Aria adjusted the diamond bracelet on her wrist, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was pale, her eyes a little dull, but she masked it well with soft makeup and red lipstick. Damien had a meeting with a foreign investor at Voss Corp headquarters and she was expected to attend.
Not as a guest.
Not as herself.
But as Mrs. Damien Voss.
Every inch of her appearance was calculated. Controlled.
Yet under the silk and powder, her world was crumbling.
Her baby bump hadn't begun to show yet, but the fatigue, the nausea, and the fear of exposure were growing louder by the day.
And now… she was about to walk into the lion's den.
Voss Corp Headquarters – Executive Lounge
The room buzzed with money and ambition. Champagne glasses clinked. Polished shoes clicked on marble. Suits and secrets filled the space.
Aria walked in on Damien's arm, her chin raised, every step exuding the grace of a woman perfectly at home in wealth.
She wasn't.
But no one needed to know that.
"Damien!" a smooth female voice called from across the room.
Aria's steps slowed.
A tall, elegant woman approached flawless skin, icy blue eyes, and a designer dress that screamed old money.
Her lips curved into a smirk as she looked Aria up and down.
"Elara Monroe," Damien said coolly. "Aria, this is… an old acquaintance."
Aria caught the flicker in Damien's eyes. A tension. A hesitation.
So this was her.
The ex.
The one no one talked about, but everyone remembered.
"Acquaintance?" Elara laughed, placing a hand on Damien's arm. "Oh, come on. We were more than that, weren't we, Damien?"
Aria's smile never wavered. "How interesting. And here I thought all his past mistakes were business-related."
Elara blinked.
Damien coughed into his glass, hiding a rare smile.
"Well," Elara said, recovering quickly, "I must admit, you're quite… different from his usual type."
Aria leaned in slightly. "That's what happens when you upgrade."
The tension was electric.
Damien stepped in smoothly. "Elara, I believe your investors are waiting near the bar."
She arched a brow, her gaze lingering on Aria for a moment longer, then turned and walked away with the grace of a woman used to being envied.
As soon as she disappeared into the crowd, Aria turned to Damien.
"So. That was her."
He said nothing, sipping his drink.
"You still love her?" she asked, voice too casual.
"No."
"But you did."
A pause.
"Yes."
There it was.
The truth.
It shouldn't have stung, but it did.
Later that evening, after the event, the car ride was quiet. Damien stared out the window. Aria watched the city lights blur by.
"Did you invite her?" she asked finally.
"No. She showed up as a shareholder guest."
"She touched your arm."
He looked at her. "Jealous?"
She turned her gaze away. "I don't do jealousy."
"Could've fooled me."
Silence again.
Then Aria whispered, "Did she break your heart?"
Damien's voice was quiet. "She didn't just break it. She stepped on it. Publicly."
Aria's heart twisted unexpectedly.
Maybe she was getting too close.
Maybe she was in too deep.
Back at the Manor
The moment they stepped inside, Aria walked straight past him.
Damien caught her wrist gently. "Why are you angry?"
"I'm not," she said, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Liar."
She pulled her hand free. "You don't get to question me about secrets and then expect honesty about my feelings. This isn't real, remember?"
Damien stared at her.
"Then why did you look like you wanted to claw Elara's eyes out?" he asked, voice low.
"I didn't."
"You did."
Aria clenched her fists. "Because she looked at me like I was nothing. Like I was… disposable."
Something in her voice cracked.
Damien stepped closer. "You're not nothing."
"Then what am I to you?"
His eyes searched hers.
But the answer didn't come.
Just silence.
That night, Aria sat alone in her room, clutching a photo.
It was of her and her sister before everything fell apart.
Her mission was still clear.
Destroy Damien Voss.
He ruined her sister. He left her broken. And now Aria was supposed to make him pay.
But every day… her hate was cracking.
And the cracks were filling with something dangerous.
Love.
Meanwhile, in Damien's private study…
He sat at his desk, staring at a copy of the marriage contract.
Clause 23.
The pregnancy clause.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was… off.
Aria's fainting. Her fatigue. Her silence.
She was hiding something.
And he was going to find out what it was before it was too late.