Aria woke up the next morning feeling lighter.
Talking to Adrian helped more than she wanted to admit.
At least now she wasn't guessing in the dark.
But life didn't pause for her emotions.
She had to go to work.
She brushed her hair, tied her shoelaces, and stepped outside with her bag.
The sky looked calm, almost too calm.
She walked about five steps before she saw it.
A small note stuck on her apartment door.
Her heart slowed. Then sped up.
It was plain paper, folded once. No name.
Aria looked around but nobody was close by.
She opened it with shaky fingers.
"Stay away from him."
That was all.
No signature.
No explanation.
Just a warning that felt too direct to ignore.
Her hands felt suddenly cold.
She arrived at work trying to act normal.
Maya noticed instantly.
"Aria… you look like you saw a ghost."
Aria forced a tiny smile. "I saw something. Not a ghost."
Maya leaned closer. "Is it serious?"
Aria hesitated. She didn't want to drag her friend into a problem she barely understood.
"It's… personal," she said quietly. "But I'm okay."
Maya didn't push, but she watched her with worried eyes the whole morning.
Meanwhile, Adrian sat in a meeting but heard absolutely nothing.
His mind was stuck on one thing:
Did Aria sleep well?
Was she still shaken from yesterday?
Should he check on her again?
His assistant whispered to him, "Sir? They're waiting for your decision."
Adrian blinked slowly. "Postpone the project. I'll review it later."
The assistant nodded, confused but too smart to question him.
Adrian wasn't normally distracted.
He wasn't the type to lose focus over anyone.
But Aria made him worry in ways he didn't know how to explain.
At lunchtime, Aria stepped outside to breathe.
The note stayed in her pocket like something alive.
She didn't want to involve him too quickly.
She didn't want him to think she couldn't handle things.
But keeping it from him felt wrong.
She finally pulled out her phone and sent a simple message:
Aria: "Can we talk?"
The reply came faster than she expected.
Adrian: "Where are you?"
Aria: "Behind my workplace."
Two minutes later, a black car pulled up quietly.
He came out immediately.
The moment Adrian saw her face, his expression changed.
"What happened?"
Aria took a slow breath. "Someone left this on my door this morning."
She handed him the note.
He read it once.
His jaw tightened so hard she thought it might crack.
"This is not acceptable," he said under his breath.
"I didn't want to panic," Aria said. "I just thought you should know."
"You did the right thing."
His voice was calm, but there was something dark beneath it.
He folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.
"From now on, you're not walking anywhere alone."
Aria raised a brow. "Adrian… I can't live like I'm being guarded."
"You're being threatened," he said simply.
"I won't ignore that."
"But this could get out of hand," she whispered. "What if your enemy keeps pushing? What if this gets worse?"
He met her eyes.
There was something raw there—fear he didn't want to admit.
"It won't get worse," he said firmly.
"Because I'm ending it. Soon."
Aria looked at him quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Just don't shut me out."
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"I won't," he said.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The street noise faded.
It felt like they were standing in their own small bubble.
Then Adrian stepped back.
"I'll send someone to watch the area. You might not see them, but they'll be close."
Aria didn't argue.
Deep down, she was relieved.
"What do we do now
?" she asked.
Adrian looked at the street ahead, eyes sharp.
"Now," he said, "we prepare. Because whoever did this just made their first mistake."