Chapter4
1239 Words
ARIA
By morning, the media circus had gone mad.
BlackWall was everywhere — not because of product release or a stock surge — but because of
me and Leo, and one poorly snapped photo taken at the wrong moment. It was on business
sites, rumor sites, tech headlines, and even fashion columns speculating on my "low-budget
comeback style."
It unfortunately also caught Mom's attention.
Her face was pale, and her hands trembled as she flipped the tablet over from her hospital bed.
"Aria, is this…?"
"No," I replied softly, stepping to take the offending device away from her. "It's not what it looks
like, I swear.”
"But he's your…?"
"Boss." I laughed for the first time. I knew what she wanted to say and I wasn't going to let her
finish it. "That's all."
She didn't protest and nodded as if she believed what I’d just told her. But I knew she didn't. I
knew she could see just by looking at me that I was lying. She always had.
After I'd left my mother, I got ready for work.
Moments later, I strode into BlackWall as if I owned the place, even though every step I took felt
like walking on glass. The receptionist’s glare was enough to rattle me, but I ignored her as usual.
Behind her coffee cup, one of the lower assistants grumbled something.
I ignored them too.
Eliana though, that one wasn't as subtle as the others.
I'd never liked her anyway.
She was standing at my desk, a tablet clutched in front of her like a club, a fake smile spread
across her face.
"Mrs. Quinn," she said. "Nice day for a PR disaster, isn't it?"
I blinked, already tired of all their bull s**t. “I didn't do anything, Eliana. For f***s sake, I have no
hand in this.”
"Oh, darling. I know that. You're not that dumb."
My lips parted in shock.
"But…" She stepped closer, her voice dropping low. "If you think you're going to escape this time
around or survive this s**t storm that just happened, you better have a rethink."
I stared at her. "I'm not here for him," I repeated for the upteenth in the past two days.
"No," she said, tilting her head. "You're here for a cheque. That's what broke girls with dying mothers
do, right?"
That one stung.
“Don't you ever speak about my mother that way,” I said between my teeth.
She obviously felt the venom in my tone because she moved back.
With another long glare, she vanished down the hall, leaving behind her cloying scent.
Later that day, when I was done with my duties, I headed up to Leo's office, where I found him
sitting behind his desk, his sleeves rolled up, jaw set as he pored over a stack of printed-out
reports.
"You called me?" I asked as I stepped fully into the room.
He didn't look up. "Close the door."
I shut the door behind me.
Without warning, he passed a folder to me. I took it from his hands. "What do you think about
this?
Inside were a dozen internal emails. Sparring between the PR department and press liaisons. All
dated before when the photo broke.
I read them quickly. "This one," I pointed. "The subject line. 'Keyframe preview requested.' Some
guy asked for access to an early security pull. Internal."
Leo reclined, watching me.
"You read that fast," he said, though his voice didn't betray any emotion.
"You asked me to,” I replied.
He didn't smile. Didn't ease up at all. He just stared at me like I was part of the problem, and not a
solution.
"Should I send it to Eliana?" I asked.
"No. She already knows."
I furrowed an eyebrow. "Then why send me out searching for it?"
He turned and walked toward the window. "I wanted to see how you would handle the situation."
I folded my arms. "What is this actually? Some f****d-up test of loyalty?”
He turned around. "I believe you're used to leaving before the blade drops. I want to know if you'll
stick around long enough to bleed."
My teeth ground together. "I've been bleeding for years. You just didn't happen to notice."
We stared at each other. The space between us carrying things we never spoke about..
All he did was give me a single nod. "You're coming with me again tonight."
"Another ball?"
"No. A fundraiser. It's a small gathering. And as much as it's small, it also means more press."
"I figured you didn't want to feed the story."
He paced around behind his desk. "I want to bury it. The best way is to control the narrative."
"And what precisely is the narrative?"
His gaze met mine.
"That you're mine."
_______________
The event was in Beacon Hill. It was a subtle, candle-lit, pretentious event. I went in a long-sleeved
black dress that had a demure neckline that gave the media not an inch to look at. Leo wore
black too and he wore it like a second skin.
When we walked in together, this time around, the paparazzi were more quiet. But I did pick out
the whispers among them. It was like they were waiting to confirm that their wildest headlines
were accurate.
Leo never touched me though. But he did make sure he walked close to me. Close enough to hint at something.
When he wanted to speak to me, he leaned in a little too much. It was a performance for our ever
watching ‘fans’. I knew that.
But still, it took my breath away.
About half way into the night, Kade appeared at the bar.
"Figured you'd show up," he said, raising his glass.
"I work for your brother,” I muttered. “I don't think I particularly have a choice in what I want and
don't want.”
He smiled. "So do I, technically. Doesn't mean I obey his every command."
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. It was small, but real. And Leo saw it.
I could feel his stare from across the room. Like gravity, dragging me back.
“He’s watching,” Kade said.
“I know,” I muttered.
“And he’s sitting good.
Kade leaned in. “Want to make him madder?"
I raised my brow. “I’m not playing any games with you, Kade.”
“Sure you’re not.” He winked and disappeared into the crowd.
On the drive back into the city, there was silence again. It wasn't tense or awkward. It was just...
heavy.
Leo finally broke the silence though after a while. "I saw you and Kade."
"Okayyy?”
"He's a distraction," he continued. “I don't want you with him.”
I shifted to face him. "You don't get to decide who I speak to."
"I do, if you work for me."
"Is this what this is now? Ownership?”
He remained silent.
I replied don't you dare or I leave
I removed the flash drive I had held back in advance from my clutch. "Here."
He accepted it warily. "What's this?"
"The original internal server pull. I managed to find the device that released the photo."
He looked at it. "Who?"
"I haven't verified yet," I clarified. "But the IP pinged off a relay being utilized by the finance
department."
His eyes sharpened. "Say it."
"Kade's access code was used."
- Writer
