로그인I had just parked my car when I noticed another vehicle pulling into the driveway.Hers.For a moment, I paused.I wasn’t expecting her back this early. I had assumed she would stay out longer, maybe even spend the evening at Liam’s house. I had already told the kitchen to prepare something light for her.But then I checked.She wasn’t inside.I called Williams immediately.His report came quickly.She had gone to her father’s house.My jaw tightened slightly at the information.Of course she had.He had made his stance on me very clear the last time things escalated. It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of conversation she had walked into.I stepped out of the car, already moving toward the entrance.Then I saw her.Arianna.She came out of the car slowly.Head slightly lowered.And even from a distance, I could tell something was wrong.Her shoulders looked heavier than usual. Her steps slower. Like whatever she had just experienced had drained her completely.I took a step forward,
I left the house without looking back.The air outside hit me differently—colder, sharper, like it was trying to pull the emotion out of me piece by piece.I got into the car, asking Williams to head back.My chest still felt tight.Not from anger anymore.From everything that had just happened. I closed my ears in at attempt to unhear them. But it didn't work.As soon as the car stopped, I got out not waiting for William to get the door. I needed to go somewhere private i break down.I didn’t even realize I was walking faster until my steps turned into something close to a run.I just needed space.Distance.Anything that wasn’t that room.My phone was still in my hand, but I didn’t check it. I didn’t call anyone. I didn’t think.I just moved.And then I saw him.Aiden.Standing beside his car.Like he had been waiting. He had probably seen us drive in.The moment my eyes landed on him, something inside me broke.I didn’t even slow down.I ran.Straight into him.My arms wrapped arou
Arianna I stood there for a moment after my stepmother finished speaking, feeling like the room had tilted slightly out of place.Like everyone else had agreed on a version of my life without bothering to include me in the discussion.My stepsister was still looking at me like she had already won something.My stepmother looked satisfied.And my father—My father still hadn’t said a word. He was still blind to her tactics. This was how she usually operates, whenever I got something for myself. She finds a loophole claiming it for her daughter. Just like she wanted with my father's company.That silence was what finally made something inside me harden.Slowly, I reached into my bag.Before handing a file over to my father "You might need a marriage counselor after this."My stepsister tilted her head slightly. “What are you doing?”I didn’t answer.I was waiting for the impact.My stepmother’s expression changed first.My father’s eyes narrowed slightly.I stepped backwards, sinking i
Arianna's Pov I arrived at the family house with my heart still warm from my results, but the moment the car slowed near the gate, that warmth started to fade. Something about the place felt… staged.I remembered the last time I wa here. The witch tried to chase me away. Too quiet. Even the air felt different, like the house was holding its breath. The driver opened the door and I stepped out slowly, my fingers still curled loosely around my phone. I told myself I was imagining it. Stress does that sometimes. Makes everything feel heavier than it is. But then I saw the front door. Already open. I was used to this pattern.They were waiting. I stopped for half a second. Then I walked in anyway. The living room came into view and I saw them immediately. My father stood at the center. My stepmother was beside him. And my stepsister Mitchell sat slightly behind, arms crossed, watching me like she already knew how this was going to end. My steps slowed. My father saw me fir
AriannaI just got a mail from my school.The results were out.For a few seconds, I just stared at the screen without moving. My hands started shaking before I even opened it properly, fingers hovering like I was afraid it might change if I touched it too quickly.My heart was already beating too fast.Too loud.Too alive.I swallowed and tapped it open. What is the worse that could happen?The loading symbol spun slowly, each second stretching longer than the last. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until the page finally loaded.My eyes scanned the screen carefully.Arianna Young.My name.I blinked once.Then again.Distinction.Contact the school office for graduation details.For a moment, my brain refused to process it.It just… stopped.Then everything hit at once.I jumped to my feet so quickly my chair scraped loudly against the floor.“No—no way,” I gasped, then burst into laughter and tears at the same time.My hands flew to my mouth, but it didn’t stop the soun
AidenI didn’t leave the conference room immediately after the last board member stood up.The silence they left behind lingered longer than their signatures.NDAs sat neatly stacked in front of every seat, all signed without further argument. Not because they agreed, but because they understood the cost of refusing.My mother remained seated longer than the others.Her gaze stayed fixed on me.“You’re tightening control,” she said again, calm but observant.“Yes,” I replied.She studied me for a moment.“Is it because of Arianna, You really like her” she added.I didn’t answer immediately.That pause was enough. But it wasn't just that.My mind drifted to the meeting.A few board members shifted in their seats, pretending not to listen.One of them finally spoke. “Restricting share transfers indefinitely is highly irregular. It affects internal liquidity structures.”“It’s temporary,” I said.“That doesn’t reduce the impact,” another added.I turned slightly toward him.“It reduces r
I can’t get it out of my head.It had been two days since he left, yet I couldn’t stop replaying it—the steamy kiss we had shared before his departure. The kisses had been getting more frequent, more intense, more deliberate. He was planting dangerous thoughts in my head, and he knew it.“Ahhh!” I
Waltzing down the grand staircase in an unlikely, almost dramatic fashion, Arianna held the banister as though she were descending into a ballroom instead of her own living room. The maid walking a few steps behind her struggled to suppress her laughter, clearly amused by her mistress’s playful ele
The car door could not open fast enough. Arianna stepped out, her eyes shining, her smile wide and unrestrained—like a twelve-year-old on Christmas morning. The grand house before her stood tall and elegant, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun. She was completely captivated. So captiv
Silence followed their departure from the courthouse. Each was clearly engrossed in private thoughts, wondering what this sudden, contractual union truly meant. The late afternoon sun cast their shadows across the pavement, stretching their figures into unfamiliar shapes—two strangers now bound tog







