chapter 8

The Calm before the Storm 

Ariana’s POV

After the summit, I didn’t stay to find out Sebastian’s reaction to ignoring him there. But somehow, I could imagine it perfectly.

And even though I no longer wanted Sebastian Frost, some part of me wondered what it was like to see your ex-wife leading a revolution you never saw coming.

The irony almost made me laugh.

Instead, I stood alone in my office on the thirtieth floor of the new SinTech tower at 9:39 PM, staring out at the city lights.

Six years had passed, but somehow, this city still knew exactly how to strike me. And now it did so in a slightly exhausting manner.

The summit had gone better than expected. Investors were largely interested in our vision as anticipated. We’d already started securing partnerships, if you asked me.

SinTech’s arrival in Los Angeles had landed exactly the way Kylan and I had planned. Maybe even more.

By now news of our emergence would have flooded the media and internet, and people would have started to work out who I was… or rather, who I had been.

Sebastian’s face tonight though, had almost been worth the years of silence. Almost, I thought. Not yet, he hasn’t seen anything.

At that moment, a soft knock sounded against the office door before it opened halfway.

“You’re still awake.” A voice sounded through.

I glanced back and saw as Kylan stepped into the place, loosening the sleeves of his black silk shirt. 

Without the crowd and cameras surrounding him now, he looked more relaxed, less like the untouchable CEO the world was beginning to obsess about… and more like the man who had been my friend and confidant over the years.

The memory of how he had once sat beside me on the floor of a tiny apartment while helping me figure out how to rebuild my life from nothing flashed into my mind.

“You should sleep,” he added gently.

“So should you,” I responded.

He smirked casually. “I own the company. I can do whatever I want.”

“You own only sixty per cent,” I corrected immediately.

“And yet somehow you still sound like the boss.”

“That’s because I usually am.”

We both laughed and his came out softly in a way that had grown to affect me over the years.

Kylan walked deeper into the office before casually leaning against the edge of my desk, studying me carefully.

“You’re thinking too much again.”

I crossed my arms. “Sorry. Occupational hazard.”

“No,” he replied softly. “This time you’re thinking of someone.”

Sebastian.

Neither of us said the name out loud. We didn’t need to.

I exhaled slowly before turning back toward the window. “Seeing him today was… strange.”

“Strange?” Kylan repeated sceptically.

I ignored his questioning tone. “He looked different.”

“That’s probably because FrosTech is probably in chaos as we speak.”

That immediately pulled my attention back toward him.

Kylan’s expression sharpened that very instant. “I mean isn’t it clear, Ariana. Three financial bridges in three months, their global interests dropping in value.” A faint smile formed on his mouth. “Somebody’s definitely panicking over there.”

I knew that already.

Our analysts had been quietly tracking FrosTech for months now. The company was still powerful, still dominant in some areas, but the cracks in their systems had started to show massively.

And one thing I knew about Sebastian was that he hated weakness… anywhere, talk more of multiple areas. Which meant he was probably spiralling privately now… his wicked mother by his side feeding him whispers.

Good, I thought.

Part of me wanted him to suffer. And another part… no, I cut the thought off immediately. There was no room for softness anymore.

Not when I still recalled the way he looked at me six years ago and acted like he didn’t know me… treated me like I was some disposable house item he was done using.

Like our three years of marriage meant completely nothing to him.

“You know,” Kylan said behind me, “you don’t have to prove anything to him anymore.”

My gaze turned back toward him.

“I’m not doing this for Sebastian.”

“Ariana,” he started.

“Aria,” I corrected.

His eyes softened. Right.

Only a few people were allowed to know me as Ariana now. Everyone else got Aria, the woman I had become after surviving a traumatic experience.

“I mean it,” I said more quietly. “This company isn’t revenge anymore, but a statement rather.”

Kylan held my gaze for a long moment before sighing. “Okay.”

But I could tell he didn’t fully believe me. And honestly? Maybe I didn’t fully believe myself, either.

This was because no matter how much I tried to separate the two… getting revenge and making a huge statement… There was still great satisfaction in watching SinTech rise directly over FrosTech and watching Sebastian suffer for turning his back against me.

There was great satisfaction in knowing that he had finally looked shaken and afraid tonight. The mighty Sebastian Frost. Finally caught off guard and shaken to the core.

My phone buzzed softly against the desk.

The moment I saw Skylar’s name on screen, something inside me immediately began to ease. Kylan noticed the shift in my expression.

I answered quickly with amusement. “Hey, sweetheart.”

Mom!”

The familiar sound of his voice melted the earlier tension in my chest.

“You’re still awake?” I asked.

“You promised to call.”

A guilty smile formed on my lips. “I know, I know. I’m sorry my love.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy.” The boy smartly mentioned. 

He’s so mature for his age, I thought in my head. Still, I felt sorry for the distance I had to create for this phase of my newfound purpose. 

I caught Kylan’s eyes that instant as he looked up from his phone. The silent gaze he shot me suddenly dragged my attention off Jason for a moment. 

Wondering what could be wrong, I raised a brow quietly, hoping it was nothing to bother about. But Kylan that moment seemed dumbfounded, like he had seen a ghost or something.

His next movement immediately explained why, as he held his phone in the air towards me.

Distracting myself from the call for a second, I read the words that displayed on his screen carefully…

“EX-WIFE OF BILLIONAIRE, SEBASTIAN FROST, HOOKS UP WITH FORMER ADULT FILM STAR.”