2025-09-04 00:07:41
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Broken Trust
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
The Prisoner’s Laugh
AriaMy head kept spinning in circles ever since the scandal hit the news. I wasn’t guilty of selling off Moran properties. I knew it, but the world didn’t know that and my biggest fear was that Zion might think it true. It was pretty hard for anyone not to be convinced. All the evidence was there. And so, the media, the shareholders, even The Concord, were all too eager to paint me as the traitor.Someone had forged my signature, used my authority, slipped into my life like a shadow wearing my face. And Lucian knew about it. I was convinced. He leaned across the table, his eyes gleaming as if he enjoyed mocking me. “There it is,” he said, eyes bright with amusement. “You’ve finally caught on. Haven’t you? Not so sweet when the knife’s pressed against your own throat, is it?”I gritted my teeth and flashed him a stern glare. “Tell me who it is.”Lucian tilted his head. “Why should I? You barged in here, barking threats, waving your little empire around like it means something. You fo
A Stain on Her Name
AriaI hated being back here, but I had no other choice. The prison smelled like bleach and rust and of juvenile junkies. The officers were surprised to see that I was back, but Lucian? Well, he had a calm look on his face like he expected to see me right back here.I heaved a deep sigh and sat across from him, my eyes watching him keenly. His wrists were chained, and his dark eyes fixed on me like I was the only thing keeping him entertained in this miserable place. His smirk stretched wider the longer I stayed silent and then he finally leaned forward and said,“You must really love me, coming back here twice in such a short time,” he drawled, his voice smooth, mocking. “Tell me, Aria, what happened to all that pride?”I ignored him, or at least tried to, keeping my hands folded tightly on the table. I had promised myself I wouldn’t let him get under my skin this time. I came for answers, not to be toyed with.But before I could speak, my phone buzzed on the metal surface between u
Strings Pulled Tight
ZionIt started small. First it was in the little things I noticed when I wasn’t even looking for them. Aria had always been composed, sharp, and unshakable in a way that drew people to her. But lately, she was different, distracted, and tensed. It was almost as if her mind was carrying a weight too heavy for her shoulders, and no matter how much I tried, she wouldn’t let me carry it with her.I asked her one night after dinner when it was just the two of us at home.“What’s wrong?”She didn’t even look up from her glass of wine. She just gave the same generic answer she’d been giving me every time I asked that question. “Work stress.”Still, I didn’t buy it. I could tell she was lying, her tone was too clipped, and her eyes often darted away too quickly. But I let it go, because pushing Aria to have a conversation when she wasn’t ready never ended well. At least in my experience. Still, the distance was there and I could feel it, growing, stretching, silently like a plant in the dirt
Whispers of Ellen
EllenTonight was proof that my plan was working, and I was very satisfied with the results I was getting. Every move, every whisper, every smile I’d planted over the past months had blossomed exactly as I intended. Aria was cracking, her company was under siege, her reputation was fraying, and her relationship with Zion? Well, that was starting to strain under the weight of secrets she couldn’t afford to tell him.I’d been patient long enough. That was always my strength. Sixteen years by Zion’s side had taught me that timing was everything. You don’t charge in headfirst; you wait. You listen and take notes when no one else was paying attention. And when the moment comes, you pull the right string and watch the whole tapestry collapse. So that’s exactly what I did.I knew she’d immediately think Lucian was her enemy. That he was the one pulling the strings behind her unraveling. How sweet. It’s just what I wanted her to believe. Let her waste her energy blaming a man behind bars whil
The First Cut
SavannahThree days had passed after the gala, but the fire and rage inside me hadn’t cooled. If anything, it had gotten worse.I’d tried to bury myself in work, pretending the message hadn’t rattled me, pretending Ellen’s smile and unnatural closeness to Zion in my living room didn’t haunt me. But the world had a way of shoving truth into your face, especially when you least wanted it, and lately I’d gotten enough doses of truth to make a girl bitter.That morning, I woke to my phone buzzing nonstop. I rolled over grudgingly, wondering who or what it could possibly be about this early in the morning. I squinted my eyes, staring at the screen, and that’s when I saw it. Slowly, my eyes widened in curiosity from the urgent alerts from my building manager. By the time I picked up, his voice was shaking.“Miss Carpi… Please accept my sincerest apologies. I called as soon as I got the news, but you need to know. It seems your apartment…your system’s been breached.”My pulse spiked when I
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