Later, while we sat around Emily's modest dining table, which creaked softly under the weight of the simple meal, she glanced at me with curiosity. “By the way, Victor, have you had any contact with Samuel lately?”I looked up from my plate, slightly taken aback. Samuel’s name had a way of stirring
Aria’s POVThe late afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of the sleek InnovateTech Solutions building, bathing the modern event space in a soft, radiant light.Models in various glamorous outfits posed and preened under the bright studio lights, while photographers and stylists darted aro
Aria’s POVTurning around, I forced a polite smile. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.”The woman’s smirk widened. “Oh, we haven’t. Not officially, anyway. But I’ve heard a lot about you, Aria.” She seemed to emphasize the last sentence with a sharp, negative tone, which was truly surprising. I too
Aria’s POVAs we settled back into the main event area, lunch concluded and the process of model selection resumed. Fiona and Emma gathered everyone’s attention and outlined the next phase of the process.“We’re about to begin the interviews,” Fiona announced. “It’s important for us to get to know e
Aria’s POVI was shuffling through the stack of documents on my desk, ensuring everything was in order for the meeting. My heart raced at the thought of seeing Victor again, but I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I was no longer the insecure woman he had left behind.Yesterday, we got a req
Aria’s POVI found myself staring at his empty ring finger, suddenly distracted. Wait, he's not married? Then who was that woman with him at Jasmine's school?Victor cleared his throat, snapping me back to the present. “Let's get straight to the point,” he said, his voice regaining its usual confid
Aria’s POV“Helloooo! I’m here!” Jasmine called out, her voice bright and carefree—until she saw Victor. She stopped short, her wide eyes locking onto his.My breath caught in my throat. Panic surged through me as a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Should I say she’s Jessica’s daughter? Mayb
Aria’s POV“Jasmine… such a beautiful name,” Victor said softly, almost as if he were testing the weight of the words. “How old is she?”My heart skipped a beat. “Five,” I answered quickly, my voice a little too sharp, too defensive. I felt his gaze on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
Wendy’s POVIt wasn’t supposed to go this far.I crouched behind the low wall outside the edge of the old warehouse, heart hammering as the rain came down in cold, relentless sheets. The building was dimly lit, tucked away in a forgotten pocket of the city, but I knew what was happening inside. I’d
Samuel’s POV"Wait for me, I'll bring it to you now," I told Aria over the phone, my fingers brushing against the envelope sitting quietly on my desk. Her voice was tight. "Thank you, Samuel. Please be careful.""You too."I ended the call just as footsteps approached my study. I turned, surprised
Aria’s POVI was halfway down the corridor when my phone buzzed again.It was Jessica: Packaging floor. Terminal 4. Now.My heels clicked against the tiles as I turned sharply and practically jogged to the elevator. My chest was tight, my pulse a steady hammer in my ears.I tried calling Wendy again
Aria’s POVI locked my office door, pretending to take a call as I slid the flash drive into the secure offline laptop Jessica and I used only for emergencies. The light blinked once, then twice, and the folder opened.I held my breath as the contents loaded.Documents. Dozens of them.At first glan
Samuel’s POVI wasn’t exactly sure what brought me to the Velvet Vibe office that morning.Maybe I wanted to check in on the tech team after the breach. Maybe I wanted to make sure Aria was okay, after everything. Or maybe—and this was harder to admit—maybe I just wanted to see her.I walked in, and
Aria’s POVMy phone buzzed on the table, vibrating next to my untouched coffee.Victor.I answered quickly. “Hey, everything okay?”“I’m really sorry, love,” he said. “I won’t be able to drop by the office. Emergency meeting with the board. One of the European partners is threatening to pull out unl
Aria’s POVThe smell of buttery pancakes and fresh strawberries filled the air as I poured a generous drizzle of maple syrup onto Jasmine’s plate. She beamed up at me, still in her pajamas, her feet swinging under the breakfast table.Victor was making coffee, humming to himself, hair slightly tousl
Aria’s POV"Okay, so we've locked the backend to only three admin logins," Jessica muttered, her eyes glued to the screen. She had dark circles under her eyes and her fourth coffee of the day in hand. "I had the IT team purge the cloned QR redirect code from our database. But if the data's been stol
Aria’s POVThe laughter in the room was easy, flowing like music that hadn’t been played in far too long. It was the kind of afternoon I had only dreamed of during those long, uncertain nights. One filled with light, warmth, and peace.But what caught my eye most wasn’t the cake or the wine or even