Aria’s POVVictor's face went pale, and he looked at my dad with wide, apologetic eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Everhart! I didn’t mean to—”My dad held up a hand, cutting Victor off. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice low and controlled. Trying to defuse the situation, I took a deep breath and stepped for
Aria’s POVAs I sat alone on the veranda, Victor's words echoed in my mind: “What if we tried again, Aria? What if we could fix everything?”I cradled my mug of coffee, its warmth contrasting with the cool breeze that rustled through the trees. I hadn’t answered him. How could I? His proposal was li
Aria’s POVLate in the afternoon, I found myself lying in the bedroom that my parents said was just for me, for when I’m visiting them. The room was warmly decorated, with a soft quilt draped over the bed and family photos scattered on the nightstands. Jasmine lay beside me, nestled in a peaceful n
Aria’s POVWhen I went down to the living room, the first thing I noticed was the warm, inviting smell of freshly baked goods. My father seemed unusually exuberant as he introduced a couple of well-dressed young men to my mother. They looked confident and successful, and seemed like professionals ev
Victor’s POVI leaned forward, about to engage Aria in conversation, hoping to shift her attention away from Drew. But before I could say a word, Drew piped up, snapping his fingers like he'd just remembered something.“You look familiar,” he said to Aria, his brows furrowed in concentration. “I can
Victor’s POVFor the first time in my life, I felt genuinely excited to step into a kitchen. Usually, that kind of thing wasn’t my style—I left it to others. But now, here I was, eager to please her, to impress her in this small way. Aria moved with ease, pulling out ingredients, and I watched her e
Aria’s POVI couldn’t stop smiling. It felt like I was floating on air, watching everyone around the table enjoy the meal. Victor had actually survived our kitchen adventure, and not only that—he thrived. He didn’t complain once, which, to be honest, I half-expected from the old Victor. But this new
Aria’s POVWhen it was finally time to sleep and my parents had already resigned to their bedroom, Jasmine yawned and tugged at my hand and Victor’s hand. “Come on, it’s time to sleep.”“Uh, but Jasmine…” I began to say. I didn’t know how to explain that Victor wasn’t supposed to be staying with us
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