Aria’s POVI leaned against the door, my heart still racing, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. Troy’s desperate, rage-filled threats echoed in my mind, but it was the mystery of those men who’d intervened that kept me on edge. Who were they, and why had they come to my rescu
Aria’s POV“Uh, Jess…” I hesitated before continuing. “There’s something you should know… Troy was here a while ago, asking to see you and ranting about some deal gone wrong.” I sort of held my breath, waiting for her reaction. “Wait, he came here?” Jessica whispered in a barely audible voice, her
Aria’s POVAs Jessica’s sobs finally quieted, her breathing became more steady. It was well past midnight now, and the room felt heavy with everything she had just shared. I felt a pang of guilt—she had come home so happy, so full of excitement from her date with Fabian, and now here she was, dealin
Victor’s POVI paced back and forth in my large office, thinking about Aria and Jasmine. The glass of wine in my hand had long since become a crutch, and I swirled the dark liquid, watching it catch the light as I tried to drown out my worries. But the wine wasn’t doing its job.Sleep had evaded me
“Worried? About me?”“Yeah,” I admitted, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. “I didn’t want to seem overbearing, but I couldn’t concentrate at work. I just kept thinking about you and Jasmine.” I gave her a sheepish smile. She chuckled for a while. “I’m okay, Victor. Really. And Jasmine’s in
Aria’s POVI hurried to the phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I picked it up. “Hello? This is Aria Everhart.”“Hi, Ms. Everhart, this is Ms. Lewis from Jasmine’s school. I’m calling to inform you that it’s been an hour since dismissal, and no one has come to pick her up yet.”My breath caught
Aria’s POVI answered the call, hoping against hope. “Hello?”“Mommy!” Jasmine’s cheerful voice filled my ear. She was using Victor’s phone to call me. “Jasmine! Is everything okay?”“Yeah! Daddy’s here, and we’re going to grab some pizza before we go to Velvet Vibe!” she exclaimed with excitement.
Aria’s POVI hurried to my car, the keys slipping from my trembling fingers before I managed to unlock it. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, but the racing fear inside my chest wouldn’t slow down. I could feel that something was wrong—terribly wron