Aria's POV
Among all of us, Nina was the boldest… and the most ruthless.
Besides working here, she ran an OnlyFans account, filming explicit videos—most of them without the men even realizing they were being recorded.
Her usual routine was simple and terrifying: get a man drunk—or worse, drugged—then sleep with him while his mind was clouded.
If she couldn't get video footage, she'd at least snap some compromising photos. The kind of men who came here weren't the type to call the cops. They'd rather pay to bury the scandal.
Tonight was a golden opportunity. There were VIPs in the building—real money. Not the usual cheap, sleazy guys she hunted.
But—
This one was… too big for her. She was clearly struggling to support his weight. I watched as she half-dragged, half-dropped him onto the couch.
From where I stood, I could only see his shoes, but a strange unease twisted in my gut.
Kane's POVAfter coming back from the hospital and seeing that her fever had finally subsided, I let out a long breath of relief. I used the chance to take a hot shower.But just as I stepped out of the bathroom, I heard her mumbling something in bed.I walked over and pressed my palm to her forehead—my expression darkened immediately. The fever was back."Fuck," I hissed through gritted teeth as I grabbed my phone and called Frank.He answered with a growl, already pissed. "Didn't you just give her something for the fever? How the hell is it back so soon?""I know. That's why I'm calling you," I snapped, rubbing the back of my neck in frustration.He was quiet for a beat before responding, "Start with physical cooling. If it doesn't help in two hours, give her another dose. If the fever isn't gone by morning, take her back to the hospital."I clenched my jaw. "What the hell is going on with her? It's not even a viral infection. Why is she burning up like this?"Frank scoffed. "Gee, l
Kane's POVI pulled her into my arms, thinking it would comfort her. But the second she was in my embrace, I could feel it—she was stiff as a board.And not the shy, flustered kind of stiff. No. This was cold. Guarded. Completely shut down.I frowned and held her shoulders, taking a better look at her."What's going on with you?" I stared at her face. "You avoided me earlier, didn't you?"I'd noticed, of course. Every little flinch, every subtle dodge—I caught it all. I just hadn't called her out on it.But now? Something was off."Aria, are you scheming again?" My tone dropped as I flicked her forehead, trying to pull a reaction from her.She didn't answer. Just bit down on her lip. But then she blinked—and I saw it. That shimmer in her eyes. She was holding back tears.My chest tightened. I reached for her hand—and damn near jerked back from the heat radiating off her skin.I pressed my palm to her forehead. Holy hell. She was burning up."You have a fever," I snapped, panic threadi
Aria's POVOnce we arrived at the office, we acted like nothing had happened. Like we had some unspoken agreement, Kane and I went our separate ways, each burying ourselves in work.What I didn't know was that after Kane stepped into his office, he quietly opened the one-way glass window and started watching me—while pretending to work.I'd been off for four days, so as soon as I came back, I was swamped. Back-to-back meetings, endless emails, nonstop questions.Thankfully, Kane had walked me through the partnership details the night before. Without that, I would've been completely lost under the judgmental stares of the managers.Right after wrapping up the meeting with the ATTA managers, I rushed back to my office and jumped onto a video call with the ACE team.Half the technical talk went over my head, so I did the only thing I could—take notes like crazy and repeat things word for word on both sides.By the time the call ended, I was completely drained.After lunch, I was just abo
Aria's POV"First," I sighed, my tone resigned, "no more tying me up. I'm not going to run."After all that chaos, I was exhausted. Arguing with him was pointless—there was no winning against someone who had no shame and endless comebacks."We can go back to how things were," I continued, then paused and added, "I'll move back in. But in bed, it's mutual—purely physical, transactional. No feelings involved."I kept my voice steady, but my heart stung a little as I said it.Kane's expression shifted ever so slightly, clearly not pleased. But he masked it with a calm façade. "Of course. That's how the contract was written, after all.""And one more thing," I said, locking eyes with him. "No one can know about this—especially my parents. I need your word that they won't get hurt."I told myself that as long as I held this boundary, I wouldn't fall any deeper."No problem. I promise," Kane nodded solemnly.I raised my cuffed wrist. "Then you can unlock this now, right?"He pulled the key
Gabriella's POVI sat by the window, staring blankly at the two plates of steak that had long gone cold. They looked completely unappetizing now.The restaurant was warm and filled with the rich aroma of coffee, but Carol still hadn't shown up.I took a slow sip of red wine, then raised my hand to summon the waiter."My friend won't be coming," I said calmly, as if commenting on the weather. "You can clear these."The waiter nodded politely and removed the plates. I took out my phone and dialed a familiar number.The call connected almost immediately."How did it go?" I asked softly, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips."The driver died on the spot," the voice on the other end said respectfully. "Everything else has been taken care of. No one will trace it back to you."I let out a satisfied chuckle. "How gruesome." I couldn't help laughing. "And the woman? What did she look like?""She was practically ground into meat paste—smashed together with the cab driver. Completely unrec
Gabriella's POVI couldn't believe it. That stupid woman—Carol—had the nerve to hang up on me. Hang up. On me.And then, she actually had the audacity to threaten me?My face flushed with rage, my chest so tight I could barely breathe."Idiot! Moron!" I shouted, stomping my foot like a furious child, except there was nothing childish about the fury twisting inside me.What the hell was I thinking, ever trusting someone like her? A pathetic, delusional mess who can't even hold on to a man—let alone seduce one. And Kane? She really believed he was devoted to her?What a joke.I'd originally planned to use her—nothing more. Let her be the pawn to take down Aria. But even that was too much for her to handle. She spent three days and nights with Kane and couldn't even spark a flicker of interest. In the end, she was tossed aside like garbage. Hell, she even got herself beaten up.I'd already written her off as useless. That's why I hadn't bothered with her the past few days. But I figured—