Bound to the triplets

Chapter 5 - The Shadowed Brother

Aria Point Of View

The first notes of my alarm broke the silence with a sharp, persistent sound. I groaned and rolled over. The sun came through the thin curtains and made soft golden streaks on the floor. I stayed in the warmth for a moment, wrapped up in the safety of my bed. But today wasn't a day to stay cozy. Today was the start of something new that made my heart race with both fear and excitement.

I pulled myself up and swung my legs over the edge of the mattress, my toes brushing the cool floorboards. The city outside my window was already alive, buzzing with the promise of what could happen. I took uneven breaths as I tried to shake off the nerves that were weighing me down. It still didn't seem real. A week ago, my life was normal. Everything was different today. My mind involuntarily returned to the email that changed everything.

It came on a boring Tuesday afternoon while I was sitting at the small kitchen table looking through job boards with a half-empty mug of coffee next to me. The subject line almost took my breath away.

Veyric Industries, Employment Notification.

When I clicked it open, my fingers shook.

We are pleased to let you know...

It took me a dozen times to read those words before they made sense. It felt like a dream when I got the job offer, like someone had given me a golden key without warning. I remembered walking around my apartment in disbelief, laughing and crying at the same time. The Veyrics' choice and recognition exceeded my wildest expectations. But the message's formality was also unsettling, especially the way Damian's signature sat at the bottom, sharp and commanding.

A shiver ran down my spine.

I dragged myself toward the bathroom before my nerves got the best of me. The shower hissed to life, and steam rose up, making the air feel warm and hazy. I stepped into the shower and let the water wash away the last bits of sleep that had kept me awake. While washing my hair, I felt my mind racing with thoughts of possible conversations and the intimidating faces of the Veyric brothers. Damian with his cold order. Kael with his natural charm. And Lucian... well, Lucian was a shadow I would rather not call.

I felt more stable by the time I stepped out, wrapped in a towel and still feeling the steam on my skin. Routine had anchored me. I put on the clothes I had laid out the night before with almost military precision, a crisp white silk blouse that felt cool and smooth against my skin and a pair of high-waisted black pants that made me look taller without being too tight. I put on a fitted charcoal blazer with narrow lapels over it. The clean lines of the blazer gave me the sharp edge I needed to face the unknown. As I tested my balance, the polished black heels on my shoes clicked softly.

It was a sound that promised confidence that I didn't quite feel yet. I used a brush to smooth powder over my cheeks, a fine line of eyeliner to keep my gaze steady, and a muted rose color on my lips to finish. The reflection that stared back at me in the mirror seemed older, sharper, and almost real when I finally looked at myself. But my gaze gave me away, they were nervous, restless, and very determined.

"You can do this." I whispered.

I told myself not to gawk at the Veyric estate, not to show how small I felt inside its walls, but every detail seemed meant to make me feel uneasy and impressed. The sound of my heels clicking was too loud, so I slowed down, aware of how empty it was. It was too quiet here. It was the kind of silence that felt long, heavy, and deliberate and different from the day I was here for my interview. As I turned a corner and tried to remember the directions I had been given, the air changed.

At first, it was just a ripple under the surface, like the calm before the storm. Then he came out of his office.

Lucian.

I couldn't breathe. He moved like a predator, slowly and carefully, and his tall body filled the corridorway as if it had been made just for him. His presence hit me like a wave, both suffocating and drawing me in. He wore a dark suit that blended in with the shadows, which made his golden gaze look like it was burning brighter and sharper, like molten metal that had been shaped into something dangerous.

"Aria." His voice was low and rough around the edges.

I stood still, my heart racing. He was the brother I wasn't ready to see so soon.

He moved closer to me in slow, steady steps, stopping only when the wall pressed cold against my back. As he got closer, my throat tightened.

"You shouldn't be here." His words touched my skin, soft but sharp.

Even though my body was shaking, I made my voice steady. "I am working here. Damian hired me." I replied, Lucian's lips turned up, but not really in a smile. It resembled a warning that had taken form.

"Damian doesn't always know what's best." His gaze raked over me, on purpose and in a way that made me feel uneasy.

"Aria, stay away from my brothers. You don’t know what you are letting yourself in for."

My chest got tight. His warning was like a sharp knife, but there was something else moving under it.

"Why?" I asked in a low voice.

"Because they'll bury you alive. And I won't help you again," he muttered, as his gaze got darker, and his jaw tightened.

The word "again" hovered between us, pulling me back into memories I had tried to forget. Heat rushed through me, unbidden and traitorous. My skin tingled where he was close, where the ghost of our past was about to come back. Something dangerous and difficult to resist seemed to fill the air.

I should have walked away. I should have pushed him away and asked for answers. My body, on the other hand, let me down. My heart raced, and my chest rose and fell too quickly. Every nerve screamed for attention, and every memory whispered about things that should never have happened but did. The silence felt like forever, and it was awful.

As if he might touch me, Lucian's hand rose, his fingers hovering inches from my skin. For a moment, the dangerous mask fell away, and I saw the man underneath, the one who had once saved me from a fire and held me like I mattered. My heart hurt and stuttered in my chest.

Then he let go of my hand and moved back just enough for air to rush back between us.

"Stay away," he said again, this time with a hoarse voice, as if it hurt him to say it. "Aria, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away," he said with his gaze flickering black.

He turned and walked away down the corridor. The sound of his footsteps echoed long after he left, leaving me breathless and shaken against the cold marble.