The of the heavy boardroom door closing behind Aria and Elias echoed through the large room. The intense pressure, which had been almost suffocating, finally broke.
Jax Ryland remained standing, his hands resting lightly on the polished mahogany table. His face was a mask of cold analysis, his mind already three moves ahead.
Silas Trent, the manager, immediately stood up and began clearing some files, his movements quick and professional. She's a corporate ghost, Jax. Too good, too fast. She won that round by turning security concerns into an attack on our stability. We need to focus on what she really wants.
Damian Reed, the CEO of Zenith Records, finally let out a long breath and loosened his tie. Damian had been with the boys since the very beginning of their careers, acting as their most trusted corporate advisor and the official face of the company. He held a significant, respected position.
"Jax, you played that well," Damian said, his voice serious. But you cannot keep provoking a Vance. Elias Vance is cold, but he is a brilliant CEO. And that woman… Aria Vance… she is an anomaly. We have never dealt with this level of focus from a shareholder. She's too poised, too aggressive. She made me nervous, and I've been running this company for two decades.
Kellan sat reserved and quiet. He was observant, his sensitive eyes fixed on the empty chair Aria had occupied. She's not a musician, but she has the focus of a maestro. You feel the silence when she walks in. It's like she's controlling the entire room's sound.
Rhys leaned back, crossing his arms. He was handsome and usually flirtatious, but now he was intrigued. She's dangerous. But I don't think she wants the music company. She's too detached from the creative side. Elias Vance is the one who wants corporate control. She's the weapon he uses for intimidation.
Nick, the youngest, finally grabbed his gummy bear bag and opened it. I still think she's secretly funny, Jax. Did you see her little half-smile when I brought out the snacks? She's human, just a very intense human.
Jax ignored the lighthearted comment. He looked at his team, absorbing their observations. His attention was completely focused on the strategic threat Aria represented.
"She's not just Elias's weapon, Rhys," Jax said, his voice low and firm. Elias is the corporate shield. She is the one who initiated the hack, not Elias. Elias is focused on money; she is focused on control and silence. That word, PASSENGER, was hers. It meant she was driving the car, and I was just along for the ride.
Damian frowned. "You still believe she's some kind of corporate spy, a professional operative?"
"I don't believe it, Damian, I know it," Jax confirmed. She didn't react to the word 'attack.' She only reacted when I questioned the integrity of her money. She's been trained to protect secrets. Her entire life story: the distant heiress, the kidnapping trauma—is the perfect camouflage for someone who wants to leave no digital trace.
Silas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. If she is a professional operative, she is here for a specific mission that involves the Thorne Company. We need to find the soft spot in Vance Global, and more importantly, in the Thorne family history. Why did Elias suddenly bring her out of hiding for this deal? This acquisition isn't about music; it's about a political power grab.
Jax nodded. "Exactly. We need to pivot. We can't attack her professional ability; she will just turn it back on us. We need to expose her weakness, her personal vulnerability. Silas, I need you to use every contact you have in the financial world. Find the real dirt on Vance Global's internal structures. Kellan, Rhys, use your media connections. Is there anything about Elias Vance that smells bad?
"I'll start digging into the financial side," Silas said, pulling out his phone immediately.
"We'll watch the media," Kellan agreed. I'll put some feelers out through my journalists. They usually pick up rumors before the filings.
Rhys offered a quick, confident nod. "Consider it done. We'll watch the society pages, too. That's where Victoria and Chloe Thorne operate.
"And what about the Thorne family?" Damian asked, his voice careful. The father, Charles Thorne. He's a legend in textiles, but he's notoriously private. Is he even involved?
Jax looked out the window at the city skyline. I think he's the key. Aria is a Thorne, even if she uses the Vance name. I need to know everything about her childhood, the original kidnapping, and why Elias is so deeply protective of her. Nick, I have a job for you.
Nick immediately brightened, putting away the gummy bears. A field mission? Yes, boss!"
Jax smiled faintly. I need you to use your best skills, Nick. Charm. Find out everything you can about the Thorne family, but through the back door. Find former staff, old gardeners, anyone who worked at the mansion when Aria was a teenager. They won't talk to a corporate lawyer, but they might talk to a funny, handsome rock star who asks about the garden.
"Operation Charming Informant is a go," Nick said, standing up with enthusiasm. I'll be on the case right away, Jax. I love a good puzzle."
Jax watched his team begin to move, the corporate war machine already shifting gears. He knew Aria Vance was brilliant, beautiful, and highly dangerous, but he was a strategist, and he would not be a passenger in her game for long.
In the back of the black sedan, speeding away from the Zenith Records headquarters, Aria was analyzing the meeting.
"Jax Ryland confirmed his suspicion," Aria said, looking at her reflection in the glass, adjusting her ponytail, which hadn't moved once during the stressful confrontation. He knows I am a professional strategist. He suspects the kidnapping story is a cover. But he still thinks I'm a corporate agent or a hacker. He did not detect the true source of my training.
Elias, sitting beside her, felt a surge of admiration mixed with a sharp, protective anxiety. He was incredibly handsome, his perfect suit stretching over his controlled, powerful physique. His worry was evident in the tightness around his jawline.
He is too intuitive, Aria. He sees too much truth, Elias admitted, his voice low. He is not focused on the contract anymore. He is focused on you. That level of challenge is dangerous. It exposes the truth we have worked so hard to hide.
"Let him focus on me," Aria said, dismissing the fear with a wave of her hand. "It keeps his eyes off the real prize: the internal weaknesses of the Thorne Company."
She looked at Elias, her beautiful eyes cold and focused. He is a worthy opponent, Elias, I will give him that. But he is still a corporate player who uses fame as his weapon. We use silence and strategy. We need to move on to the Thorne Company now, while he is busy looking for hackers and spies.
Elias nodded, his expression darkening slightly. He felt a familiar surge of jealousy toward Jax Ryland. Jax had forced Aria to show her strength, the raw, beautiful strategic power that Elias treasured as his secret. He hated that another man saw the Commander in her.
"The plan is set," Elias confirmed, pulling out a tablet. We have used the Zenith acquisition to leverage our position with the other major shareholders. Victoria and Chloe are now cornered. They are terrified you will expose their secrets, so they will be silent. The next phase is to use our votes to force a leadership change on the Thorne Company board. We isolate Victoria and install our own directors.
Aria leaned closer, her own excitement, rare and fierce, flickering in her dark eyes. Good. I want to see her struggle. I want to take the house, the money, everything she ruined my mother's life for. We use the assets to launch my fashion company. The faster we dismantle their influence, the sooner I can focus on my creative life, away from this corporate war.
"I'll handle the legal filings tonight," Elias promised, his voice firm. Tomorrow, the war moves to the boardroom of the Thorne Company. Be ready, Commander. This is where we break them.
Across the city, in the opulent silence of the Thorne family mansion, Charles Thorne sat alone in his library. He was haunted by the image of the beautiful, cold woman in the black suit—his daughter, Aria.
The guilt was a physical weight on his chest. He remembered the love he had thrown away, the young artist Elara, and the child he had allowed to grow up in poverty, believing the lie that Elara was a gold-digger.
He had found Aria when she was sixteen, bringing her home out of duty and guilt, but his emotional distance, the result of his own unresolved shame, had left her vulnerable. He had been a coward, unable to shield her from Victoria and Chloe's cruelty, which led directly to the kidnapping that broke his family.
Victoria walked into the library, having carefully composed herself. She wore a delicate silk robe and carried two glasses of brandy. She sat across from him, her face full of false, practiced sympathy.
"Charles, dear, you have been quiet all day," Victoria said, handing him a glass. I understand. Seeing Aria again was a shock. It brings back the memories of her trauma, the kidnapping… she is still so fragile underneath that powerful business person disguise.
Charles looked at her, his eyes hollow. Fragile, Victoria? She looked like the strongest person in that room. She faced Elias Vance and all four of the Aether band members, and she stood her ground.
"Yes, but that coldness is a defense mechanism," Victoria insisted, her hand subtly trembling as she held her glass, a sign of her deep, buried fear. She's withdrawn. She's formal. That is the lasting effect of the trauma. She simply cannot connect emotionally. It's best if we leave her alone, let Elias handle her corporate games, and give her space. We should not try to force a relationship, it will only hurt her more.
Victoria was actively trying to keep Charles away from Aria, knowing that any deep interaction between father and daughter could expose the long-buried secret of the kidnapping.
Charles looked at his wife, seeing the calculation in her eyes, even through her false sympathy. He didn't trust her. Victoria had always hated Elara, and she had always seen Aria as a threat to Chloe's inheritance.
He stood up, walking toward the window, looking out at the city lights.
"I failed her once," Charles murmured, his voice heavy with regret. I failed her mother. I let my parents ruin my life, and then I let my weakness ruin my daughter's life. I will not fail her again.
He turned to Victoria, his decision clear. I need to see her, Victoria. I need to talk to her, to look her in the eye. I am her father, and I must make things right. I will contact Elias Vance tomorrow and arrange a meeting.
Victoria's calm demeanor shattered. Her hand flew to her chest, the brandy almost spilling. The fear was raw and sudden.
"Charles, no! You can't! she gasped, her voice sharp. It is too soon! You will ruin the peace! Elias will take it as an aggressive move! You must wait!
Charles looked at his wife's reaction, and the sudden fear in her beautiful, usually controlled eyes told him everything. He knew she was lying. He knew the fragile Aria she described was a mask for a darker truth.
"I will call Elias tomorrow morning," Charles repeated, his voice firm and final. I will not wait. I must face the consequences of my past.
Victoria stared at him, hatred and panic boiling beneath the surface. She had to act fast. If Charles met Aria, the truth would eventually come out, and her family and inheritance would be destroyed. She needed to stop Aria, and if that meant fighting Elias Vance, she would.