جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

The way he called her made her stomach drop. He left before she could respond. At the same time, Malikha stood frozen in the middle of the bar. Her pulse wouldn’t slow.There was a strange ache in her chest. Why did that man feel like a ghost from a life she tried to forget?Meanwhile, Aidan slammed the car door the moment he stepped outside. His breath came fast, sharp, as if the air itself couldn’t cool the rage burning inside him. His fingers curled into fists, tension running through every vein. The memory and nightmares flashed in his mind. The car pulled away from the bar, but his mind stayed behind. Malikha’s face lingered like a stain he couldn’t scrub away each time he rested his eyes or blinked.“Damn,” he muttered hoarsely. Even when his eyes opened, he could still remember how Malikha haunted him.“Let go of me!”Aidan’s scream tore through the darkness as his body thrashed violently against the sheets. Nights like this always came when he slept alone. It was as if invisib

Malikha didn’t sleep that night. After Aidan left, she stared emptily, thinking about his apology—not because of the job offer. Aidan had changed in a click. The way he had looked at her before he left somehow made her blush, and she couldn’t stop. Her conscience told her to leave, but her heart asked her to wait. It was like he had already decided something she wasn’t part of, and she was only now being allowed to read it.By morning, the silence felt heavier than exhaustion. The bill couldn’t wait until her landlord came to her door to remind her.“You are one week late, Miss Swan.”Malikha nodded right away. “I understand—” she breathed, then bit her lip. “I will pay the rent next week…”The landlord shook his head. He did not want to hear it again. “Tomorrow is your last day; otherwise, you should leave.”He warned her by pointing at her, then turned to leave without waiting for her response. Malikha let out a deep sigh and went back inside. She leaned her back against the door wh

Aidan smiled as he listened to Malikha’s reaction on the other end of the phone.He could already picture her expression—wide eyes, trembling lips, that soft, overwhelmed look she always had whenever something touched her heart. The thought alone was enough to satisfy him.“Do you like the surprise?” Aidan asked when he heard her breath hitch, as if she were on the verge of tears. There was no immediate answer. Malikha fell silent for a moment. For a moment, Aidan wondered if she had started crying because of what he had done.His grin widened. He could almost see it—her shock, her disbelief, the way her fragile heart was slowly melting because of him. If only he had done this twelve years ago. Back then, he might have been the happiest boy alive. But now, Aidan was no longer that boy.And yet, despite the bitterness he carried, he couldn’t deny the strange warmth spreading through his chest. Knowing that the girl he once liked was reacting exactly the way he wanted—it pleased him more

Aidan had moved far beyond his own expectations, and far beyond the careful boundaries of the plan he had once constructed. Even he hadn’t anticipated how something as simple as delivering Malikha’s long-lost diploma could unravel her defences so quickly, so completely. It had been almost effortless. The moment she saw it, the moment her eyes filled with tears, something inside her had given way—and Aidan had felt it.Now, he no longer needed to exhaust himself weaving elaborate charms or calculated gestures to draw her closer. The role he had chosen as a belated hero, the man who appeared just when she needed him most, had proven far more powerful than he had imagined. It wasn’t just effective. It was perfect. And he was enjoying it.Across the hospital room, Fiona Swan, whom Aidan had already recognised long before stepping inside, watched her daughter with growing warmth and smiles. The moment Malikha walked in, her presence seemed to brighten the sterile space, but it was the man

The revenge and love raging inside him drove Aidan to his private gym. He trained in Aikido, trying to calm his mind. The Japanese martial art was something he had mastered over the years. Dressed in his Aikido uniform, he gripped a specialized bamboo stick and moved with practiced precision. Long before this, he had already earned his black belt in Taekwondo.Training always gave him a sense of control and safety. Usually, he had a coach to spar with, but tonight he chose solitude. After completing his final sequence, Aidan straightened, his chest rising and falling as sweat dripped down his face. He stood still for a moment, unmoving, until Glenn Matthews approached him.“You should get some rest, sir. It’s past your bedtime,” Glenn reminded gently.Aidan turned, lowering his gaze briefly before walking toward him and handing over the stick he had been using.Saying nothing, Aidan left the gym and headed to his room. Whether he could actually rest or not was another matter entirely.