Aria's POV
The drive back was unusually quiet. I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. The banquet replayed inside my mind.
Damon's hand around my wrist. His eyes. His voice. "Come back to me." I clenched my fists.
Noah's voice broke the silence, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I'll speak to Sterling on your behalf."
I turned toward him. "You don't have to."
"I want to." His hands remained steady on the steering wheel. "There are still people Sterling answers to. I'll find another way."
A faint ache settled in my chest. For five years... Noah had quietly solved countless problems before they ever reached me.
When Dad needed specialists... he found them. When my company needed investors... he introduced them.
He had provided for and protected my family and me. He had n
