تسجيل الدخولARIA’S POVVictor blinked. “A honeymoon?”I kept my expression smooth, even as my heart hammered against my ribs.“Why not?” I gestured vaguely, forcing confidence into my voice. “Newlyweds go on honeymoons. It's romantic. It's public. It gives the press something to talk about besides... everything else.”Xavier stared at me like I had grown a second head. Victor stared like he was trying to decide if I was brilliant or insane.I just sat there, smiling like I hadn't just thrown a grenade into the middle of the room.“Say something, Xavier. Please say something before I lose my nerve.” I thought to myself.Xavier opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.Nothing came out.Victor was watching him now, waiting for a reaction. The silence stretched so long I almost regretted speaking.“We'll talk about it,” Xavier said finally.Victor stood abruptly, straightening his jacket with a sharp tug.“No.” His voice left no room for argument. “You'll plan it, announce it, and you'll go.”He
XAVIER'S POVThe moment I got that text from Reed, the one telling me my father was on his way to my house at Weston estate, I knew there was a problem.Victor never showed up at my house unless it was extremely important. The only times he crossed my threshold were for Christmas dinners he couldn't avoid, and the occasional emergency meeting he insisted on having away from prying eyes.This was neither of them.The plan had always been simple: make them all think I lived with Aria in the same estate as the rest of the family. The mansion was large, impressive, and believable enough.But no one knew about the penthouse. Not Dean, not Allison, not even my father. Only Ian, Reed, Aria, Rafael, and my staff. And I planned to keep it that way.The moment we arrived, Aria stepped inside first, but I took my time walking up the driveway. My eyes scanned the building, the surrounding grounds, and the guest parking lot. None of Victor's cars were in sight.Relief flooded through me so hard i
ARIA'S POV His mouth was on me before I could prepare myself. I'd imagined a lot of crazy things over the years. Thought about the impossible, the unthinkable. But never, not even once, did it cross my mind that I would end up here. On my ex-brother-in-law's bed, his mouth between my thighs, warm and soft against my cunt. The realization hit me all at once, leaving me stunned and more than a little overwhelmed. Of all the twists my life could have taken, this was the one I never saw coming. The first touch of his tongue sent a shock through my entire body. My hips jerked off the bed as a sound escaped my throat, something between a gasp and a moan that I didn't recognize as my own. “Yes…” My hands instinctively squeeze my breast between my palms. “Oh right there. Xavier, that feels so good.” Xavier’s hands pressed my thighs apart, holding me open for him. His tongue slid through my wetness slowly, like he had all the time in the world and intended to use every second. F
ARIA'S POVI hesitated for a while. Then I walked to the other side, lifted the sheets, and climbed in beside him.“Now, talk to me.” His fingers trailed along my cheek. “What's wrong?”My gaze dropped to my hands. “After what happened last night, I just... I realized how little I know about you, and how my mistake could’ve cost you your life.”“Aria…”“It could have gotten worse.” I cut him off with a broken voice. “I could have lost you because of something as simple as cooking dinner with the wrong ingredients. I could have been the reason you stopped breathing. Do you understand how terrifying that is?”“So you were worried about me?” He tilted my chin up. “Worried enough to come to the hospital barefoot?”I hid my face against his chest. “Xavier, that's not the point.”He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. “I'm so sorry, baby. And all you have to do is ask if you're curious about something.”I lifted my head. “Really?”“Really.”“Then what was it you were
ARIA'S POV“Xavier.” I shot up from the chair. “Oh my God, are you okay? Hold on, I'm going to get the doct…”His hand shot out and caught my wrist,pulling me back down onto the bed, right beside him.“You didn't answer the question, Aria.”I took a look at him, noticed how weak his grip was around mine. It could have been worse, way worse. “I thought I was going to lose you.” The words tumbled out between sobs. “I thought… God, you scared me.”His thumb brushed across my cheek, wiping away the tears that lingered on my face. “I never knew I was married to a crybaby.”I shoved at his chest lightly. “You should have told me, Xavier. You should have told me about your….”“You never asked.” He cut me off calmly. "And if it makes you feel any better, I'd eat every last piece of that meal if you served it again.”My brows furrowed. “You knew?”He shrugged like it meant nothing to him, and the movement alone looked painful.“You knew it had peanuts in it, and you still…” I straightened. “
ARIA'S POVWe've all been sitting here for an hour, waiting for someone to come out and put our minds at ease.And in those long sixty minutes, all I've felt is guilt. The fact that Xavier is lying in that hospital room because of me is something I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for.Every time I close my eyes, I see him collapsing. I see the confusion in his eyes. The way his body suddenly went limp against mine. The way I screamed his name over and over again while begging him to wake up.My chest tightened painfully.I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the closed room once again.The moment the door to Xavier's room opened, everyone surged to their feet.I was the first one standing.Victor was the first to reach the doctor.“How is he?” he demanded. “What's wrong with my son?”The doctor removed his gloves and adjusted his glasses before answering.“Mr. Weston suffered an allergic reaction.”Silence fell across the hallway.Victor frowned. “An allergic reaction?”T
XAVIER’S POV I stepped out of the elevator on the seventy-second floor and headed straight for the boardroom.This floor wasn't open to ordinary employees. Most of them would spend years working at Weston Holdings without ever setting foot here.This floor was the heart of the empire. If a compan
XAVIER'S POVI blinked against the sunlight that peeked through the black curtains.My head felt light, and my eyes were heavy. And somehow, my whole body felt disconnected from my brain, like I was floating somewhere above myself, watching from a distance.How long had I slept?I dabbed my palm ac
ARIA’S POV My breath caught instantly.“What?”The silence between us suddenly felt too loud.“Its been exactly fifteen years now since I've known him.” He muttered the words like they weighed something.I blinked in disbelief.“You're twenty-two. And you've known him for fifteen years?” I did the
ARIA'S POVThe sky was still dark when I crept out of my room at six in the morning. Sleep had been impossible since we came back. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Xavier on that hospital bed, pale and weak, his fingers cold around mine.I needed coffee. Strong coffee. And maybe ten minutes of si







