Aria stepped into the sunlit dining room of her family estate, the warm aroma of fresh dumplings and jasmine tea wrapping around her like a familiar embrace. Her parents were already seated at the breakfast table, a spread of congee, pickled vegetables, soy milk, and sesame buns between them."There she is," her father said with a smile, lowering his newspaper. "Our hard-working CEO finally has time for breakfast.""Sit, sweetheart," her mother added, gesturing to the empty chair across from them. "You must be exhausted. You've been working too hard lately."Aria took her seat, reaching for a cup of tea. The porcelain was warm in her hands, grounding her for what to say next. She sipped it slowly, her expression unreadable, watching steam curl up from the surface.Her parents chatted idly about weekend charity events and upcoming board meetings. Her mother mentioned something about Mrs. Chen's son getting engaged, and her father grumbled about the stock market's morning performance.
The echo of the door Ethan had slammed was still ringing in Aria's ears, even after she sat on her chair.She could hear the murmurs of the employees from outside her office. She couldn't blame them, she and Ethan had given them a show to talk about.Aria stood up and walked towards her dustbin and picked up the contract Ethan threw away in his anger. It was all wrinkled from how hard he twisted the papers.she could still hear his words in her head. "I'd rather drown than sell myself to you.” he'd spat at her, with pure fury on his face.And yet she would. Whether he realized it or not, she already had. She had already found the cracks in his life and placed her terms right there in the gaps, he just hadn't accepted them. Yet.Aria smoothed the wrinkles on the papers and inhaled slowly. Ethan words had almost brought out the emotions she tried to hide with his words. The shame, guilt and fear. But she wouldn't let him, not when she hadn't accomplished what she wanted to yet.She walk
The echo of the door Ethan had slammed was still ringing in Aria's ears, even after she sat on her chair.She could hear the murmurs of the employees from outside her office. She couldn't blame them, she and Ethan had given them a show to talk about.Aria stood up and walked towards her dustbin and picked up the contract Ethan threw away in his anger. It was all wrinkled from how hard he twisted the papers.she could still hear his words in her head. "I'd rather drown than sell myself to you.” he'd spat at her, with pure fury on his face.And yet she would. Whether he realized it or not, she already had. She had already found the cracks in his life and placed her terms right there in the gaps, he just hadn't accepted them. Yet.Aria smoothed the wrinkles on the papers and inhaled slowly. Ethan words had almost brought out the emotions she tried to hide with his words. The shame, guilt and fear. But she wouldn't let him, not when she hadn't accomplished what she wanted to yet.She walk
The echo of the door Ethan had slammed was still ringing in Aria's ears, even after she sat on her chair.She could hear the murmurs of the employees from outside her office. She couldn't blame them, she and Ethan had given them a show to talk about.Aria stood up and walked towards her dustbin and picked up the contract Ethan threw away in his anger. It was all wrinkled from how hard he twisted the papers.she could still hear his words in her head. "I'd rather drown than sell myself to you.” he'd spat at her, with pure fury on his face.And yet she would. Whether he realized it or not, she already had. She had already found the cracks in his life and placed her terms right there in the gaps, he just hadn't accepted them. Yet.Aria smoothed the wrinkles on the papers and inhaled slowly. Ethan words had almost brought out the emotions she tried to hide with his words. The shame, guilt and fear. But she wouldn't let him, not when she hadn't accomplished what she wanted to yet.She walk
Adrian picked up his shirt from the bedroom floor and put it on."Where are you going?" Lisa asked confused, as to why he was dressing up. "I thought we would continue?"Adrian chucked, not looking at her as he fixed his tie. "I need to go home.""But I thought we could continue... I mean, I thought..." She trailed off, biting her lip.Adrian turned to look at her. He had to admit, Lisa looked beautiful laying down on the bed with just a robe covering her body.And for a moment, he almost climbed back into the bed with her."This was a mistake," he said. "I shouldn't have come here,when I still have this scandal issues to deal with."Lisa's twisted the edge of her robe. "A mistake? Adrian, you just said you cared about me. You said... ""I know what I said." He interrupted her. "But I wasn't thinking clearly and I have to look for a way to make Aria change her mind.""What am I to you then?" She asked, her voice cracking now. "Just some girl you screw whenever you're bored?""I never
"Oh, you'll definitely love this," Lisa said with joy in her voice. "I staged our entire first meeting. The whole romantic'rescue' mission that he still thinks was fate."Ethan's brows dropped low over his eyes as he tried to understand what Lisa was saying.The apartments walls seemed to pulse around him and his vision blurred at the edges of his eyes as Lisa's words sank in."I paid some guys to mug him," Lisa continued, her voice excited now. "Nothing too serious of course, just enough to rough him up a bit. And then I showed up at the person time, like some kind of a guardian angel."The memory flashed through Ethan's mind. About a year ago, he was attacked at the parking lot of a grocery store. There were three men with their faces covered up, they demanded he hand over his wallet, his watch and his phone.And when he refused, he remembered the punches that followed. But then she appeared.Like an angel in a cream-colored coat, her blonde hair cascading down her back in waves. Sh