Aria’s POV“I told you, I will never betray my friend,” I heard Jessica repeat angrily. “And you can’t make me!”Jessica abruptly ended the call, her frustration evident in the sharp way she slammed the cellphone down on the table. She turned around, her eyes widening in shock when she saw me approa
Aria’s POVI just realized that we were dangerously close to the edge of the roof deck. If the stranger intended to attack or push us over, we’d be in serious trouble. My eyes darted around desperately, searching for a way out. The man was still far from the door leading back inside the building, w
Aria’s POVWe were both getting tired, and we needed to pause for a while. We paused, breathing rapidly. Suddenly, I heard a voice shattering the silence, calling my name. “Aria!” The booming male voice was loud and distinct, but I didn’t recognize it. All I could think about was that this man was
Aria’s POVI hesitated, my thoughts racing as I instinctively reached for the vase again, clutching it as if it were the only thing that could protect me. My gaze shifted between Pierre and the hallway stretching out behind him. My heart was pounding fast again, uncertain whether to trust him, even
Aria’s POVMy breath caught in my throat as I looked up at the man blocking my way. “Excuse me,” I managed to say, trying not to sound afraid. But the man didn’t budge. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on me, as if sizing me up, deciding what to do next. My pulse quickened, and I glanced around, ho
Victor’s POVThe gala was winding down, the ballroom slowly emptying as guests made their way to the exits. I could see my mother still chattering away animatedly. I’d long since tuned her out, though. Her incessant talk about Shane had become a relentless drone in my ears, and I was growing increas
Victor’s POV“We need to find her,” I said, half-running toward the direction that Jessica was pointing to. My mind was racing with various worst-case scenarios, and it was making me more fearful as time passed by. What if she’s hurt? What if someone had taken advantage of the chaos to harm her? Je
Victor’s POV"Stay with us, Aria. You hear me?" I urged in a trembling voice. My grip on her hand tightened, and I could feel the coolness of her skin. But she still remained unresponsive. The paramedic beside me was moving quickly, checking Aria’s vitals with a practiced efficiency that only heigh
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