All Chapters of Ruthless Desires (18+) : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Aria’s POV The city glitters beneath my penthouse windows, but it’s the kind of glitter that feels cold, sharp—like broken glass pretending to be diamonds. I swirl the last of my wine and catch my reflection in the black pane. Thirty-eight. Widow. CEO of Moretti Interiors. A woman who has everything except the one thing she actually wants. “Don’t give me that look,” Elena says, kicking off her Louboutins and collapsing on my velvet sofa. She’s effortless glamour, all legs and sharp wit. My best friend and my worst influence. “You’re lonely, Aria. Admit it. If you don’t start living again, I swear I’ll sign you up myself.” “I’m not lonely,” I lie, taking a sip. My voice is too flat, even for me. “I’m selective.” From the armchair, Sophia—my younger sister, always smug—snorts. “Selective? Please. You’ve turned down every man who so much as smiled at you. What was wrong with that banker last month?” “He wanted me to invest in his hedge fund before dessert arrived,” I snap. Sophia

Aria’s POV The city blurs past the tinted glass of my limo, lights bleeding into one another like a cruel joke. I press my palms to my face. God, Aria. What the hell were you thinking? The driver glances in the mirror. “Everything alright, ma’am?” “No,” I snap, then soften. “Just drive.” I drop my hands, staring at my reflection in the window. The woman staring back looks composed— perfect hair, flawless makeup, red dress still hugging her like armor. But inside? I’m shaking. He looked at me like I’d betrayed him. Like I was nothing, like I was a stranger. No—worse. Like I was a liar. And maybe I am. But that look in his eyes… it gutted me. He was angry, yes, but there was hurt too. A raw kind of betrayal, like I’d ripped something out of him without asking. And yet… his smile still lingers in my head. That cocky grin, the way his hand gripped my waist before he realized the truth. The way he said my name like it belonged in his mouth. “Pathetic,” I whisper. My chest tighte

Logan’s POV I light a cigarette I don’t even want, leaning back against the brick wall outside the bar. My head’s still spinning, not from the booze but from her. From the way she looked at me before she stormed off, heels snapping like gunfire. Aria. Older. Polished. Rich as sin. She catfished me, lied through her perfect teeth, and yet here I am—smoking a damn cigarette and replaying the feel of her hand on my arm like a lovesick idiot. I drag in smoke, cough out frustration. “Shit.” I didn’t mean it like that. Not really. I wasn’t calling her an ATM. I was trying to get under her skin, to prove I could read her. Instead, I carved a wound I didn’t even see coming. But the fire in her eyes… Christ, it was almost worth it. Because for a second, just a split second, I saw past the perfect dress and the diamonds and the limousine waiting at the curb. I saw the woman underneath, trembling but furious, like I was the first person in years who’d actually touched a nerve. And maybe