Masuk“I know it’s here.”Aria yanked another drawer open, files shifting and scattering across the desk as frustration built in her chest.“Aria?”Zara stepped into the office and stopped immediately at the sight before her.Folders were spread across the floor. Papers covered the couch and coffee table. Even the shelves had been half-emptied.“What happened?” Zara asked, shutting the door behind her. “Why is your office scattered like this?”“I can’t find it,” Aria muttered, barely looking up as she searched through another stack.“Find what?”Aria let out a frustrated breath and straightened suddenly. “Oh my God. Zara, help me check your office too.”Zara walked closer quickly. “Wait. Calm down first and tell me what you’re looking for.”Aria pressed both palms against the desk, trying to steady herself.“The company file,” she said. “The confidential one.”Zara frowned. “What co
Mira unfolded the letter slowly, her fingers trembling slightly against the paper.Her grandmother’s handwriting was elegantShe swallowed before reading.“If you are reading this letter, then it means I am gone…”Mira’s chest tightened immediately.“And it also means you found your way back to your sister…”Her eyes moved faster over the words.“I am sorry…”The apology hit harder than she expected.“I tried to stop your mother from taking you away from us, but I failed. That is a regret I carried for many years…”Mira lowered herself slowly onto the couch again.“I made this arrangement because I wanted to leave something behind for you. Not out of guilt alone, but because you are my granddaughter, and you deserved to have a place in this family...”Tears blurred her vision.“Love Aria as much as you can. She suffered too. And I hope she loves you just as deeply in return…”Mira pressed her lips together tightly.“The thirty-five percent shares are my gift to you for all the years w
“Where are Damian and Jaxon?” Aria asked, pacing just outside the conference room doors. “They’re supposed to be here by now.” “They’ll be here,” Zara said, her voice steady even though she kept glancing toward the hallway. “Relax. They won’t miss this.” Aria stopped pacing for a second, then resumed again, her heels clicking lightly against the polished floor. Inside the conference room, the low hum of voices and camera adjustments filtered through the doors. The press and the board were already seated, waiting. Mira stood a little to the side, quiet, watching everything with a composed expression. Two minutes later, Aria finally saw them. Damian and Jaxon walked down the hallway, both focused, both moving with purpose. Relief washed over Aria’s face. Damian reached her first. He didn’t say anything immediately. He just pulled her closer, his hand sliding up her arm before he kissed her softly. “Breathe,” he murmured against her lips. “Everything will be fine.” Aria
“Why don’t you know the date?”Celeste’s voice cut sharply through the room as she paced back and forth, her heels clicking against the tiled floor.Mira leaned against the counter, arms folded, watching her without much reaction. “Because I wasn’t told.”Celeste stopped abruptly. “And you didn’t think to ask?”Mira sighed. “It didn’t seem necessary.”“Not necessary?” Celeste let out a dry laugh. “Your job is simple, Mira. Get close to them. Make them trust you. Get information.”“I don’t need to get close to all of them,” Mira shot back, her tone tightening. “My priority is Aria. I’m here for my shares. That’s it.”Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve gone soft.”“It’s not about being soft,” Mira replied. “I just want what belongs to me. I’m not here to play family with them.”Celeste tilted her head slightly. “And you believe everything Aria told you? That your grandmother just handed over seventy percent of the company to her like that?”Mira hesitated for a second. “It’s what I was to
“Why didn’t you wait for me?”Aria met his eyes through the mirror as Damian’s arms slipped around her waist from behind. His lips brushed her shoulder, then her neck, slow and lingering. He leaned in closer, inhaling deeply, his breath warm against her skin.Her hair was still damp, falling over her shoulders in soft waves.“You smell like lilies,” he murmured, his voice low, almost teasing. “I like it.”Aria let out a soft laugh, tilting her head slightly to give him better access. “I didn’t know you wouldn’t stay that long in your study.”“Hmm,” he hummed, pressing a light kiss just below her ear. “I just made a few calls.”She turned in his arms, smiling up at him. “I figured.”His lips found hers, a slow, familiar kiss that carried the ease of something steady and lived in. He lingered there for a moment before pulling back, his hand brushing lightly along her cheek.“I’ll take a quick shower,” he said.Aria nodded and turned back to the mirror, picking up the hairdryer again. Th
“Talk to me,” Damian said as soon as they stepped out of the car and into the house.Aria barely had time to take in the quiet of the living room before his hand found her waist, pulling her gently toward him. His other hand came up to her face, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.“The press,” she said, exhaling. “I hate being on the news.”“I know,” he replied, his voice calm but firm. “I’ve already started handling it.”She nodded, but her expression remained tense.“There’s something else,” he added.Aria looked up at him. “What?”“Mira.”Her body stiffened almost instantly.Damian noticed.“I don’t understand her,” he continued. “Her story doesn’t add up. Every time we try to ask about her past, she dodges it. It’s like she’s hiding something.”Aria pulled away slightly, her brows drawing together. “She just got back, Damian.”“That doesn’t explain the secrecy.”“She’s not used to us,” Aria said, her tone sharpening. “She’s been on her own. She doesn’t know anybody her
Jaxon stayed seated beside Zara’s bed, his fingers loosely wrapped around hers. For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the kind that settled after chaos, heavy but calm, like the aftermath of a storm.Zara was the first to break it.“What about Commander Reaves
Zara slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she became aware of was the steady beeping of a machine somewhere close by. The sound was rhythmic, constant, and irritatingly loud. For a moment, she simply lay there, confused, her mind sluggish and heavy, struggling to understand where she was and
Zara slowed the car to a crawl as she turned off the main road, following the location sent to her. The place looked abandoned—broken concrete, rusted sheets of metal, and what might have been an unfinished warehouse sat there. Nothing about the area looked active. Nothing looked like a hideout. N
Damian went straight to where Aria was sitting the moment he walked into the living room. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.Aria turned slightly toward the woman beside her.“Damian, this is Clara, my closest friend from uni. Clara, this is Damian… my husband.”Clara stood an







