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
Aria’s POVI burst through the hospital doors, my heart thudding wildly in my chest. I turned down a hallway, following the signs for the emergency room. Please be alright, Jessica, I prayed hard in silence as my feet hurried down the hall, oblivious to the people around me. All the while, my pulse
Victor’s POV“Daddy, let’s go! I want to show you something!” Jasmine squealed, bouncing in her seat, as soon as we parked outside Velvet Vibe. I chuckled at her excitement, wondering what it was she wanted to show me. I let her pull me inside, eager to see Aria too myself. But then, one of the sta
Aria’s POVOh, god. Wake me up from this nightmare. As I stared at Jessica, I couldn’t help tearing up, wondering why and how this happened. One moment, the two of us were eating breakfast together like any normal day. And the next, she’s lying here all bruised up. We were now in a private room. T
Aria’s POV“Jessica!” I cried, rushing to her side. I grasped her hand tightly, squeezing it gently. “It’s okay, Jessica. It’s just a dream. You’re safe. I’m right here.”But Jessica’s eyes remained shut, her body writhing in panic as if trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t escape. I leaned closer, w
Victor’s POVI watched Aria closely, trying to gauge her reaction as she listened to the nanny. A few seconds passed before her body seemed to relax a little, the tension in her shoulders easing. “Oh, she just wanted to hear my voice?” Aria’s voice softened, that nurturing tone she always had for J
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