2025-09-07 22:09:25
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Strange Trails
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
An Old Flame Returns
AriaLooking back, meeting Luke again had not gone the way I expected. I had convinced myself that it would remain simple, strictly business, and nothing more. We had agreed to meet again after that day, and he was supposed to present me with his strategy on how he was going to find out who my identity thief was.Yet the moment I sat across from him in that small café, with my notes spread between us and the faint smell of roasted coffee in the air, the past began creeping back into my thoughts.Luke had spoken calmly, shown me important information on his notes, and explained his strategies in the same collected tone I remembered from years ago. I had nodded along, scribbling down words in my notebook, but the truth was, for a long moment, my mind had not been on his plans at all. It had been of the questions I had carried in silence for far too long.Eventually, without meaning to, the words had escaped my lips.“Why did you betray me, Luke?”The sound of my own voice had startled m
Evidence
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
The Offer
Aria I should’ve known nothing would ever be that simple with Luke. Nothing with him ever was. The moment he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest like he was holding court, I knew trouble was about to pour out of his mouth.I felt my jaw tighten. “Your way? Luke, that’s not happening. This time, it’s my call.”He chuckled softly, like I’d just told a joke. “Aria, you can’t seriously think you’re calling the shots here. I think I should let you know what’s happening here. You’re asking for my help. You reached out to me. That means I lead, you follow. That’s the rule.”“Here we go again with this…” I muttered lowly and waved my hand in frustration, “That was never the rule, Luke,” I argued.“It was,” he said smoothly. “And it still is. Nothing’s changed.”I wanted to argue more, to tell him I’d rather set myself on fire than let him run this.“Of course,” he added casually, “there’s the small matter of my compensation.” He added, quickly changing the conversat
Help In All The Wrong Places
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
Luke
AriaThe next day couldn’t have come fast enough. All night I tossed and turned in bed, unable to catch some sleep. The call with Zion replayed in my head, Lucian’s laughter echoed in my ears, and the weight of everything pressed down on me until I barely recognized the woman I was anymore. And then there was Luke. It had been four years since I’d seen that arrogant piece of trash, and now the mere thought of having to meet him was chewing at me raw. When I left him four years ago, I promised myself that our paths would never cross again. For all I care, Luke Charleston was just another no-name stranger to me. But now everything was torn apart, and I knew there was only one person who could help me put these dots together. My shithead ex-boyfriend, Luke.We dated four years ago, and what can I say? I was just another girl drawn to dangerous boys I should have walked away from. Luke lived on the wild side of the tracks, and that was what drew me to him. When we met, I was still in a
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