LOGINAria’s POV It was already late in the afternoon by the time I was done with my photoshoot and every other ad shoot I had to do for the day. I texted Mia as soon as I was done, and we agreed to meet at our favorite restaurant to have lunch and catch up. I got here first so I chose a table by the corner that would give us a good view of the restaurant but still give us more than enough privacy from everyone else. Mia walks into the restaurant with a small from on her face that morphs into a bright smile when she sees me and I watch the smile slowly turn mischievous as she walks closer and takes in the two huge men standing two tables away, watching me like mother hen. “Hey.” She says as she slides into the chair opposite me. “Hi,” I reply. She looks behind her and looks back at me. “That’s a new development.” She says. “Bodyguards. Fancy.” She adds wiggling her brows at me. I let out a small laugh. “Oh please, Ronan is being impossible so I am kind of stuck with them.” Concern e
Aria’s POV “Oh, bodyguards. Fancy.” Layla says with an amused smile when she sees the two big ass men following me around like lost puppies. I groan. “Please don’t remind me.” She chuckles as she takes a look at the men again. “I don’t think I would have to remind you. Have you seen these men? They look like the elephant in the room.” She says. That earns a small laugh from me. “They can hear you.” “Oh, I know.” She says with a laugh and leans closer to me. “They are hot though. Not a bad view.” I wouldn’t know. I barely had the chance to look at them properly. Not with Ronan distracting me like that. “You are blushing. What is this about?” Layla says in a singsong manner. I wave her off and clear my throat. “It’s nothing,” I say. “So, what are we doing today?” I ask quickly before she tries to find out what was on my mind. The trick works because she is now scrolling on her iPad in the fancy way she does, with all seriousness. “First, we have the shoot with the lingerie bra
Aria’s POV I turn in bed and try to snuggle into Ronan but…he isn’t there. And I realize he hasn’t been there for a while because his spot is no longer warm. I reluctantly get out of bed and quickly head to the bathroom to freshen up. My conversation with Ronan last night keeps replaying in my head. I wasn’t very surprised by my brother’s behavior but I was very surprised to know that someone else is interested in me. Enough to pay my brother a ridiculous amount of money just to know about me. Just go get information about me. And this is scary because I don’t even know who it is. I have no idea who this person could be or what they even want from me. For all of my life, I can’t remember offending anyone, I have always been on my own, I had Mia and she was and still is the only friend I ever needed and had. Ronan made a lot of sense yesterday. Maybe it’s someone I don’t know. Someone I have probably never met before. Someone who’s just looking to ruin my public image. I still
Ronan’s POV The call comes in just after midnight. Aria is sleeping soundly beside me, tucked into my chest and holding me like she fears I might run away in the middle of the night. I exhale slowly and reach for my phone, careful not to wake Aria. Then I see the name on the screen. Adrian, her brother. I don’t answer the call right away, I slowly and gently pull away from her and slip out of the bed. She curls up into the duvet and sleeps soundly. I walk out of the room and head to the living room then I answer the call. “You’d better have a goddamn good reason for calling me this late,” I say flatly. He chuckles, amused. “What? Did I interrupt something?”I sigh and tighten my hold on the phone. “What do you want? We have a deal already, I will have the money sent to you tomorrow and you disappear from her life forever.” I say. A pause. “Yeah, about that.” He says. “I don’t think I will be taking your offer anymore.” He says. My jaw hardens. “What do you mean by that? We al
Aria’s POVI didn’t realize how much I missed this place until I got here, standing in front of Mia’s door. I raise my hand and knock on the door, I could use my key but I am trying to be polite. The door flies open before I can knock the second time. Mia comes into view in a ridiculously large shirt; her face is devoid of makeup, and her hair is tied in a messy bun on her head. Again, she is glowing, literally glowing. “You know, I think pregnancy suits you a little too much. You are glowing.” I blurt out. She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “It’s good to finally see you too, Aria.” She says sarcastically as she walks into the house leaving me to follow behind her. “I was starting to think I would never get to see you again.” She adds dramatically. I laugh as I close the door behind me. “Now, you are just being dramatic. We talk over the phone all the time.” She stops in the middle of the living room and puts her hands on her hips. “That’s not the same and you know that. You said yo
Ronan’s POV He has her eyes. And her smile. The moment I set my eyes on him I knew immediately that he was her brother. It’s those eyes, those eyes that I see every day and absolutely adore. They look alike but they couldn’t be more different at the same time. He is jittery, nervous, and edgy. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into my office and saw the look in her eyes. When she finally said it, I knew I had to do something about it immediately. So, as soon as she left my office, I called Kade. Thankfully, Adrian was pretty easy to track down. So, here I am in some fancy restaurant sitting opposite my girlfriend’s brother. When I called him to meet up, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. “So.” He drawls, leaning into his chair like he owns the place. I can see through his fake confidence. He keeps looking over his shoulder like someone would jump out and his legs won’t stop bouncing nervously. “You are the man who has been taking care of my sister.” He says, wiggling







