Chapter 2: Lairs

Aria’s pov

The door  opened  swiftly with a loud bang, making the walls shake. I jumped, my heart pounding in my chest. My stepfather, Victor, stormed into my room, his silver-dark hair all messy, his sharp gray eyes filled with anger. He held a newspaper so tightly in his hands that the pages got crumpled in his fist.

With a furious motion, he slammed the newspaper on my desk. The sound echoed in the silent room. My hands felt cold. I didn’t have to look—I already knew what it said.

Everyone knew.

"Is this true?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "Tell me, Aria. Are these disgusting rumors true?"

I swallowed, my throat dry. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest. What could I say? The truth? That I had been with Lucian Blackwell—Victor’s best friend? That the headlines weren’t just rumors, but real?

I tried to speak, but no words came out.

Victor’s face darkened, his jaw tightening. "You’re a disgrace," he hissed. "After everything I’ve done for you, after the life I’ve given you—this is how you chose to repay me? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to my name? To my business? To my reputation?"

I clenched my hands into fists. I wanted to tell him that my life wasn’t just about him. That I wasn’t just an extension of his perfect little world. But I knew better. Arguing with Victor was always going to be useless and exhausting.

"It’s not what it looks like," I whispered, barely able to get the words out.

Victor let out a cold, bitter laugh. "Not what it looks like? The entire city has seen you sneaking out of his house in the middle of the night, and you’re telling me it’s not what it looks like?" His face twisted in disgust. "Pack your things. You’re leaving."

My stomach dropped. "Leaving?"

"You’re going away," he said, his voice firm. "You’ll be going far from here. No credit cards, no friends, no connections to anyone. You will not embarrass me any further."

I panicked but I forced myself to stay calm. "You can’t just send me away like I’m a problem to get rid of."

"I can and I will," he snapped. "You’ve ruined everything! I should have known you’d turn out just like your mother. Reckless. Selfish. A mistake."

His words sliced through me like a knife, but I refused to let him see how much they hurt. I lifted my chin, trying to keep my voice steady. "I won’t go."

His nostrils flared, and for a terrifying second, I thought he might actually hit me. But instead, he took a deep breath, clenched his jaw, and turned away. "Pack your things," he repeated before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, I collapsed onto my bed, my whole body shaking. My phone lay beside me, its screen glowing with missed calls. Desperation clawed at my chest as I dialed Lucian’s number again.

It rang.

And rang.

And then—

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

I stared at the screen. He was ignoring me.

No. He wouldn’t do this. He couldn’t. not at a time like this.

I jumped up, threw on a hoodie and sneakers, and slipped out of the house. I needed to see him. I needed to hear him tell me this wasn’t over. That he still cared. That this wasn’t just some mistake he wanted to forget.

The city was still half-asleep as I arrived at Lucian’s estate. The tall iron gates stood before me as I pressed the intercom button, my hands shaking.

"I need to see Lucian," I said urgently.

A moment of silence. Then a voice responded, crisp and emotionless. "Mr. Blackwell isn’t accepting visitors."

My heart pounded. "Tell him it’s Aria. Tell him I need to see him."

Another pause. Then, "Miss Sinclair, I’m going to have to ask you to leave."

I clenched my fists. "Put me through to him. Please."

"He’s not available."

Frustration bubbled up inside of me. "Then let me in. I’ll wait."

"Miss Sinclair," the voice warned, "I have strict orders. You need to leave."

Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to cry. My hands curled into fists as I turned away. How could he do this? After everything, how could he just shut me out?

The drive home was a blur. By the time I stumbled into my room, my chest was heavy with anger and heartbreak. I grabbed the first thing I could reach—my bedside lamp—and threw it across the room. It crashed into the wall, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to break everything. I wanted to scream.

Then my phone rang.

I froze, my breath shaky. For a second, I thought—hoped—it was Lucian. That he had changed his mind. But when I picked up my phone, my stomach tightened.

It was Vanessa . My friend.

I almost didn’t answer. Almost ignored it. But something inside me made me pick up.

"Turn on the TV," she said.

I frowned. "Vanessa, I’m not in the mood—"

"Aria," she cut me off, her voice urgent. "Turn it on. Now."

A cold dread crawled up my spine as I grabbed the remote and switched on the television. The news channel appeared, the big red banner at the bottom of the screen flashing:

BREAKING NEWS—BILLIONAIRE LUCIAN BLACKWELL ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT TO CELESTE MONROE.

I felt my breath cut in my throat. My hands went numb.

The camera zoomed in on a press conference. And there he was.

Lucian.

Standing beside my best friend, Celeste, his hand resting on her back, his face calm and unreadable.

I barely heard what he was saying over the ringing in my ears.

"Celeste Monroe and I have been close for some time now," he said smoothly. "And I am pleased to officially announce our engagement."

It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. The room spun, my knees almost giving out. My mind scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing. What I was hearing.

No.

No, this wasn’t happening.

He had warned me before.

We can’t keep doing this, Aria.

And now, I finally understood what he meant. He had planned this all along. He left me for my own best friend.

My fingers curled tightly around my phone, my knuckles turning white. He was going to regret this.