The night in the city was deep and quiet, like everything had gone to sleep.
"Pa——"
A sharp, burning pain on her face woke Aria Monroe up with a jolt.
Her eyes snapped open, but everything around her was blurry. She blinked a few times, trying to focus.
She found herself sitting on the cold floor beside a huge, fancy bed, feeling completely confused.
She noticed deep and shallow purple marks on her pale arms, like bruises that she couldn't remember getting.
She looked down and realized the thin blanket barely covered her body—and worse, she was completely naked!
What happened?
What's going on? she thought, her heart pounding in her chest.
A loud ringing noise exploded in her head, making everything feel dizzy. Without thinking, she quickly turned around, reaching for the corner of the quilt to cover herself.
But then, something caught her eye. Strong male legs.
They were right in front of her. Before she could even react, something grabbed her neck, choking her.
"Tell me! How long have you been following me? Who sent you?"
A harsh, angry male voice roared in her ears.
Aria's mind spun, and she could barely understand what was happening.
Who is this?
What is he talking about? she thought, her brain swimming in confusion.
Her head felt heavy, and the air around her seemed to thin, making it harder to breathe.
The room felt like it was closing in, everything turning gray. She gasped and instinctively reached up, trying to pry the man's hand away from her throat.
"Uh… let me go..." she choked out weakly, struggling to breathe.
"Speak! How dare you plot against me?" The voice was furious, cutting through the silence like a knife.
Aria felt something dark and dangerous in the air. She was terrified, but her voice wouldn't come.
She could only shake her head.
Just as she thought she might pass out, the hand around her neck suddenly loosened.
Aria gasped for air and felt her body lurch forward, weakly falling to the ground. She coughed, struggling to get her breath back.
"Ahem..."
Before she could even gather her senses, her jaw was grabbed roughly. A handsome face, cold and sharp like a sculpture, filled her vision.
His eyes—those strange, blue-black eyes—were piercing and cold, flashing with something dangerous.
She had seen people from all over the world, but she'd never seen eyes like his. They were so unique, like a deep storm cloud, impossible to describe.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment before his face turned darker, his expression hardening.
"Don't think that just because you have a little connection with me, you can change anything! If you even think about talking about what happened today, I will kill you!"
His voice was low and threatening.
With a sharp, angry wave of his hand, the man turned and walked toward the bathroom.
The sound of running water followed, and with it, Aria's body seemed to freeze in place.
She couldn't understand what had just happened. Everything was so confusing.
Her body still felt dizzy as she tried to focus on the unfamiliar room.
The walls seemed to close in around her as she tried to make sense of everything. But before she could, she heard a loud crash.
Bang!
Aria jumped, her heart racing.
She looked up, wide-eyed, just in time to see the man coming back into the room, wrapped only in a bath towel.
He was picking up scattered clothes from the floor, and his fists, which hung loosely by his sides, were still stained with fresh blood.
Beore he left, he looked at her with a cold, sinister gaze for two long seconds.
"Remember what I said." His voice was low and threatening again.
With a violent slam, the door shut behind him, and the entire floor seemed to shake. A shiver ran down Aria's spine, a cold feeling creeping up her back.
Her eyes widened as she noticed the mess on the bed.
Her mind was a storm of confusion.
The air around her felt thick and wrong, full of tension.
Suddenly, the color drained from her face. She quickly grabbed her clothes, trembling as she put them on in a hurry.
"What's going on? I was just supposed to be at Uncle Paker's birthday party…"
Her thoughts were a mess, spinning out of control.
But before she could make sense of anything, she heard more hurried footsteps.
No, not again!
The door burst open, and flashes of bright light filled the room.
"Ah—!"
Aria screamed in surprise, instinctively grabbing the quilt to shield her face.
"Hey, it's a young woman? Isn't this a rich wife meeting with a rich second generation?"
"Who is this? What a waste of time!"
The voices faded away, leaving behind only the sound of the door closing.
Aria slowly poked her head out from under the quilt, trying to see what was going on.
And then, to her shock, a familiar tall figure in light gray appeared in her line of sight.
The blood drained from her face.
Ryder Vaughn... is he back?