Aria’s POVI took a deep breath, a spark of nerves running through me as I thought of Victor listening in on every word through the discreet device he’d planted on me earlier. The stakes of this conversation were high, and every move had to be calculated. I could almost feel his silent presence, his
Aria’s POVSamuel’s voice was low and urgent as he leaned in. “Come on, Aria. We need to go.”The trader only shrugged, his smile fading. “I’m sorry I can’t help you further,” he said, a trace of amusement coming back into his eyes, as if he enjoyed watching our frustration.I felt Samuel’s hand on
Aria’s POVMy heart seemed to be pounding in my ears. I felt like we’d just reached a dead end, and I hated it. Everything we’ve sacrificed to come here would be for nothing!Just then, the overhead lights came on, flooding the space with a harsh, sterile glow. I blinked, adjusting to the brightnes
Aria’s POVVincent pulled out an electronic tablet, tapping through files in silence. After a few moments, he reached into his jacket and produced a sleek data stick, using it to save the data.Samuel, Drake, and I watched in silence, waiting patiently. Finally, after several minutes, Vincent hande
The idea left a sinking feeling in my stomach. “So, either it’s Shane being Shane, or it’s Lucciano trying to break into a new market… or both.”We looked toward the trader. “Isn’t there any information about this, like who’s really giving such orders to Troy?”Vincent shrugged. “No such records.”
Victor’s POVEach word coming through the device felt like a punch. Troy turned out to be a pawn in something much darker. And Shane—how far was she willing to go? Revenge, greed, some twisted combination of both? It seemed like there was nothing she wouldn’t do to get what she wanted.Unbelievable.
Victor’s POVI checked my watch. It was getting quite late. They were supposed to have come out. A prickling anxiety grew in my chest, tightening with each passing moment, as I glanced at the small receiver for the listening device I’d placed on Aria. Nothing. Just static. I adjusted the dial, che
Victor’s POVI straightened, keeping my eyes fixed on a group of well-dressed men and women clustered around the bar. Their laughter was loud, carefree, the kind of confidence that only came with serious wealth—or the illusion of it. Among them was a familiar face, someone I recognized from business
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