AriaI was halfway to my car when my phone suddenly buzzed and Zion’s name lit up the screen. I was half expecting it, but still, the moment it happened, my heart skipped with dread, and I froze.I didn’t need to answer to know what this was about. But if I didn’t answer now, it would only make things worse than they already were. I knew Zion wanted to know every detail about the scandal. The falsified documents. The supposed proof that I’d sold Moran properties to Lucian’s allies.I closed my eyes, and my thumb hovered over the screen. Every instinct screamed at me to let it ring out, or maybe throw my phone across the parking lot and hope some car would run over it. Anything at all, just to buy myself a little more time before the storm broke in full. But the phone kept buzzing again and again like a relentless rhythm.Zion never called like this unless he was furious. That was for sure. My nerves were all over the place, and I bit down on my lip, hard enough, hoping I could ignore

AriaBy morning, I’d convinced myself this was a mistake. I could not invite that treacherous jerk back into my life. I tried to think of other ways I could handle this without involving anyone, but at the end of the day, there was no one better than Luke.If there was anyone who could help me fish out who was stealing and using my identity, then it was Luke. With that flowing in my mind, I heaved an exhaustive sigh, got ready, and went to Nein’s Restaurant.It was a private restaurant hidden on a small rooftop building. With everything going on in the news about me, the last thing I wanted was to give the media another headline to drag my name through.Despite not wanting this meeting at all, I still found myself sitting in a small restaurant tucked away at the edge of the city, staring at the condensation dripping down the side of my untouched glass.The place was quiet, just quiet enough for my liking. A couple sat near the window, whispering over their breakfast and laughing toget

Aria“Yes, we do, but you better not be messing with me, Aria,” Luke added, still studying me carefully. “I’m telling you, Luke,” I said, leaning forward, “I found it.”He still didn’t say anything, but then he let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You know what I’m wondering is if you truly found this egg, then after all this time, why haven’t you said anything?” His eyes ran over me like he was trying to figure out if I’d lost my mind. “Aria, come on. We hunted for that thing for years, and it nearly ruined both of us. You expect me to believe you’ve had it all along?”“I didn’t have it all along,” I corrected. “I found it after you left.”His eyebrows shot up when he heard that. “After I left? And you didn’t bother to call? Not once in four years? You’re seriously sitting here acting like you’ve been holding onto this secret the whole damn time?”I shifted in my seat; his words seemed heavy, and somewhere along the line, I realized that he may have been talking about something

AriaZion’s eyes met mine through the café window, and in that single glance, everything between us shifted. His disappointment was unmistakable, and I just sat there, unable to move, while he turned away and blended into the crowd outside.I wanted to run after him, to grab his arm and make him listen, but Luke’s voice broke through before I could move.“Don’t go,” he said quietly. His tone carried certainty, as though he already knew what would happen if I tried.I pulled my bag close to me. “I have to, Luke,” I said, and was about to turn away when he replied again. “You don’t have to,” he replied. “Give him time.”But I couldn’t. I knew things would escalate if I sat still, so I pushed back my chair and walked out of the café, the door chiming behind me. “Zion!” I called when I saw him ahead in the hallway. He stopped for a moment, but didn’t turn immediately. When he finally faced me, his expression was calm, too calm, and that terrified me more than his anger.“You looked like

AriaBy the time I got home, I was running on thin fumes. My body ached, and my head was pounding, and the weight of my discovery still fell heavy on my chest. Finding out about that hidden account still echoed in my chest like a warning bell I couldn’t silence. The thought of it made my skin tremble. I didn’t know how or who? How could they breach my company walls so easily? The more I didn’t want to think about it, the more I ended up doing just that. And so as I stepped out of the car, I was already fuming in anger and just wanted to get to my room, have a nice shower, and just rest my head.I slammed the door shut harder than I meant to, kicked off my shoes, and dropped my bag on the floor. All I wanted was to curl up and shut the world out for a few hours. Listen to some songs, stare at some pictures, and try to unravel my mind from the pressures of the day.But that’s when I saw him. Zion. He was standing by the shelf, with a folder in his hand, like he had been waiting for me.