Nathan looked like he was about to be entertained, and Aria knew there was no saving her from Asher’s wrath. He told her not to move. Also, she hated that she was beginning to see double of him. She shouldn’t have taken the cocktails. Alex stood behind Aria, so she didn’t notice the way he instinctively took a step back. But on second thought, a conniving smile lurked on his lips. “Asher,” he said with a tough voice and strong stance. Asher’s gaze moved to Alex leisurely… he would deal with Aria later. “I do not like to repeat myself,” he said to Alex with a warning look. Alex arched his brow. “Sorry, I missed it the first time,” he said innocently. A low growl escaped Asher’s throat, and he would have pounced on Alex if Nate hadn’t given a warning cough. Aria was present; he would have ripped his body limb from limb. “Easy,” Alex said with a smile. Asher scoffed. Alex was an excuse of an alpha. He only acted so tough and daring because he was sure Asher wouldn’t do anything to him in
Silent gusts of wind swept through the forest, causing the leaves to sway in gentle, hushed movements. Aria's face curved into a smile as she watched the leaves dance in the moonlight, guiding her path through the woods.Although she knew that venturing into the forest at this time of night was imprudent, Aria found herself drawn to the ethereal beauty of the woodland. Her original objective had been to conduct research on the forest, but instead she found herself lost in capturing the images of nature through her camera lens.With her grey eyes transfixed on the woodland vistas, Aria continued to journey deeper into the heart of the forest. The stillness was perceptible, and the only sounds that could be heard were the soft rustling of leaves and the melodious chirping of crickets. She gathered her scarlet tresses in a ponytail and took a snapshot of the moonlight beaming on a tree from a picturesque angle."This place is truly breathtaking," Aria murmured in awe.However, her delight
The seminar is about to begin in twenty minutes. Are you prepared?" Scott, one of the scholars, asked Aria while adjusting his tie.She swallowed, acknowledging that claiming she was ready would be dishonest. "Yes, I am," she replied, mustering a bright smile.Narrowing his gaze at her, he nodded and positioned himself next to her. In a whisper, he said, "I believe in you. You're incredibly intelligent."Aria had noticed Scott's fondness for her, perhaps just a crush. His heightened sensitivity and genuine interest in everything related to her were evident. She chose to feign ignorance about it."Thank you so much, Scott. You're equally remarkable. Let's give it our best, alright?" she responded with a smile."I will give it my all," he affirmed, his smile doubly radiant.They walked together to their designated seats and settled down, attentively listening as the program commenced."I don't see him anywhere," Aria remarked, her eyes discreetly scanning the area, causing a slight dizzi
Hunters mansion The manservant waited for a while after knocking on the door, anticipating a response. "What is it?" Asher's cold voice echoed from behind the door. "I apologize for the disturbance. Your father wishes to speak with you," the man replied in a calm tone. He knew better than to disturb the boss when he was in his study, but since his father, the Alpha, had specifically asked for Asher's presence, the other available servants were unwilling to deliver the message. There was a moment of silence that made the servant fear he had brought upon himself an unbearable punishment. "I'll be there in a minute," Asher responded, a contrasting tone to his previous coldness. Elliot, the manservant, breathed a sigh of relief. Asher had been in a better mood in recent days. Nodding to himself, Elliot departed. Although Asher had been on a mission for hours, he hadn't found exactly what he was searching for. Taking one last look at the person on his screen, he stood up from his ch
At exactly 8 am, Aria stood by the roadside just outside her apartment, prepared and waiting for the driver to pick her up. Michelle stood beside her, vowing that if the driver seemed suspicious or frightening, she wouldn’t allow her friend to get anywhere near the car. A sleek black Rolls-Royce Wraith parked directly in front of them. Its tinted windows obscured whoever might be inside. Aria and Michelle exchanged questioning looks, unsure of what to expect. Aria immediately considered stepping aside, assuming their presence might bother whoever owned the car. Michelle shared the same thought, prompting them to start moving away, tightly holding each other's hands. However, someone swiftly emerged from the car, as though in a rush, causing them to halt abruptly. "Miss Booker?" he inquired. Aria seemed momentarily lost, as if unsure whether she was indeed Miss Booker. Michelle nudged her arm, prompting a blink. "Uh, yes?" she responded, studying the man. He wore a sleek black suit
Aria observed him. She had surpassed the phase of extreme shock, now regarding him as though he were utterly foolish. She blinked, then repeated the motion."Excuse me?" Aria queried.Asher snorted, maintaining an unwavering gaze at her. His golden eyes appeared to blaze, momentarily losing their golden hue."You heard me," he stated, disregarding her incredulous expression, seemingly unconcerned by the inappropriateness of his remark.Despite numerous men seeking her attention, Aria was unattached. Yet, it felt entirely amiss for this man she'd just met to dictate her actions."I heard you, but what gives you the right to dictate that?" she asked, displaying slight irritation.He glanced at her, a smile forming at the corner of his lips.Her red hair gleamed in the light, her eyes sparkling, and her slender physique...Yet, despite her striking beauty, her body didn't align with his usual preferences. He struggled to maintain distance and focus solely on her face.She noticed his ling
Helene squealed and jumped up and down, her feet noisily thumping on the ground below.“Shh, you're making a lot of noise,” Aria stated as she tried to stop Helene’s movements.“I don’t care. I’m so happy. Do you know what it means? I bet we’d be the best graduating students,” she said, squirming as she grabbed Aria’s arms. She was so excited.Aria didn’t know why she wasn’t as excited as her; she was supposed to be. She had put in so much effort that she had planned to celebrate if they succeeded. Now she was just looking at Helene and Scott with a tight expression. She just hoped that she wouldn’t have to see Asher all the time. It was just sponsorship; it didn’t really require him to keep showing off his face every time.“Calm down; it’s not over yet. He hasn’t signed anything yet; he could change his mind at any time, you know that,” she said, sounding like a pessimist.Helene’s smile faded, and she immediately slapped Aria’s arm. Scott gave her a look as his eyes narrowed.“Is e
Aria almost ran to the restroom. Immediately she got there, she slammed the door and thankfully, she was the only one there.“Fuck,” she screamed.Why. Why, why!Why was he here? What did he want from her? And it wasn’t coincidence. It almost seemed like he just wanted to be everywhere she was. She thought she had dodged him but inviting them right to his club? She wouldn’t want to flatter herself, of course, but damn, it almost seemed like he was making desperate efforts to be close to her.What did he want from her?There was only one answer. And it was the fact that she thought he was a pervert. Maybe she wasn’t the first person he had agreed to sponsor with the motive of getting under their pants.“Shittttt.”Why didn’t she think of that earlier? Was that what he wanted with her?“I thought I was smart,” she muttered to herself.She really needed to tell him to fuck off even if it meant that he would take back his offer. She shook her head, realizing that she might have been excit
Nathan looked like he was about to be entertained, and Aria knew there was no saving her from Asher’s wrath. He told her not to move. Also, she hated that she was beginning to see double of him. She shouldn’t have taken the cocktails. Alex stood behind Aria, so she didn’t notice the way he instinctively took a step back. But on second thought, a conniving smile lurked on his lips. “Asher,” he said with a tough voice and strong stance. Asher’s gaze moved to Alex leisurely… he would deal with Aria later. “I do not like to repeat myself,” he said to Alex with a warning look. Alex arched his brow. “Sorry, I missed it the first time,” he said innocently. A low growl escaped Asher’s throat, and he would have pounced on Alex if Nate hadn’t given a warning cough. Aria was present; he would have ripped his body limb from limb. “Easy,” Alex said with a smile. Asher scoffed. Alex was an excuse of an alpha. He only acted so tough and daring because he was sure Asher wouldn’t do anything to him in
“Hi, Alex! How come you’re here?” She couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. She stood up as they pulled each other into a side hug. He was the only person she knew here, so she suddenly felt relieved. “I mean, I was invited,” he said with laughter in his voice as they separated. The real question was, how was she here? He didn’t expect to see her. “And you?” he asked curiously. Aria’s forehead creased. “Well, I was invited too,” she replied honestly. “But to really answer your question, I don’t know what I’m doing here either,” she added in a tiny voice, like they were gossiping. He chuckled. “You don’t want to be here? I mean, I’m really surprised to see you,” he said. She smiled awkwardly. Of course, this dinner was for people who were rich. Looking at the people around her, she knew she was at the wrong place. His eyes roamed over her body. “Aria,” he said, his voice turning very serious, “what I’m about to say might be wrong, but I’ll say it anyway. You look fucking sexy and
The car pulled over in front of a luxurious château. Aria’s mouth hung open as she stood in front of the building.She could swear she was in Wonderland.Behind her, Asher got out too and stood beside her. She looked smitten by the building more than she had ever looked at any living thing. Her round mouth and siren eyes looked doe-like.Unintentionally, he smiled.He couldn’t hide the fact that he thought she was cute. When she wasn’t being a lioness.He held out his arm to her, and Aria was forced to lock hers in his.They didn’t say a word to each other; she just followed his lead.Two bouncers who were in front of the building opened the door. Aria didn’t miss the way both of them looked at her from head to toe.Asher’s body stiffened as he turned to them with a warning glare.They both bent their heads in instant apology. Aria swallowed a little at the encounter.As they went inside, Asher whispered into her ear, “Don’t leave my side.”She didn’t answer him, because where would s
She had a million questions she wanted to ask. But as the car pulled over at Asher’s mansion, she got almost all the answers. She thought he was taking her to dinner dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Someone helped her open her side of the car immediately the car came to a stop. She walked behind him like a submissive little lamb until they got to the living room. She knew how his sitting room looked, so it was extremely shocking to see the sight that she was seeing. Ladies were there, not just ladies. A full dress stand was in there, with makeup artists and their makeup boxes. She saw a line of shoes in different colors and sizes. Aria literally gasped. Immediately they saw Asher enter, they all stood together and bowed their heads silently in greeting. “What I asked for, is it here yet?” he asked, totally ignoring their greetings. The woman he had his gaze on nodded furiously. “Yes.” She started to walk to the dress stand. “Here it is,” she said as she pulled out the most st
Heads turned as their gazes found out who ‘her’ was.If the ground could open and swallow her up, she would appreciate that.She didn’t turn, hoping they’d shift their gazes to someone else.But then Mr. Hilton went, “Aria?” Hilton asked with total confusion.Helen, who had run and was beside her, laughed loudly. She found it interesting how her friend seemed like she wanted to curl into her own body.She was red, but she didn’t know if it was out of embarrassment or because of Asher’s presence…She felt his gaze land on her body; she could literally feel it.“Aria? You call your students with so much familiarity?” Aria’s breath hitched as she heard Asher say those words.Did he just scold their lecturer?She turned now to look at the sound of that. His face was passively aggressive, but he didn’t give himself away.He sounded so calm yet correcting.Mr. Hilton laughed awkwardly, “No, no.” His face was red with embarrassment.Of course, it was obvious that Asher was implying he should
"Everything is going well so far," Helen mentioned as she sat beside Aria in school that day before the lecturer came into the class.Aria nodded at her with satisfaction. "You all are doing a great job," she said to them with a grateful expression.Scott smiled at her. "We all are. Although we rarely see you. These days, you just push your work to the group chat. Busy much?" he asked with a grin.Aria looked at both of them, their eyes full of suspicion and expectations for her to spill the beans.They had been indirectly asking her about the sudden internship, which apparently everyone now knew about.It was the hot topic in school."Yeah. I’m quite busy these days," she said as she pretended to be busy, picking her books out of her bag.It was the last class, and Aria wished she had sat where she would be less visible.Or better still, missed the class completely."With what? The internship? Tell us about it already!" Helen said with so much enthusiasm.Scott, on the other hand,
When the door to the boarding room opened, both Aria and Asher stood up to welcome their contracted partners.She watched the door that had been opened to them by the receptionist as they came in one by one.She counted until the last person entered. They were four of them.And looked at Asher then herself. They were only two.“Not the big man Hunter” a man dressed in an expensive looking suit and hair brushed back sleekly said.He was looking like he was averagely in his 20’s. But he looked a little bit older than Asher.She gathered that he was the boss since his clothes was more neat and expensive looking.Just like Asher’s.Also, it looked like they were acquaintances, judging from the way he entered with a broad smile.To her surprise, Asher returned the smile, as wide as the man had.“No wonder. So it’s you Nate!” Asher said with excitement. Aria didn’t sure if she was seeing things. She swallowed as she looked between them.The remaining people that followed the boss, who was
A call came to Aria's desk at 4:00 p.m. The loud ring made her jump. She wasn't yet used to the telephone and wondered who had set the volume so high. Also, she wondered why firms still used telephones; she understood the reason but didn't like the idea. It was too old-fashioned.She hissed as she picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Hello, Aria Booker speaking. How can I help you?" she said after clearing her throat. She hadn't spoken since Asher left her room, and she hadn't moved an inch."The reception table. Is Mr. Asher free? He has important guests who would love to hold a meeting with him," the person on the other end said.Huh? An impromptu meeting? And at this time of the day?She almost groaned, she was tired. She had come to the ‘internship’ immediately after school.She hated having people at her house without calling first; now this? She instinctively searched through the schedule. Did she miss the meeting? Who were they?"Name?" she inquired, grabbing h
As she ran into her office, she leaned against the door. Her heart was beating way too loudly; it was thudding in her head more than she could bear.What was that she saw? She remembered that lady. She remembered her clearly from the first day she had been in Asher's office. The lady had walked in with a domineering attitude, making Aria literally run from the office. But she hadn't seen her again and didn't even know her name, so she totally forgot about her.So they were together? So Asher Hunter really had a girlfriend; he wasn't single. Yet, he kept hovering over her, trying to control her life. He was a cheat! And she almost fell for his scheme.Aria shut her eyes again as the image of the lady kneeling in front of Asher, his cock in her mouth, appeared in her head. She shook her head several times. "No, no. Please stop," she told herself, walking to her desk and sitting hard into her chair.That was hard because the image kept playing in her head. Shock gave way to pure