Claimed By My CEO Stepdad

Chapter Ten

Aria Pov

Breakfast ended with the soft clink of cups being set down and Victoria’s bright announcement that it was time to leave for the office.

I stood when they did, careful not to move too quickly. The lingering soreness between my legs had settled into a quiet, constant reminder, and every step still carried a faint echo of the night before. Alexander held the door for Victoria first, then waited with the same polite distance for me to pass. I kept my eyes on the floor until I was past him.

The car was already waiting at the curb—a dark, expensive sedan with tinted windows. Alexander opened the rear door for Victoria. She slid in with a pleased little smile, already pulling her phone from her bag. I followed, taking the seat beside her. Alexander closed the door, walked around, and settled into the front passenger seat beside the driver. The moment the doors shut, the outside noise disappeared.

Silence filled the car.

No one spoke. The engine hummed quietly as we pulled into traffic. Victoria immediately unlocked her phone and began scrolling, the soft glow lighting her face. Soft bursts of sound from t****k videos leaked from her headphones at a low volume. She laughed under her breath once, completely absorbed.

I sat stiffly, hands folded in my lap, and tried not to look at the man in the front seat.

It proved impossible.

My eyes kept drifting to the side mirror, to the sharp line of his profile, to the way his hand rested on his thigh. Every few minutes I caught the angle of his gaze shifting in the mirror, and each time I immediately turned my face toward the window, heart kicking hard against my ribs. I could not tell whether he was actually watching me or simply checking the road, but the possibility alone made my skin feel too tight. I thanked whatever small mercy existed that Victoria never once looked up from her phone. She remained lost in her videos, smiling at things I could not see, while the silence between Alexander and me stretched thicker with every block we passed.

The city moved by in clean, expensive lines. Glass buildings. Dark suits on the sidewalk. The kind of world he belonged to without effort. I kept my breathing steady and counted the intersections, anything to keep my mind from sliding back to the hotel room, to the weight of him on my tongue, to the blank cheque I had filled out only hours earlier.

When the car finally slowed in front of a tall glass tower, I felt a fresh wave of tension move through my shoulders. The building was all sharp edges and reflective surfaces, the kind of place that made ordinary people feel small the moment they stepped inside. Alexander stepped out first. He opened Victoria’s door, then mine, the same controlled courtesy as before. I avoided his eyes as I stood.

Inside the lobby the air was cool and faintly scented with something expensive. People moved with purpose across the polished floor. Several employees paused when they saw Alexander, straightening almost instinctively. He placed a light hand at the small of Victoria’s back—not intimate, just guiding—and led us toward the elevators. I followed two steps behind, acutely aware of every person who glanced our way.

The elevator ride was another stretch of silence. Victoria checked her reflection in the mirrored wall and smoothed her hair. Alexander stood still, eyes forward. I kept my gaze on the glowing floor numbers and tried to ignore how small the space felt with him only an arm’s length away.

When the doors opened on the executive floor, the atmosphere changed again. The carpet was thicker. The desks were larger. Conversations quieted the moment Alexander stepped out. Employees turned in their chairs. A few stood. No one spoke until he did.

He moved through the open space with easy authority, Victoria at his side, me slightly behind. He introduced us without ceremony but with clear expectation that the information would be remembered.

“This is my wife, Victoria,” he said, voice carrying cleanly across the floor. “And this is Aria, her daughter. She will be joining us starting today.”

A ripple of polite greetings moved through the room. Some people smiled at Victoria. Most simply nodded, their attention fixed on Alexander as if waiting for further instruction. I felt their eyes pass over me—curious, assessing, already filing me under the new category of “family.” I kept my expression neutral and my hands still at my sides.

Alexander continued a short distance toward the large glass offices at the far end. People parted for him without being asked. The respect was quiet and absolute. No one needed to be told who held power here. They simply watched him move through their space and adjusted themselves around it.

We had almost reached the wide double doors of what was clearly the main executive office when a woman in a tailored gray suit appeared from a side desk, walking quickly and purposefully.

“Sir, we got a call,” she said, and walked straight to him, handing him the phone.