, please. I know what you're probably thinking, but I swear– I regret every single thing. Let me explain—"

"Explain what? That you married me to breed an heir? That you were going to throw me away after, when I was of no good use to you again ? That everything was a lie?" My voice cracked, increasing with each word I said.  "There's nothing to explain, Marcus. I understand perfectly."

"What about the ba– baby?” He questioned, his hand moving to hold me but I stopped him.

“What about it?”

"Did you... is it..."

He thought I was still pregnant when I left. He didn't know about Lily.

Good.

I folded my hand under my bust and looked straight in his eyes. I wanted to see his face when I revealed it to him.

"There is no baby, Marcus." The lie slipped through my mouth easily. "I lost it just a month after I left. The doctor said it couldn't handle the stress."

I saw the pain immediately in his eyes. He closed them for a second and then opened them back up, like he was hoping my revelation was just his imagination.

"I– I'm sorry I did that to you. I treated you like you were nothing more than a vessel for my child. My son,” his voice shook with grief and for a second I wanted to believe him— I almost did believe him.

Then I remembered what he just said. “My son.” He still thought the child I was carrying was a boy.

"It wasn't a boy, Marcus. The child I was carrying for you was a girl. Not the boy you so dearly hoped for," I said, watching him closely to observe how he would react.

Why?

Was it because there was still a small part of me that wanted him to love the girl child as much as he would have loved a son?

"Wh– what?" His eyes widened, and then I saw it. That familiar redness in his eyes that appeared when things didn't happen according to how he wanted it.

But just as immediately as it came, it went away. And his eyes returned to that pitiful look, but it was already too late. Because I had seen he was still the same Marcus. The same selfish bastard.

And I wasn't going to waste my time on him anymore.

"I have security coming," I said coldly, giving him a dirty look, as I got ready to head back to my studio. "You have thirty seconds to leave before I have you arrested for harassment."

"Wh– what? You can't do that!" He growled.

"Twenty seconds."

"Aria, you're being unreasonable—"

"Marcus, darling, what's taking so long?" A sharp voice cut through the hallway, and I froze.

Natalia Blackwell appeared, her heels clicking against the floor. She looked exactly the same. Expensive clothes and that permanent sneer on her face that she always wore like make-up.

Her eyes landed on me and widened, before it narrowed in disgust.

“You!” She spat as she walked closer, looking at me up and down like I was dirt on her shoe. "I must say, Aria, you've gotten bolder. Showing your face here after running away like a coward."

I didn't respond. I just stared at her, my face calm and stoic.

"My son is practically begging you to come back and because of that you feel like you're something?” She threw her head back and chuckled darkly. “You should feel lucky, you know," she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "That my son even chose you to carry his heir. You were nothing. A nobody with no family, no money, no class. And now you think you're somebody because you've accomplished a little thing?"

"Please,” she scoffed. “This empire you're built?” She gestured to the building – “It's fake. Just a foolish little girl's dream. You would never have reached this far without Marcus's name attached to you, and we all know it!"

My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to remain calm. I realized that was what she wanted. She wanted to see me react, make me boil, some reaction after she pushed me to the edge. So I would destroy everything I had worked hard for.

But no. I won't give her the satisfaction of seeing that happen.

"And let me promise you something, dear." She stepped closer, her eyes hard. "You will regret everything you're doing tonight. When this little fashion brand of yours crashes and burns, when you come crawling back begging for help, Marcus won't even look at you. You'll be nothing again. Just like you were when he found you."

I looked at her. I really looked at her. This woman who'd made me feel small for three years. Who'd never once treated me like I was good enough for her precious son.

And I realized something.

I didn't care.

I didn't need her approval. I didn't need Marcus's validation. I didn't need anything from these people who'd tried to break me.

"Are you done?" I asked calmly.

She blinked, surprised.

"I said, are you done? Because I have security coming and I'd like them to remove both of you at the same time. It's more efficient that way."

Her face turned red. "How dare you—"

"Security!" I called out loudly.

Two large men appeared from around the corner.

"Please escort Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell out of the building. They're trespassing."

"You can't do this!" Natalia shrieked.

"I just did. Goodbye, Natalia. Marcus."

I stepped back into my dressing room and slammed the door.

I heard them protesting, then the security telling them to leave. Their voices got quieter as they were dragged away. When it was finally silent, I slid down the door and sat on the floor in my expensive dress.

For a moment, Natalia's words echoed in my head. You would never have reached this far without Marcus.

A small part of me—the part that still remembered being that scared twenty-one-year-old—wanted to believe her. I wanted to doubt myself.

But no. I'd built Luminère from nothing. Every design, every late night, every sacrifice— that was me. Not Marcus, not his stupid family, and most definitely not his name.

I was done needing their approval.

My phone buzzed, and I saw that it was a different number this time.

I opened it.

“I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night. Every minute. Every hour. You've consumed my thoughts in ways I can't explain. I know you haven't responded to my texts, and I understand why. But I'm asking you for one chance. Have dinner with me tomorrow night. Just dinner. If after that you want nothing to do with me, I'll stop. I'll leave you alone. But please, Aria, give me one chance to show you what this could be. - James”

I stared at the message. My thumb hovered over the keyboard.

This was insane. I didn't even know his last name, I didn't know anything about him except that he made me feel things I hadn't felt in years.

But after everything that happened tonight—Marcus, Natalia, all of it—I realized something.

I was tired of being afraid. Tired of putting my life on hold because of what happened six years ago.

Maybe it was time to live for myself.

My fingers typed before I could change my mind.

“Tomorrow night. 8 PM. But you're picking the restaurant this time.”

I hit send.