THE CEO’S HIDDEN SECRET

Chapter 2

ARIA’S POV

“Are you planning to stare out of that window for the entire flight?”

My eyes opened.

The man beside me was looking in my direction, his expression suggesting that my existence had somehow become an inconvenience to him.

I turned back towards the window.

“I’m not interested in talking to you.”

“Wonderful. We finally agree on something.”

I tightened my grip on my bag.

God, give me strength.

I ignored him for the remainder of the flight, even when I caught him glancing in my direction. If he wanted to spend several hours sitting beside someone he found irritating, that was his problem.

I had enough of my own.

When the captain announced our descent, I was relieved. A few minutes later, the plane touched down, and I reached for my bag.

The stranger took his time retrieving his belongings, briefly blocking the aisle as other passengers began to stand.

I waited, my patience nearly exhausted.

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing that won’t be solved when you move.”

His mouth curved into the faintest smile.

Then he stepped aside.

I walked past him without another word, determined to put as much distance between us as possible.

“Have a pleasant day, Miss Sunshine.”

I stopped.

Slowly, I turned my head.

He was watching me with the same infuriating expression he had worn since the beginning of the flight.

“Try being a decent human being,” I told him. “You might find it improves your life.”

“I’m doing just fine.”

“I’m sure you are.”

I left before he could respond.

I had no idea who he was, and I had absolutely no desire to find out.

As far as I was concerned, he was nothing more than an arrogant stranger who had stolen my drink and wasted several hours of my life.

By tomorrow, I would have forgotten his face.

Or so I thought.

The cold Alaskan air hit my face the moment I stepped outside the airport.

I stopped walking.

For three years, I had imagined what it would feel like to return to this place. Sometimes, I pictured myself standing there with tears in my eyes. Other times, I imagined marching straight into the city and demanding answers from anyone who had ever worked with my father.

I had never imagined feeling so strangely empty.

Everything looked familiar, yet nothing felt the same.

Alaska held some of my happiest memories, but it also held the last place where I had seen my parents alive.

I pulled out my phone and called Laura.

She answered almost immediately.

“Aria? Have you landed?”

“Just did.”

“Thank God. How was the flight?”

I looked back towards the airport entrance.

“Long. And I think I just met the rudest man alive.”

Laura laughed.

“You’ve been back for five minutes.”

“Five minutes too long, apparently. He took the last apple juice on the plane, then behaved as though I had committed a crime by asking for it.”

“You could have let it go.”

“I tried. Unfortunately, he seemed determined to make sure I didn’t.”

“Please tell me you didn’t spend the entire flight arguing with him.”

I hesitated.

“Not the entire flight.”

“Aria.”

“Fine. Almost the entire flight.”

She sighed, and I could practically picture her pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You are there to investigate Tierney Dynamics, not to fight with random men.”

“I know.”

“I’m serious. You don’t know who might recognise you, and you don’t know who might be watching you. Please be careful.”

Her words took some of the humour out of the conversation.

Laura was the only person who knew the full story of what had happened to my family. She had been there that night. She had seen the fire, helped me escape, and watched me struggle to rebuild my life afterwards.

She knew that coming back to Alaska wasn’t simply about starting a new job.

It was about finding out whether the people who had destroyed my family were still walking around without consequences.

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

“And if anything feels wrong, you call me. Immediately.”

“I will.”

We talked for a few more minutes before ending the call.

After arranging my transport, I headed towards the place where I would be staying. I had spent weeks preparing for this return, researching Tierney Dynamics, reviewing my employment documents, and reminding myself not to let my emotions interfere with the investigation.

Tomorrow, I would walk through the company’s doors as an ordinary new employee.

I would learn the systems, study the people, and pay attention to the things others might overlook.

I would not reveal my connection to West Tech.

I would not tell anyone why I was really there.

And I would not let my personal feelings cloud my judgement.

It was a good plan.

A sensible plan.

The kind of plan that should work perfectly, provided I didn’t do anything stupid.

Unfortunately, my thoughts drifted back to the stranger on the plane.

His cold eyes. His infuriating smile. The casual confidence with which he had dismissed me, as though the entire world existed to accommodate him.

I shook my head.

I had more important things to think about.

Tomorrow was my first day at Tierney Dynamics, and I needed every ounce of patience I possessed.

Besides, I would probably never see that man again.

I was certain of it.

⸻

The following morning, I stood outside the headquarters of Tierney Dynamics, staring up at the enormous glass building.

My fingers tightened around the strap of my handbag.

This was it.

The place that might hold the answers to everything I had lost.

I took a slow breath and straightened my shoulders.

For three years, I had lived with questions no one could answer. For three years, I had wondered whether my parents’ deaths had been a terrible accident or something far more sinister.

Now, I finally had a chance to find out.

I stepped through the entrance, my heels clicking against the polished floor as I approached the reception desk.

A receptionist looked up and smiled.

“Good morning. How may I help you?”

“Good morning. I’m Aria West. I’m here to resume work as a junior systems analyst.”

She checked her computer.

“Yes, Ms West. Welcome to Tierney Dynamics. You’re expected.”

She reached for a visitor’s pass and began explaining where I needed to go.

I listened carefully, keeping my expression composed even as my nerves began to tighten.

I was there to do a job.

Nothing more.

I repeated the words in my head as she finished and directed me towards the lifts.

Then she added, almost casually, “Mr Tierney will be meeting with the new employees this morning. I’m sure you’ll have an opportunity to introduce yourself.”

My steps faltered.

“Mr Tierney?”

She nodded.

“The company’s chief executive officer.”

I swallowed.

Of course.

I had spent weeks researching the company, studying its structure, and preparing for the possibility that I might eventually need to meet the people at the top.

I hadn’t expected that meeting to happen on my first morning.

Still, I nodded and stepped into the lift.

As the doors slid shut, I caught my reflection in the mirrored wall.

Aria West stared back at me, composed and determined.

Not Sonia.

Not the frightened girl who had run from a burning building.

Not the daughter who had never got to say goodbye to her parents.

I was there for the truth.

And I would find it.

The lift began to rise.

The lift chimed, and the doors slid open onto the executive floor.

I took a steady breath and stepped out, reminding myself that I was there for the truth. Whatever happened, I couldn’t allow myself to lose focus.

Before I could take another step, a man’s voice came from the open doorway ahead.

“Ms West? The CEO is ready to see you.”

I slowly lifted my head.

And every thought in my mind disappeared.

Because standing inside the office, one hand resting casually on the edge of his desk, was the man who had stolen my apple juice.

The same arrogant stranger I had sworn never to see again.

He looked at me.

Recognition flickered across his face.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his lips curved into that infuriating smile I remembered all too well.

“Miss Sunshine,” he said. “What exactly are you doing here?”