All Chapters of Breaking the Billionaire Code: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Aria stood in front of the full-length mirror, flattening the soft fabric of her floral top. Her reflection stared back at her - calm amidst the nerves, a woman trying her best to stitch focus over feelings.The soft morning light from her apartment window spilled across her floor, dancing over camera equipment, sketch pads, and a few half-packed lens cases.Her hand paused at the clasp of her necklace.She saw the missed call from Killian Stone - flashing and thrumming up in her memory. It had come the same night Mia dragged her out to that jazz bar in Westwood, determined to distract her from anything Killian Stone-related. And it had worked… for a little while.But then she got home, tired and a little buzzed, and there it was. A missed call. No voicemail. Just his name like a bruise blooming back to the surface.Aria sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair. “Why are you still calling me?” she murmured, almost to herself.He’d made it pretty clear who he was. Cold. Sharp. Unto

The executive director stood with a few affluent guests, pointing toward a vivid photograph framed on a soft beige wall.“I believe this is one of the artist’s most personal pieces,” the director was saying. “The pricing reflects that - not just its artistic value, but its story.”Killian’s eyes flicked to the image.Sunlight poured through a high window in the photo, bathing a dim, dusty room in warm gold. In the center, a woman’s figure was seated on an old wooden stool, turned just enough to reveal the slope of her bare shoulder and the hint of a contemplative gaze through the blur of foreground shadows.Bold strokes of color spilled across the walls in what looked like peeling paint-or maybe graffiti fading with time. There was a stillness to it. A kind of delicate honesty that felt too close.He stepped forward slowly, scanning the card beneath the frame.Artist: Aria BlakeTitle: “She Stayed for the Light”Series: Solitude in ColorPrice: $5,660The number didn’t faze him. It was

Two weeks had passed, and Aria didn’t want to admit it-not even to herself-but something had shifted.It wasn’t love. At least, she wouldn’t call it that.It was just… coffee dates.Just… long conversations about art and life.Just… Killian.She told herself it was casual. That she wasn’t falling. Couldn’t fall. But then there were the little things - the way he laughed easily with her, the way he listened. Not just waited to speak.And sometimes, when he thought she wasn’t looking, he’d stare at her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve - and didn’t want to.She tried to keep her guard up. Tried to remind herself who he was: Killian Stone. Heir to Stone Global. A man with a schedule, a reputation, a hundred things more permanent than a girl with a camera and a complicated past.But he kept showing up. And so did she.Their meetings were spontaneous at times. Coffee in quiet cafes. Walks through neighborhoods filled with murals and mismatched architecture. A visit to an old bookstor

Mia paced across Aria’s tiny living room with the restless energy of a lit fuse, her voice rising with every step. “So… you weren’t going to tell me anything? Nothing at all?”Aria, still in her sleep shirt, sat curled on the couch, a blanket thrown over her lap. Her phone rested on the coffee table, still lit with the looped video of her and Killian kissing, the comments multiplying like wildfire. She ran a hand through her hair. “Mia, it wasn’t planned. We’re not even… we’re not dating.”Mia spun around to face her. “Oh, okay. So what are you? Co-workers who happen to lock lips during art exhibitions?”Aria groaned and sank deeper into the couch. “It was a moment. That’s all. It happened, and we didn’t think anyone saw. It wasn’t like that -”Mia raised a brow. “Aria. You kissed Killian Stone. In public. In front of cameras. At an event crawling with media and socialites who survive off gossip.”Aria looked away, her voice lower now. “I didn’t think -”“No,” Mia cut in, sitting besi

As the black SUV reached Aria's apartment, the sun was dropping behind the horizon. She stopped quickly before entering, her heart thundering even though the tinted windows and plush leather seats seemed comforting. The driver acknowledged her with a nod and merged into traffic, heading for the coastline.Killian’s message had been brief - just a note saying he’d send a ride for her instead. Aria was uncertain about what lay ahead, yet she felt it was important to listen to his perspective. Maybe even say some things of her own.Her excitement and anxiety surged within her as the automobile approached the house. The beach house became visible precisely as the sunlight left, its elegant glass facade gently lit by the warm glow leaking from the windows. Behind, the ocean mumbled consistently like a distant heartbeat.Before she could knock, the door swung open. Killian dressed jeans and a warm dark sweater barefoot on the wooden floor. His expression was difficult to decipher, but surpr