All Chapters of Her Stepbrother’s Desire, Her husband’s Obsession: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Aria’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor of the study as she walked in, each step echoing like a reminder that she wasn’t just walking into a room, she was walking into the dragon’s den.“Sit”. Arthur Griffin. His name had shaken tables and brought down million dollar companies. No one ever dared look him straight in the eye. His white hair was slicked back and shiny, and the only other indications of his age were the creases around his mouth and eyes. It was clear that he was a handsome man, both old and in his youth.The man sat behind a wide, shiny mahogany desk and made his seat look like a throne, his hawk eyes scanning her body like he was a Don making sure his subordinate didn’t betray him, instead of a man simply talking to his granddaughter.She obeyed, sinking into the chair across from him. The leather was cold, so was the knot of dread forming in her stomach. “Grandfather”, she said evenly.“I don’t want words”, he snapped, leaning back in his chair with his

Aria adjusted the cuff of her blouse as she slid her ID across the security scanner, the gates parting with a soft beep. Monday. Her first day waking up at the Rothschild company. First day waking up in Aston Beaumont’s house. It had been strange, how clinical the whole arrangement felt. Aston hadn’t even looked at her when she brought her suitcases into his mansion. He simply gave a curt nod and summoned the housekeeper to help her, standing firm and looking at her like he was looking past her. Asshole. Why had her grandfather decided that he was the one, of all people? At least the housekeeper had been a funny old man, a very haughty french man. It was a lovely burst of familiarity as he snobbily directed the maids to take her stuff to her room. Asher had been slightly entertained upon meeting his new…father and Aria had been shocked by it. The boy had stood at his mother’s side, studying the six-foot-something man with solemnity far too old for his five years. And Asher had ext

All the free space in the study had shrunk with his presence. The small curve of his lips hooked Aria’s stomach and his eyes pinned her to the corner.She took a step back. He took one forward. She took another. He closed the gap. Till her back was pressed against the shelf behind her and the ridges dug into her spine. His small smile hadn’t fallen.Badump. Badump.All Aria could hear was the steady hard thumping of her heart. All she could see was him. She swallowed and pressed her nails against her palm hard enough to sting and get her out of the strange ensnarement.They hadn’t broke eye contact.“What? You think you can intimidate me? I’m going to…tell my grandfather exactly what you are”, Aria , pausing slightly in the middle of her sentence as she fully expected to be interrupted, but, he was still silent.“You’re a person. Not a pet to intimidate”, he said after a beat of silence, his voice reverberating in her stomach, the bass tone of it feeling like silk and satin over grave

It was 6am. Aria hadn’t slept a wink. She had stayed up all night trying to formulate plans and each one ended in failure because of one irritating fact. She didn’t know enough about him to plot against him. The Griffin industries staff were going to receive a drilling in the next few weekss, at least until she got what she needed for a plan that would foil him. 6am meant getting Asher awake and ready for school while having enough playtime to not miss her baby too much for the rest of the day. She trudged to Asher’s room and gently opened the door. He wasn’t there. Her heart lurched and she darted down the hall, about to sprint upstairs when she saw them. Aston, and Asher. In the living room. She willed her heart to calm down in vain as she watched from behind one of the massive doors made of polished wood that blocked off the wings from the view of the living room. Aston was reading something from a folder on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, mirroring the reg

“We got an investor, girl!”. She read the text in Linda’s voice, imagining it sounding uncharacteristically excited. Investor? Who would invest in Risher’s when they hadn’t even started properly yet? “Who?”, she texted back, tapping her feet impatiently on the ground. She was right in front of Mr. Adams door, but she couldn’t get in without confirming who even knew enough about Rishers to invest. Her curiosity would kill her before she left the office. Linda sent a stream of nonsensical emojis, prompting Aria to roll her eyes. Whenever the woman was excited - which was nearly all the time - she became like this, a five year old. “Linda! I have a day job here! Answer me!”, Aria typed aggressively, backspacing twice as she accidentally replaced the rs with es. “They’re like shrouded in mystery, but Beaumont was in the transfers.” “They sent in 8 million” “You can literally start Rishers there too” “We’re rich!” “Hehehehe” Aria’s brain ceased to process any other wor