CHAPTER FOUR
1267 Words
Aria walked into the plane and located her seat after getting all her papers cleared. As always, it was by the window. She still felt angry from the incident earlier at the airport, but she tried her best to control herself.
The only good thing about the whole encounter was that it helped take her mind off her trauma—at least for a while. She relaxed into the plush seat in first class, silently fuming as she thought about the rude man she had bumped into. How mannerless could someone be?
Then—boom—someone walked into the plane, and her heart skipped a beat.
It was him.
The same guy.
He paused as soon as he saw her, both of them locking eyes, fury burning between them. Aria had no idea he was shocked because he hadn’t expected her to be the one sitting in first class.
In his mind, she was just a random, poor brat who should be stuck in economy.
As he walked forward, Aria grew nervous, thinking he was coming to cause trouble again. But the moment he stopped beside her and sat down, realization hit her.
He was her seatmate.
“Oh wow…” Aria muttered under her breath and slowly turned to face the window.
Why on earth did he book the seat next to mine? Did he bribe someone to follow me?
Leonardo Cohen couldn’t stop glancing at her. His two bodyguards—tall, intimidating, and always alert—stood nearby, watching Aria closely in case she tried anything funny.
She turned to face him fully, her anger returning. “So… you booked the seat beside mine? What’s the plan—have me followed when we land?”
Leonardo let out a short, mocking laugh. “Or maybe you booked a seat near me, just to throw more insults at me here and after we land.”
“No,” Aria snapped, sitting up straighter. “Let’s say the truth. You followed me. You think I’m some weak woman you can play with? Listen, I’m a barrister, and if you try anything funny, I’ll make sure the law deals with you.”
Leonardo raised an eyebrow, amused. “Wow. Yes, Esq., I hear you.” Then his tone darkened. “Look, I’ve been avoiding you because you’re a woman—and you’re a star here. You don’t even know me. But how you’ve been behaving? That’s your business. Just know—if you keep crossing the line with your mouth, I will respond. Don’t push me.”
“Exactly what I said. People like you never take blame,” Aria snapped. “You bumped into me and didn’t even have the decency to say sorry.”
“It was an accident,” he replied.
“Yes, an accident. But weren’t you taught to apologize when you’re the cause? Instead, you tried to scold me like I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Leonardo exhaled sharply, clearly irritated. “Woman… you’re stressing me.”
“No, you are stressing me,” Aria shot back. “Why is ‘sorry’ so hard for you to say after offending someone? Prince or not, you should represent your father’s kingdom well. But clearly, your mother failed to teach you the right values.”
That line pierced through him like a blade.
Leonardo’s expression changed instantly. He stared at her—the kind of stare that sent chills down her spine. He hated anyone insulting his mother. Aria instantly realized she had crossed the line.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have brought your mother into this. But still, you were wrong. You bumped into me and couldn’t even say—”
“I’m sorry!” Leonardo snapped loudly, cutting her off.
They both froze.
Silence filled the space between them as they stared at each other. Even his guards tensed, waiting for a command that never came.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” he muttered.
Aria said nothing. She adjusted in her seat and turned to face the window again.
It was the first time in Leonardo Cohen’s life that he had ever said sorry to someone who challenged him. He didn’t even understand how he felt—but he said it anyway. He was already tired of her constant nagging.
Soon, the plane took off.
They both stayed quiet, minding their own business, only glancing at each other occasionally—with sharp, heated eyes. Aria soon got tired and drifted off to sleep.
But Leonardo didn’t sleep.
Not because he liked her—but because he hated the fact that she had forced him to apologize.
---
Thirty-Five Thousand Feet in the Air…
A sudden sound crackled through the cabin as the pilot’s voice came on.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’re experiencing some unexpected turbulence. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.”
The plane shook lightly.
Aria stirred, blinking slowly awake. Leonardo looked around, alert but calm.
Then it happened again—this time harder.
The oxygen masks dropped. Passengers began panicking. Some screamed. Others started praying loudly.
The turbulence turned violent.
The plane began to dip and shake aggressively. People clung to their seats. Children cried. A man shouted “Jesus!” while a woman screamed the Hail Mary in Italian.
Aria held tightly to the seat, her eyes darting wildly. Leonardo was breathing heavily but trying to remain calm. Their eyes met.
Even in that moment, they both tried to avoid each other—as if dying together was worse than dying alone.
The pilot’s voice returned:
“We’ve lost control of the rear engines. Brace for impact.”
Seconds later—
CRASH!!!
The plane slammed into a thick forest.
Everything went black.
An explosion erupted at the back of the plane. Flames burst out. Smoke clouded the air.
Aria gasped for air, dazed, blood trickling from her forehead. She felt pain in her ribs but managed to unbuckle her seatbelt. Her window had shattered. She kicked through it and crawled out, coughing and stumbling through smoke.
Once outside, she dropped to the ground, gasping and trying to catch her breath.
Then—she heard a sound.
A groan. Someone trying to crawl.
She turned quickly and saw a faint figure dragging himself through the thick smoke, not far from where she had just escaped.
Without thinking, she rushed back into the burning wreckage, shielding her face from the heat.
She grabbed the figure’s arm, pulling with all the strength she had left.
“Come on! Come on!” she yelled.
As she dragged him out and both collapsed on the forest floor, she finally looked at his face.
Her heart stopped.
It was him.
Prince Leonardo Cohen.
Wow! She said, So it's you.
Prince Cohen was already unconscious but still alive.
Aria sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Her entire body ached. Her clothes were torn, her arms scratched, and her heart beat loud in her chest.
Leonardo lay unconscious beside her, barely breathing.
Aria looked down at him, confused about what to feel or think.
She should walk away, after all, he doesn't deserve to be helped. He was arrogant. Proud. Infuriating.
But something in her wouldn’t let her leave him behind. Maybe it was humanity… Maybe it was just who she is, she was brought up properly, she is sympathetic and likes helping people in critical condition. And right now, the prince of Naples, her worst enemy is a broken man—and she was the only one who could help him.
- Writer
