All Chapters of Claimed By My CEO Stepdad: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Aria Pov The secretary led me down a quiet corridor lined with frosted glass and soft carpet that swallowed the sound of our steps. She spoke in a calm, practiced tone, explaining the layout of the executive floor, where the supply closets were, how the internal messaging system worked, and which files I would be responsible for once I settled in. I nodded at the right moments and tried to keep my expression neutral, even though my pulse still had not fully slowed from the moment Alexander’s eyes had met mine in the open office space.Every detail she listed felt distant, as if it belonged to someone else’s first day. The night at the hotel still sat too close beneath my skin. The ache between my legs had quieted into a low, persistent reminder, and every time I shifted my weight I felt it again. I kept my answers short and polite. The secretary did not seem to notice anything unusual. She was efficient, professional, and clearly used to guiding new people through the same introducti

Aria Pov The supermarket doors slid open with a soft electronic sigh.Cool air and the low murmur of weekday shoppers wrapped around me as I stepped inside. Fluorescent lights stretched in long, bright lines across the wide aisles. I paused just past the entrance, still carrying the weight of the word I had spoken in Alexander’s office. *Daddy.* It echoed in my head with every step, mixing uneasily with the ordinary task Victoria had given me. I reached for a small basket and tried to focus on the list I only half-remembered.I had not taken more than a few steps when I heard my name.“Aria?”The voice was familiar—bright, slightly surprised, and edged with the easy warmth of someone who had known me before everything changed. I turned.It was Layla.She stood near the produce section with a cart half-filled with groceries, her dark hair pulled into a neat ponytail, a soft smile already forming on her face. Beside her stood a tall man I recognized from years ago—Daniel, the boy she h

Aria PovI kept walking toward the front of the store with the basket still in my hand, the sting of the slap lingering across my palm like a brand.Layla caught up to me before I reached the end of the aisle. Her cart rattled softly behind her as she matched my pace, Daniel trailing a few steps back with a carefully neutral expression. She did not touch me this time. She simply walked beside me until the immediate noise of the confrontation had faded into the ordinary supermarket sounds.“Aria,” she said, voice low and urgent. “Why did you slap him?”I did not answer.My throat still felt tight. The red mark I had left on Ethan’s cheek was already burned into my mind, and the satisfaction of it mixed uncomfortably with the older, deeper hurt that had never fully left. I kept my eyes on the floor tiles and continued toward the checkout area, even though I no longer remembered what Victoria had asked me to buy.Layla refused to let the silence stand.“Talk to me,” she pressed. “I’ve ne

Aria Pov The next morning the executive floor felt colder than it had the day before.I arrived early, the memory of the supermarket still clinging to my skin like a second layer of clothing. Ethan’s public declaration, the white wedding gown in Derek’s hand, the way the entire store had turned to stare—none of it had faded overnight. I had delivered Victoria’s groceries in silence, answered her questions with short, careful replies, and gone straight to my room. Sleep had come in fragments. Now I stood outside Alexander’s office with a thin folder of completed work in my hands, trying to steady my breathing before I knocked.I entered without waiting for a reply.He was already behind the desk, jacket off, shirtsleeves rolled once at the cuffs. The city stretched behind him in clean morning light. He looked up as the door closed, and for a moment the air between us carried the same weight it had when he told me to call him Daddy.I walked forward and set the folder on the edge of hi

Aria Pov That morning I dressed with more care than usual.I chose a neat, tailored black dress that sat just above the knee, simple enough for the office yet polished enough for the kind of event Alexander had described. I smoothed the fabric until every line was clean, then reached for the expensive perfume Victoria had given me months ago and rarely used. Two light sprays at my wrists and the side of my neck. The scent settled soft and expensive against my skin. I wanted to look composed. I wanted to smell like I belonged in the rooms he moved through without effort. I told myself it was only for the event. I did not fully believe it.When I stepped out of my room Victoria was already in the kitchen, coffee in hand. She looked me over once and smiled with open approval.“You look perfect,” she said. “Alexander will be pleased.”I only nodded.The car was waiting downstairs. Alexander stood beside the open rear door, already in a dark suit that looked as if it had been cut specific