HER FACE, MY WIFE'S SHADOW

Chapter 27: Before Dawn

Aria POV

I opened my eyes to find him moving back, calmly pulling a clean shirt from the valet stand right beside where I was pinned. As he slid his arms into the sleeves, his gaze raked over my form.

“What are you doing here, Aria? You should be sleeping in your room. Or did you come in here tonight to seduce me with that choice of outfit.”

Confused, I looked down at myself to see my chest partially exposed and my n*****s fully visible through the material.

Oh God! I instantly crossed my palms over my chest, burning with mortification.

“I… I didn't mean to dress like this.”

Stupid girl. I should have looked in a mirror before going into a man's room at midnight. He was a red-blooded man after all, and my tight pajamas were accentuating every single curve of my body.

A shudder ran down my spine as the vulnerability of the moment sank in. I felt so embarrassed, remembering the way he was looking at me earlier. Instantly I deeply regretted wearing these clothes and coming here.

“Wait right here. I'll be back. " I said, rushing out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, I returned wearing an oversized long nightgown that covered me completely from my collarbone to my wrists.

Alexander was already fully dressed now, sitting on the brown sofa with one leg crossed casually over the other.

“Apologies for earlier. Actually I came here to talk to my family. I need my old phone back to copy down my mum's number from New York.”

He reached into his pants pockets, pulled out my old smartphone, and extended his hand. To my utter surprise, he handed it over without argument. I had prepared.

“I am granting you thirty seconds with that device.” He started checking his watch.

Without wasting time, I took the phone from him and unlocked the screen. I rapidly copied her contact details into my new phone and handed the old phone straight back to him.

“Thank you.”

“I will be going to the office tomorrow.” He announced. "If you need anything while I'm away, inform the staff, and it will be provided.”

“Also, regarding the New York investigation,” he continued. “My intelligence assets are still digging into your past. Hopefully, we will extract something tangible soon.”

I certainly hope for a day it would legally prove I'm Aria Bennett, allowing me to board a plane and never look back.

“And… if you uncover any information based on your own research, or if you happen to recall any memories, ensure you bring them to me.” He added. “Remember our terms, Aria. No deception in this agreement.”

I swallowed hard, a chill washing over as my mind involuntarily flashed back to the hazy, blurred memory that had pierced my brain when he locked me in the master suite on my very first day here.

But I pushed the thought down. It was likely just a psychological trick — a byproduct of the severe trauma of seeing a dead woman who shared my exact face. The memory wasn’t clear or significant enough to mean anything real.

“Of course, I will.” I replied smoothly.

……………..

I collapsed onto the soft bed, finally feeling alive.

After copying my mother’s number, I returned to my room and used the new phone Alexander had provided to call home.

Hearing their familiar voices, it filled the empty ache in my chest; they had been sick with worry after not hearing from me for days.

I was immensely relieved to find they were oblivious to the private security Alexander had covertly deployed to shadow them from the boss. They were only focused on their standard daily routines, ignorant of the invisible war being fought around them, which eased my conscience tremendously.

Despite my resentment toward Alexander, a part of me was deeply grateful to him for safeguarding my loved ones.

My mum, however, had been furious when I told her I had agreed to remain in Australia for two months. She insisted I should have renegotiated the contract down to two weeks, which was agreed upon in the first place.

I couldn't reveal the truth to her. If she had known about the situation, she would have boarded the next flight from the United States to Australia.

I refused to add more worries. I can handle this problem alone. I thought, staring at the ceiling.

I can solve this mystery and return to New York successfully, without them knowing the dark details.

Closing my eyes, I stretched my arms and legs wide across the bed, trying to invite sleep, but it was far away.

Slipping out of the bed, I sat down at the writing desk and tore a clean sheet of plain paper from the sketchbook. For the remaining hours of the night, I let my hand glide across the page, losing myself in the intricate lines and structural designs of imaginary buildings, until exhaustion finally claimed my body and my head drifted off to sleep directly on the table.

…

“Aria! Aria, you need to wake up.” A familiar, panicked voice came through my ears. “Someone has launched an attack and taken Mr. Sterling away.”

Hearing the last words, I flinched, my sleepy eyes wide open; fear flooded my skin.