Aria and Lucas get in his car and drive deeper into the city. He glanced over to the short woman who was twirling her black hair with a single finger, lost in thought as she stared out the window. Though she faced away from him, he could still see her reflection in the window. Her gray eyes reminded him of storm clouds that were about to rain. Lucas reached over to her lap and was about to place his hand on it but he then flinched as a sudden headache struck him. The flash of a memory crossed his mind. This isn’t the first time he’s seen her eyes like this. He’s seen those clouds pour rain plenty of times.Aria gives a startled gasp when the car gives a sudden jerk. She whirls around to look at Lucas and panics when she sees him gripping his head with a pained look in his eyes. “Goodness, Lucas, are you alright?! What happened?”“Y– yeah, just another migraine. Hey, open up my glovebox and hand me a pill from the bottle in there.” Lucas pointed towards the glovebox and Aria opened it

There was a silence between the two of them as the atmosphere between them changed. Aria could already feel herself sweat and her hands become clammy. She was purposely trying to make her body as stiff as a board in an attempt to keep herself from trembling. Unfortunately, her hands still had the faintest shake. Old habits die hard. Her childhood trauma was starting to creep back into her brain even though she thought she had grown out of it years ago. Being inches away from the man who gave this to her and hearing the hostility in his voice was enough to trigger an anxiety attack but thankfully she had enough strength to keep that much under control. Lucas’s angered frown melted into disappointment. He may not know what the real problem is so all he could do was assume. “Listen, if you’re worried about what your boss is going to do then don’t. I’ll take the fall. I got your back, I promise. I’m sure that Roxanne chick is gone by now too.”“Don’t promise me something that you don’t k

“Lucas…?” Aria murmurs his name concernedly. His sudden change in demeanor was a bit alarming and it only grew more alarming when she noticed the look in his eyes. It was hostile. However, it was also directed at her other client. Lucas was glaring at him to the point she couldn’t tell whether or not he was purposely doing it. Aria may have been completely confused over what was going on but her other client could get the hint. He glared back at Lucas and there was even the faintest hint of a sneer on his face. “Isn’t your appointment supposed to be over with? I’m pressed for time. I need Ms. La Belle’s full concentration. If you don’t mind, please excuse yourself.” Despite the man’s polite words, the look in his eyes told a different story. They displayed how much of a nuisance he thought Lucas was being. Aria was blind to the fact he was trying to provoke Lucas but a man like him, as she was well aware of, wasn’t the type to back down so easily.Lucas stepped closer to the other m

“Seriously? That doesn’t exactly seem like a big deal to me.” Lucas says nonchalantly while crossing his arms. Mason slaps his forehead. It shouldn’t be a surprise that business deals and stuff like this don’t interest him, especially now that he’s no longer the heir of the company. “It doesn’t matter what you think of it anymore.” Mason’s reminder is blunt and it made Lucas’s brows furrow grumpily. It was true that he never took his position as heir seriously but after everything that’s happened, he was beginning to think it was a mistake to step down from his position. Lucas releases a tired sigh before waving his hand. “Alright, I’ll go see him. I’ll catch you later,” he says before leaving.Once Lucas turned his back on him and began to walk away, Mason’s sarcasm slowly melted into depression. He wishes he could tell his best friend everything that’s been going on behind the scenes. How corrupt and unpredictable his uncle is, and how much he has it out for him. He honestly felt

The closeness of their bodies and the short distance between their faces came to a halt and Lucas was the first to pull away. This surprised Aria since he was usually so keen on touching her and getting close to her. Aria tried not to think too hard about it because she knew she’d only end up disappointing herself. But this did make it easier for her to make up her mind. “It’s… it’s a long story not worth getting into.” Aria murmured as she looked away from him. She lost her nerve once again. There was no way she could tell Lucas what she did three years ago. Lucas could tell that she was still holding back and he couldn’t understand why. If there’s one thing he couldn’t understand, it was living a life you didn’t want to live. Despite the way he withdrew from her when their bodies became too close, he still rested his bigger hand on top of hers. But that simple act of comfort revealed something that he wasn’t yet ready to share.Aria sees the ring on his finger. She immediately ri