Aria laughed, a short, ridiculous laugh that sounded a bit too harsh to her ears. She stared at Gerald, a wave of emotion flowing through her. First amusement, then disbelief and finally anger. She decided to hang onto the anger as she clenched her jaws.The mere mention of that bastard's name brought back memories she didn't want to remember —how he mocked her, almost raped her, the fear and trauma that followed her weeks after.She wasn't evil, but she wished he could remain in prison for a very long time. Long enough to rot there if possible.A small scoff escaped her lips. “You came all the way here…for this?”Gerald shifted slightly in his seat, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hand. “Aria, just listen—”“No,” she cut in immediately. “You listen.” Her face flushed as she spoke. “Do you even know what that man did to me?” she asked slowly, her voice trembling with restrained fury. “Did he tell you how he mocked me? How he nearly raped me? How I ended up in a hospital

As Lydia walked into the living room that afternoon where Leo sat punching on his laptop like a mad man, she took a seat on one of the couches staring into space, ignoring Leo..She knew she had pushed him away the last few days, but honestly, she really didn't care that much. She was too busy trying to fix her ruined life and get back her company to care. Now, she couldn't even go outside freely without a mask as people recognized her the moment they saw her. The scandal had dragged her name through the mud. The online draggings were ruthless. People she had never met had opinions about her character, her competence, her worth. It was exhausting and the most humiliated she had felt.Leo stared at her for a while and when he didn't capture her attention, he pushed the laptop aside.“Baby,” He called slowly as if afraid she might explode. It was evident she was having a bad day. Since the incident with Alex Oil and Gas and the shameful draggings that followed, she had been so distant

Aria tried to speak again, probably to call for help, but her voice failed her and only a cracked whisper came out. Her breathing stuttered, and her wide, shocked eyes swept over his face, taking him in. Realization dawned on her. He was not lost. He followed her here on purpose which was weird as fuck.“Leo…” She said when she found her voice. “What're you doing here? This is the ladies’ room,”Leo didn't answer immediately as he stepped further into the restroom, closing the door firmly behind him. He eyed Aria seductively, his lips locking together. “Hey. How are you? I just wanted to talk to you,”Aria’s stomach tightened at the way he was looking at her. She took a step back. “You wanted to talk to me? About what? And here of all places?”“Come on, don't be too dismissive,” Leo chuckled, taking a step further but she moved back, her eyes staring at him both in surprise and in shock.His gaze slowly made its way down her body. Her dress fitted her perfectly, showcasing her curves

There was a pin silence as everyone stared at the lanky man who had just spoken. The leader scoffed, then he burst into a loud, mocking laughter. Leo's eyes widened in disbelief as he laid on the floor. Was Drake out of his mind or just plain foolish? The bastard had no single skill in martial arts, just trying to get himself killed to prove love.The leader crossed the distance, pressing the gun to Leo's head with a sneer. “One pull of this trigger and your fucking brains will be splashed all over this white wall. So tell me, how exactly are you going to take my life?Drake moved—quick and sharp, snapping the leader's neck with a brutal force that the sickening sound echoed through the room.The body went limp underneath him and before anyone could realise what had happened, the body dropped to the floor, lifeless and motionless.A woman dropped her wine glass. It shattered across the tiles. Someone staggered back and collided with a table. Even Leo scrambled to his feet, eyes wide,

Lydia tapped a nervous knuckle on the desk of her table. With her left hand, she dragged in a puff of cigarette, exhaling the smoke with a shaky breath. She rarely took cigarettes, but right now, she needed it to think through the chaos in her head.How? How had everything managed to flip around in seconds? Those men were the best. They were ruthless, powerful. Not ordinary men, so how? How was Drake able to defeat them?The scenes replayed in her mind, echoing and increasing her anxiety —the snap of the leader's neck, the fear in the kidnappers eyes, the way they had called him master like he was some god that should be reverenced and adored.Her heart thumped crazily in her chest as she bit down on her teeth. If that attack was linked back to her, then she was finished. Like completely finished. Surely, they were investigating, so if the police found out that she had contacted the gang anonymously that evening to take revenge on Aria for trying to have her man, then everything she