Aria's POVNot long after dinner, my fever crept up again. I'd taken the medication, but my body still felt heavy, my head clouded.I had just drifted off when my phone rang, pulling me out of a half-sleep.It was Emma.Worried something had gone wrong at work, I sat up quickly and answered."Aria, I heard you're not feeling well. How are you now?" Her voice was warm and gentle as always.I felt a little guilty. "I'm okay. It's just—"Before I could finish, the voice on the other end changed. I didn't even need to guess—it was Edric, our team lead."If you're fine enough to talk on the phone, then you're fine enough to get to ATTA. We've got a pile of work waiting on you!"I froze. I'd barely opened my mouth to respond before his temper exploded."We didn't send you there to take a sick leave. I don't care what kind of relationship you have with Kane, or what you two were doing these past few days. You catch a little cold and go AWOL? Who's handling our end of the deal?"I sat there,
Aria's POV"You should head to work," I said softly, pushing him away. "Go on—I just need a bit more rest."He gave me a suspicious look, clearly hesitant to leave. But in the end, he changed clothes and walked out the door.The moment he was gone, all the strength drained from my body. I collapsed back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling."Let it go. Stop thinking about him. He's not yours—he never was. Don't fall for him. Just forget him…"I repeated the words like a spell, again and again, until my phone rang. It was Marvin.He'd heard I'd been passing messages between the two companies yesterday and wanted to ask about the details. When he called the office and learned I was sick, he switched to calling my cell."I'm okay. The fever's gone. I'll be back at work tomorrow," I said quickly. I didn't want to sit around the house, and I definitely didn't want to be alone with Kane.He could tell I was pushing myself. "Don't rush it. Your health comes first—nothing's that urgen
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