Semua Bab My One-Night Mistake Is My Billionaire Boss: Bab 41 - Bab 45

Aria opened her eyes.The ceiling above her was white, but not the blinding white of Dr. Vance's office. This was softer, warmer, touched by the pale glow of morning light filtering through thin curtains. She blinked several times, trying to place where she was. The smell of lavender lingered in the air, but something else mixed with it—coffee, old paper, the faint trace of Damien's cologne that she had grown to recognize without knowing why.She was in his apartment. The hidden one. The small space with the brick wall and the single window that faced nothing but another brick wall. She had been here before, but everything looked different now. Sharper. More real."Aria."Damien's voice came from beside her. She turned her head slowly, her neck stiff from sleep. He sat in a chair pulled close to the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles had gone white. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His jaw was rough with stubble, as if he hadn't sha

Aria's phone buzzed against the wooden table.She grabbed it before the second vibration, her eyes scanning the screen. Vasquez. She answered without speaking, listening to the voice on the other end. Her expression shifted from confusion to alarm, her fingers tightening around the device.Damien set down his coffee. "What is it?"Aria lowered the phone slowly, her hand trembling. "Sarah Carter is already at the gala. She arrived an hour ago. No one knows how she got past security."Damien stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "That's impossible. Vasquez had the venue sealed. Every entrance. Every window. Every exit.""Apparently not sealed enough." Aria rose to meet him. "She's been waiting for us. She's been watching this whole time. She knew we would come."Damien pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Vasquez. We need to move the timeline. We can't let her control this.""Wait." Aria's hand covered his. "She didn't come to hurt anyone. She came to talk. If she wanted t

"Victor escaped."Aria's voice echoed through the empty kitchen. She stared at the phone in her hand, the message still glowing on the screen. The words blurred before her eyes as she read them again, hoping they would change.Damien crossed to her quickly. "What do you mean, escaped?""Vasquez just sent a text." She turned the phone toward him. "Victor vanished from the transport vehicle this morning. He's gone."Damien read the message. His face went pale. "He was supposed to be transferred to maximum security. How did he get away?"Aria shook her head slowly. "There was a distraction. A staged accident on the highway. When the guards got out to investigate, Victor slipped away into the chaos."Damien set the phone down slowly, his hand lingering on the screen. "He's been planning this for months. Maybe longer.""He's been planning this for years." Aria's voice cracked. "He knew we were getting close. He knew we would find the evidence. He knew everything we were doing."---The hou