MasukHey guys!
Sooo...it's my birthday month! And this is the only time in the year when I actually take a break from writing and just...relax and let go.
I'll be back to working on this story again in August...I know it's a long time and that's why I'll leave you all hot and bothered with two spicy chapters to keep you awake at night!
But this is also a kind of mental health break for me, so I don't crash and burn or end up at a hospital!
So, see you in August! And till then, happy reading and stay healthy!
LOVAGEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grandma Elara’s P.O.VThe morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the penthouse, cold and clinical. I sat propped up against the pillows, my hands trembling slightly—a detail I took great care to hide by gripping the edges of my silk robe.I’m a Henderson. We do not show weakness, not to the world, and certainly not to the ghosts that had prowled our hallways in the dead of night.Yet, as I stared at the door, the memory of the previous night played on a loop in my mind. I remembered the sound of the bolt sliding home, the screech of the heavy dresser being shoved across the floor, and the feeling of Aria’s small, determined frame standing between me and the unknown.She had been a shield. A fragile, young woman who had every reason to be terrified, yet she had stepped into the line of fire for a woman who had treated her with nothing but icy skepticism.The door opened softly, and Aria entered.
Aria’s P.O.VThe silence of the penthouse usually felt like a luxury, a velvet blanket that shielded me from the chaos of the city and the suffocating pressure of the Henderson name. But tonight, the silence felt heavy. It felt like a held breath.Damien had been forced to leave late in the evening. An "urgent matter" at one of his clubs—something about a security breach or a disgruntled partner that required his physical presence to settle.He had kissed me with a desperation that bordered on frantic, his hands gripping my waist as if he were afraid I might vanish the moment he stepped out the door."I’ll be back as quickly as I can," he had whispered against my lips, his voice thick with a protective edge. "Marcus and the team are on high alert. You are safe, Aria. I promise."I’d believed him, or at least, I’d tried to. But as the hours ticked by and the city lights flickered outside the floor-to-ce
Damien’s P.O.VI didn’t sleep. How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that photograph lying on the hardwood floor—a snapshot of a private, happy moment turned into a weapon.The intruder hadn't just breached my security; they had breached our sanctuary. They had looked at Aria, perhaps even stood within feet of her while she slept, and decided that the best way to break me was to make her feel hunted.The rage was a living thing inside me now, a cold, coiled serpent in my gut. I had spent my entire life learning how to mask it, how to channel it into corporate takeovers and strategic victories, but this was different. This wasn't about a board seat or a merger. This was about the woman who had become my entire world.I spent the early hours of the morning in my home office, the blue light of three different monitors illuminating the room. I had bypassed the standard security logs and gone straight into the raw data of the building’s external surveillance. I didn't trust the r
Aria’s P.O.VThe sound of the alarm was still ringing in my ears, a jagged, piercing noise that seemed to vibrate through my very bones.I was pressed against Damien’s chest, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. He was a wall of solid muscle in front of me, his body shielding mine with a primal intensity I had never seen before. In the dim light of the bedroom, he looked less like the polished CEO I worked for and more like a predator protecting its mate."Stay behind me," he commanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl.I didn't question him. I couldn't. I was trembling, the air in the room suddenly feeling too thin to breathe.The realization that our sanctuary—the penthouse where I had finally started to feel safe—had been breached was a physical blow. The walls that were supposed to keep the world out had failed.The silence that followed the alarm was almost worse than the noise. We waited, frozen, listening for the sound of a footstep or the creak of a door. Then,
Damien’s P.O.VThree days later, I found myself staring at the photograph on my mahogany desk, the image burned into my retinas. It was a shot of Aria and me outside the apartment—intimate, unguarded, and captured with a precision that made my blood run cold.I didn't need to be a forensic expert to analyze the angle. The shot had been taken from across the street, likely from a high-vantage point or a parked vehicle with a long-range lens.But it wasn't just the angle; it was the clarity. There was no grain, no blur of motion. This wasn't the work of some obsessed fan or a low-rent paparazzo looking for a tabloid scoop. This was professional-grade surveillance. The equipment used was high-end, the kind of gear employed by private intelligence firms or corporate espionage specialists.My jaw tightened. My father, Alexander, was many things—a narcissist, a manipulator, a coward—but he was also a man who viewed peopl
Aria’s P.O.VLiving in Damien’s penthouse had always felt like a dream—a sprawling, glass-walled sanctuary that hovered above the chaos of the city. But since Grandma Grandma Elara had moved in, the atmosphere had shifted. The air felt thicker, charged with a quiet, scrutinizing energy that made me feel as though I were perpetually walking on a tightrope.Grandma Elara was the embodiment of old-world grace and iron-willed discipline. She was polite—impeccably so—but it was the kind of politeness that acted as a shield, keeping everyone at a distance while she observed every flaw from behind a veil of courtesy.She didn't yell, she didn't scheme openly, and she didn't throw tantrums. Instead, she used silence and a single, arched eyebrow to dismantle your confidence.I found myself waking up earlier than usual, driven by a nervous compulsion to make sure everything was perfect. I didn't want to be a guest in m
Aria’s P.O.VEveryone was looking at me.At least, that’s what it felt like the moment I stepped into the bar on a Wednesday night—face layered with makeup, hair styled in a way I barely recognized, and a dress so short it made me painfully aware of every step I took.The place was surprisingly cro
Aria’s P.O.V“My sister is the most gullible woman in the world. Even if she caught us right now—naked under the covers—I could tell her you were helping me rehearse for a play and she’d believe it.”“That’s why I like you, Amara,” Landon replied lazily. “You know exactly what you want, and you’re
Ari’s P.O.VI took off my sunglasses and placed them on my desk before plopping down heavily onto my chair.Amara hadn't returned home last night. In fact, I had no idea if she was coming back today or had she eloped with Landon altogether because for the first time in my life…I hadn't returned hom
Aria’s P.O.VI wake up slowly, as if I am being pulled out of deep water, my thoughts heavy and sluggish. My body feels weighed down by a strange mix of warmth and discomfort. A dull ache pulses behind my eyes, steady and insistent, making me wince before I even fully open them. The first thing I n







