Chapter 6
1392 Words
The sunlight felt too bright.
Serena groaned softly and buried her face deeper into the pillow, wishing the world would disappear for a few minutes more. Her entire body felt heavy, not from lack of sleep, but from remembering everything that happened the previous night. The gala. The photo. The whispers. Aiden’s hand around hers. The quiet walk outside under hundreds of eyes.
Everything came crashing back.
She exhaled sharply and rolled onto her back.
What now?
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She reached for it lazily—then froze when she saw the sender.
Aiden Shaun.
Her heart jumped.
Are you awake? the message read.
Serena swallowed. Aiden rarely texted normal morning greetings. His messages always sounded like instructions, decisions, or storm warnings.
Serena: Yes. Just woke up.
He replied instantly.
Aiden: Good. Don’t step out of your apartment today. I’ll explain soon.
She blinked.
Don’t step out? Why? What happened?
Before she could type the question, another message followed:
Aiden: Eat breakfast. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.
Serena sat up abruptly.
“He’s coming here?”
She looked around her room—her messy desk, her blanket on the floor, her half-empty cup from last night.
Panic rushed through her.
She jumped out of bed and rushed around the room, stuffing things under her bed, smoothing her comforter, and trying to make her apartment look less like a tornado lived inside it.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
Because today… everything would change.
---
Meanwhile — The Blake Mansion
Lila Monroe had not slept.
Her eyes were swollen, her lips trembling, her fingers shaking as she scrolled through her phone. Every gossip page, every industry blog, every anonymous Twitter account—
They were all talking about Serena and Aiden.
“Aiden Shawn Leaves Gala With Ex-Wife of Ethan Blake.”
“Possible New Power Couple?”
“Contract Terminated? Inside Scoop.”
Lila’s stomach twisted.
“No… no, this isn’t happening,” she whispered, pacing the room.
The door burst open.
Ethan Blake walked in wearing a deep scowl.
“Good morning,” Lila said weakly.
He didn’t answer.
He threw his phone onto the bed. “We’re trending. And not in a good way.”
Lila winced. “It’s not my fault—”
Ethan snapped, “Everything is your fault! You embarrassed me publicly! You provoked Aiden—AIDEN SHAUN, Lila! Do you know who he is!? He could destroy us with a phone call!”
Lila bit her lip hard. “I didn’t think he would defend her like that…”
Ethan stared at her coldly.
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“What?”
“Serena was my wife. The entire business world loved her. She was the respectful, calm, elegant Blake wife. You?” His gaze sharpened. “You’re the scandal.”
Lila’s face drained of color.
Lucas leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
“Didn’t I warn you?” he said, not bothering to hide his smirk. “You poked the wrong bear.”
Lila glared at him. “Shut up, Lucas!”
But Lucas stepped inside, voice low.
“Serena survived humiliation. You’re not strong enough to handle the fallout of your own actions.”
And for the first time since last night…
Lila Monroe felt fear.
---
Back to Serena
Serena stood in front of her bathroom mirror, brushing through her hair. She kept checking her phone every few seconds, heart thumping.
“Aiden… what could you possibly want this early?”
A knock echoed through her apartment.
She jumped.
He was early.
Serena ran to the door, smoothed her hair once more, inhaled—and opened it.
Her heart stopped.
Aiden Shawn stood there.
In a black suit. Shirt open at the collar. No tie. No smile.
His presence filled the hallway effortlessly.
“Good morning,” he said quietly.
Serena swallowed. “Morning.”
He stepped in without waiting, as if he’d been here a thousand times. Venus, her little apartment cat, darted behind the sofa in fear.
Aiden didn’t sit. He didn’t touch anything. He simply turned to her and said:
“Your name is everywhere.”
Serena felt her stomach drop. “What do you mean?”
He handed her his phone.
She scrolled.
The headlines nearly made her dizzy.
Her photo from last night—her hand in Aiden’s, her eyes wide, her dress shimmering—was everywhere. Memes, gossip pages, business blogs, fashion pages.
“Serena Williams: The Woman Who Made Aiden Shawn Leave a Gala.”
“Is There Something Between Them?”
“Ethan Blake’s Ex-Wife Walks Out With a Billionaire.”
Serena felt her knees weaken.
“Oh my God…”
Aiden watched her carefully.
“I told you last night,” he said. “There would be consequences.”
She looked up at him, panic rising. “Aiden, I didn’t want this! I didn’t want to ruin your reputation—”
“It didn’t ruin anything.”
“But—”
He stepped closer.
“Serena. Stop.”
Her lips parted.
Aiden’s voice lowered, calm and serious.
“I don’t respond to gossip. I respond to disrespect. And last night, the only thing the world saw was me leaving with a woman who deserved better treatment than she received.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“Aiden…”
He continued, “People want a story. Let them talk. None of them matter.”
Serena looked down. “I didn’t know it would spread like this.”
“You didn’t cause it,” Aiden said. “Lila did. Ethan allowed it. They opened the door to scandal. I simply closed it behind us.”
Serena blinked. “Closed it? How?”
Aiden walked to her tiny kitchen counter, placed both hands on it, and exhaled slowly.
“I had my media team pull every damaging angle. They already issued statements.”
“What statements?” she whispered.
Aiden turned his head slightly, eyes locking on hers.
“That you are under my protection.”
Serena froze.
“Your… protection?”
“Yes.”
“Aiden, that sounds—”
“Serena.” He stepped closer. “I don’t do half measures. I don’t let people hurt what’s mine to look after.”
Her breath caught.
“I’m not saying you belong to me,” he added softly. “But I am saying this—anyone who comes after you will have to go through me first.”
Serena’s pulse hammered in her ears.
“Aiden… why?”
His jaw clenched, and something raw flickered in his eyes.
“Because no one defended you when they should have,” he said. “Because Ethan didn’t stand up for you. Because his family treated you like a placeholder. Because you walked alone for too damn long.”
Serena swallowed hard.
“Aiden…”
“And because,” he added quietly, “I don’t like watching good women bleed for the wrong men.”
Silence crashed between them.
Serena had no words.
Her throat tightened, tears threatening to spill.
Aiden noticed instantly.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “Not for them.”
She nodded, blinking rapidly.
He reached out—hesitated—then gently brushed his thumb across her cheek, picking up a tear that had escaped.
Her breath shook.
His touch was soft. Unexpected. Dangerous.
“Serena,” he murmured, “today is just the beginning.”
She shivered.
“Beginning of what?” she whispered.
Aiden’s expression darkened—not with anger, but with something far more determined.
“Of me fixing everything they broke.”
Her heart stopped.
Before she could respond, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, sighed, then looked back at her.
“I have to go. Meetings.”
“Oh—okay.”
He headed to the door but paused with his hand on the handle.
“Serena.”
“Yes?”
“Stay home today. Please.”
Her chest tightened. “I will.”
He nodded once.
Sharp. Decisive.
Then he left.
Serena leaned against the door once it closed behind him, pressing a hand to her pounding heart.
Aiden Shawn was changing everything.
And deep down…
she wasn’t sure if she was ready.
But she was certain of one thing—
Nothing about her life would ever be normal again.
- Writer
