Aria's POV
"Friend?" Emma gave my shoulder a light pat, her tone casual. "Go talk to her. We'll be in the main conference room when you're done."
Now that she'd said it out loud, I couldn't just pretend I hadn't heard. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to walk toward Gabriella.
"What do you want?" I turned my head slightly, avoiding her gaze, my voice sharp. I had no desire to talk to her—especially not here, not like this.
But of course, she wasn't about to let me walk away so easily.
"Can't I just say hi?" Gabriella scoffed, her eyes slicing over me from head to toe like blades. "I thought you left ATTA for some incredible opportunity. But now, look at you—you're worse off than before."
Her words dripped with venom. I glanced down at my outfit—a simple grey skirt suit and white blouse. Nothing flashy. Nothing designer. But clean. Professional.
I never thought there was anything wrong with dressing
Aria's POV"Friend?"Emma gave my shoulder a light pat, her tone casual. "Go talk to her. We'll be in the main conference room when you're done."Now that she'd said it out loud, I couldn't just pretend I hadn't heard. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to walk toward Gabriella."What do you want?"I turned my head slightly, avoiding her gaze, my voice sharp. I had no desire to talk to her—especially not here, not like this.But of course, she wasn't about to let me walk away so easily."Can't I just say hi?"Gabriella scoffed, her eyes slicing over me from head to toe like blades. "I thought you left ATTA for some incredible opportunity. But now, look at you—you're worse off than before."Her words dripped with venom. I glanced down at my outfit—a simple grey skirt suit and white blouse. Nothing flashy. Nothing designer. But clean. Professional.I never thought there was anything wrong with dressing
Aria's POVThe moment I landed the job, I was so excited I almost screamed. The first person I wanted to tell was Caleb.But the job was overwhelming—so many tasks, so much to learn. I didn't even get a chance to call him for three days straight.During the day, I was busy trying to keep up. At night, I buried myself in copywriting manuals and marketing case studies. Honestly, I hadn't worked this hard even in college.It wasn't until my lunch break on the fourth day that I finally remembered—I'd promised Caleb a celebratory dinner.Just as I dialed his number, he picked up on the first ring. "I was about to call you. You beat me to it,"he said, his voice as warm as ever.I blinked. "Oh? You were going to call me?""I wanted to check in about your job search."His voice lowered slightly, tinged with something heavier. "Also... Chad ran into some issues in Germany. I'm flying out tonight to see what's going on."
Carol's POVI really did love him. If I didn't, why would I take a man to look at wedding dresses and engagement rings? That was my way of dreaming—of imagining a future with him. It was my clumsy attempt to get closer.But how could he twist that into manipulation?"I really like you…"My voice trembled as I looked at him. "Didn't you say you just wanted me to be happy?"He let out a cold, mocking laugh, his eyes colder than winter steel. I shivered."Carol, open your eyes. That check is for a million dollars. I haven't even slept with you yet, and I'm still being generous."My heart dropped. The tears were instant. That was a slap in the face—worse than anything physical.I thought this was love. Not a transaction."Take the money,"he said flatly, "and disappear. Don't ever show up in front of me again."He paused, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips."Or walk away with nothing. Your
Kane's POVThe moment she started using that cutesy voice, something inside me twisted.That sugary tone, all cloying and sticky—it grated on my nerves. I instinctively frowned, loosening the hand I'd placed around her waist.She didn't notice a thing. Instead, she grabbed five or six shopping bags with a smile and skipped ahead like a happy little girl."Come on! Let's go look at that store!"she chirped.I didn't respond. But an odd sense of irritation bubbled up inside me.I didn't like her voice, didn't like the way she acted—but I still swiped my card in silence and followed her. After all, I'd been the one who invited her out. I chose this road, I might as well walk it through.But the farther we walked, the more uncomfortable I felt."Oh wow, Kane! Look at this wedding dress—it's so pretty!"Carol dashed over to a bridal shop window like an overexcited sparrow, eyes wide and sparkling as she
Kane's POVIt was nearly four o'clock by the time I called Carol.Her voice was laced with excitement as she told me she'd be down in a moment. And sure enough, moments later, she came strutting out of the building in high heels, looking like she'd just stepped off a runway. The second she spotted me, her face lit up, and she nearly threw herself into my arms."Kane!"she called out sweetly, linking her arm through mine with a flirtatious smile. "You didn't wait long, did you? Sorry! I couldn't decide on the right shoes to wear."She glanced down at her heels with a pout, like those perfectly fine shoes had somehow wronged her."Oh yeah? Let me see,"I said with a grin, running my hand up her thigh. She giggled and pulled her leg away with a mock-scandalized look, blushing like a schoolgirl."You're so bad!"she scolded, but her eyes sparkled."Bad?"I teased, arching an eyebrow as I slipped an arm around her shoul
Aria's POVWhen I got the interview notification, I just sat there, stunned for a full minute.It was from ACE Group.Even though ACE wasn't as established as ATTA or JE in New York, it had grown at lightning speed in just a few years. The potential was hard to ignore.I had applied for a copywriting position, but honestly, I hadn't expected to hear back. Now, holding this interview invitation in my hand, I felt like I was dreaming.After confirming the appointment, I quickly gathered my resume and documents and headed out. Somehow, I arrived earlier than expected.I was debating whether to find somewhere to sit and kill time when someone stepped into my path.He was tall—tall enough to block out most of the sunlight."Excuse me, miss, could you spare some change?" His voice was surprisingly pleasant.I looked up. His features were soft, with gentle eyes behind a pair of rimless glasses. He looked more like a harmless grad student than anything else."I swear, I'm not trying to rob yo