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
Aria’s POVSamuel, Drake, and I made our way through the narrow hallway leading out from the trading area, footsteps echoing softly against the tiled floor. We were almost at the exit when a staff member in a sharp black suit stepped into our path. “Excuse me, sir,” he said, addressing Samuel. “It’
Aria’s POVThe staff member stood there, giving me a slightly puzzled look.“Oh, I… got a bit lost,” I said, giving him a tight smile. “I thought this was, uh, the bathroom. Then the door locked behind me.”The man glanced over my shoulder, scanning the room briefly before nodding. “The storage room
Aria’s POVAs we all piled into the suite, I found myself walking behind with Victor while the others moved toward the living area. Samuel had taken up a spot on the arm of the sofa, casually chatting with Jessica and Fabian, but every now and then, I noticed his gaze flickering my way, looking wary
Aria’s POVA knock sounded on the bedroom door, and I froze, my hands fumbling with the zipper of the red satin dress I’d picked up earlier. “Come in,” I called, tugging at the zipper again, hoping it would cooperate.Victor stepped into the room, but he stopped short when he saw me. His gaze swept
Aria’s POVVictor and Samuel exchanged a brief, competitive glance before heading to the poker tables. They were focused, their expressions almost identical. I could tell they were both dead set on winning, though for different reasons. Victor’s eyes held a hint of protectiveness, as if his sole goa
Aria’s POVThe final round was grueling. Chips exchanged hands, and I saw Victor’s jaw tighten with each loss. His face, though carefully composed, betrayed a growing frustration as he finally laid down his cards. His hand wasn’t enough. He’d lost.Across the room, Samuel held his cards close, eyes
Aria’s POVI watched carefully as Shane made her way toward the center, her gown catching the dim light and shimmering like liquid gold. She exuded an air of effortless dominance, the kind that made people instinctively lean back to give her space. My throat felt dry as her gaze flicked between Samu
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