Aria staggered back, her breath hitching in her throat as she watched Mason walk toward her, his eyes burning with a fury so potent it made her wolf cower. There was something unhinged in his expression, like the quiet before a brutal storm.
Every step he took, she countered with one of her own in retreat. Even as her head spun and her balance faltered, she couldn’t stop moving... Couldn’t stand to be caught in the eye of whatever wrath he was about to unleash.
She didn’t understand why he was so angry, but she felt it. It radiated off of him like a wildfire closing in.
Then, her back slammed against the rooftop’s low wall. Cold stone met her spine. She gasped, instinctively glancing over her shoulder.
Aria stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat as a tiny pair of arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She looked down, stunned, and instinctively placed her hands on the small back and shoulder of the little girl clinging to her like a lifeline.The warmth of the child’s embrace was so sudden, so pure, it completely disarmed her.“Nina,” Mason said with a soft chuckle, his voice warm and indulgent, “you’ve just ambushed our guest. Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first, sweetheart?”The little girl gasped and stepped back slightly, still holding onto Aria’s hand. “Right! I’m sorry,” she said, her voice so delicate and sincere it made Aria’s heart twist in the best way possible.
‘Damn it, why does she have to be this clumsy? I’m barely holding it together as it is,’ Mason cursed inwardly, his jaw tightening as his gaze flicked between her lips and her wide, startled eyes.Aria felt the heat crawl up her neck the moment their proximity registered. His scent was intoxicating and maddeningly alluring. It wrapped around her like a magnetic pull, making her heart pound in her chest.“Y-Your scent—” she started breathlessly, but Mason suddenly gripped her arms with surprising gentleness, steadying her against him.“Are you okay, Aria?” he murmured, his voice low and velvet-smooth. “Can I call you that… when it’s just us?”Hi
“Cecil, tell me I’m seeing this wrong,” Aria said, her voice a tangled mix of disbelief and dread as she stared at the message on her phone.Cecil leaned over and read the text aloud, brow lifting. “‘Silver Moon Estate, Maui Drive.’ I mean, I know where Maui Drive is… but there’s no house number. So that basically means… the whole block? Maybe even more?”“I’m not talking about that part, you goof!” Aria groaned, clutching the phone tighter. “I’m talking about the first part. Silver Moon Estate. That’s his house. I know it.”“Oh… that…” Cecil smirked. “Well, isn’t that better? No nosy federation staff, no security guards giving you side-eye. Wasn’t that exactly what you wanted? Private audience with the brooding Chairman, no interruptions…”
Aria and Cecil sat inside a sleek, modern café nestled in the heart of Silver Moon Pack’s bustling business district. The place was lively, but a storm of nerves churned silently between the two women.Cecil watched, half-amused and half-concerned, as Aria picked up her phone… only to put it down again… and then repeated the cycle, all while sipping her caramel frappuccino like it was her only lifeline.“If I have to watch you touch that phone one more time, I’m going to lose my mind,” Cecil said with a long sigh. “Are we staying here until sunset, or do we have a plan before we become the furniture?”Aria groaned and slapped her palm on the table. “Ugh! Fine! I’ll call him. Just once. I’m going to choke on my own pride at this point—but if it’ll get my parents out of that g
Mason slid into the back seat of the car, his voice colder than steel.“There’s no need to interfere,” he said flatly. “She’ll figure it out on her own. We’re not getting involved.”Julian glanced at him with brows slightly raised. “Sure, boss. You call the shots.”With that, he pulled away from the curb and turned the car around, leaving the hotel and Aria behind in the growing distance.Outside, Aria instinctively turned her head, eyes narrowing as she stared down the road Mason’s car had just disappeared on. A strange sensation twisted in her chest, like an invisible string had tugged at her heart. Felt like someone was just watching her
The morning sun barely peeked through the curtains when Aria and Cecil were jolted awake by the buzz of new email; more documents, freshly delivered by Cecil’s ever-reliable parents.Cecil rubbed her eyes and looked over the files with a sigh. “Stay here, Aria. I’ll go downstairs and get these printed. It’s way easier to go through physical copies than scrolling through PDFs.”Before Aria could even nod, Cecil was out the door, her footsteps fading down the hall with quiet urgency.Aria decided to order room service for breakfast, partly for convenience, but mostly to shield her from the stares and whispers that might follow her in the hotel restaurant. She didn’t need judgmental eyes on her, not today, on Elliot and Stella's wedding day.
When Aria stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes immediately locked onto a new suitcase resting on the bed. It hadn’t been there earlier.Her brows furrowed. “Cecil?” she asked, glancing at the corner of the room where her assistant was hunched over the remains of her broken laptop, tools scattered across the desk like surgical instruments.Cecil didn’t look up. “Relax. I’m not fixing it. I’m just salvaging the hard drive and memory. With any luck, your files are still intact.”“You really don’t have to do that,” Aria said, her voice soft but strained. “You’ve already done more than enough today.”Cecil finally raised her head, she po
A low growl rumbled from Mason’s chest the moment the rooftop door burst open with a loud bang, and Julian stepped through like he owned the damn night.Julian had the nerve to clear his throat and say casually, “I thought the door was jammed… so I kicked it. My bad. But—uh—something’s come up. You really need to see it.”Mason’s eyes flared. Rage simmered just beneath his skin. “Can’t you tell I’m occupied?” he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.Julian raised both hands, trying not to smirk. “Right, right. But the urgent thing is already in your suite… and your date?” He nodded toward Mason’s arms. “She might’ve ditched you.”
Aria staggered back, her breath hitching in her throat as she watched Mason walk toward her, his eyes burning with a fury so potent it made her wolf cower. There was something unhinged in his expression, like the quiet before a brutal storm.Every step he took, she countered with one of her own in retreat. Even as her head spun and her balance faltered, she couldn’t stop moving... Couldn’t stand to be caught in the eye of whatever wrath he was about to unleash.She didn’t understand why he was so angry, but she felt it. It radiated off of him like a wildfire closing in.Then, her back slammed against the rooftop’s low wall. Cold stone met her spine. She gasped, instinctively glancing over her shoulder.