THE RUIN HE CHOSE

MIA CARA

AURELIA

I followed Jade out of the dark office, my boots silent on the polished floor. He’d only grumbled a curt “Come on” before turning on his heel, but I didn’t need more than that. The house felt different now. It even looked emptier, save from the few bodyguards I keep seeing lurking around.

All the people who had filled the rooms earlier had vanished,

We slid into the car without a word. Jade gripped the wheel like it had personally offended him, and I stared out the window, arms crossed tight over my chest. The city lights blurred past, but I barely registered them. Neither of us spoke. The quiet wasn’t peaceful, it was a loaded gun between us, safety off.

I didn’t even notice when we stopped. One moment the road was moving, the next we were parked in front of a sleek, high-end mall that looked like it belonged in a different world from the one I usually inhabited. Attendants in crisp uniforms materialized instantly, all polite smiles and quick bows. Jade jerked his chin toward me.

“Fix her up. Everything.”

I scowled at him, but he was already walking ahead. I trailed after the attendants like a prisoner being escorted to her cell.

They led me into a private suite that smelled of vanilla and expensive chemicals. The moment the door closed, the professional masks slipped into focus. They sat me down, and before I could protest, hands were reaching for my clothes. I stiffened as they peeled them away for the waxing. The room went strangely quiet.

“Wow,” one woman murmured, almost under her breath. “These are… a lot.”

My back, my right arm, my thigh…ink covered them like a second skin. Stories I’d never tell these strangers. They hesitated, exchanging glances, but then they got to work. I sat there, jaw clenched, staring at the ceiling while hot wax and ripping pain reminded me exactly how much control I’d surrendered tonight.

They gave me a scroll, some kind of tablet to entertain but kept it where it was. Manicure, pedicure, layers of creams and powders and whatever else they brushed and blended onto my face. The acrylic nails clicked against the screen when I shifted; they looked ridiculous. Pretty little weapons that would probably snap the second I needed to throw a punch. I didn’t say a single word the entire time.

Hours bled together in a haze of hair tugging, heat tools, and polite chatter I refused to join. When they finally stepped back, another woman appeared holding a dress draped over her arm like it was made of glass.

I stood and let them help me into it. Black, backless, the fabric cool and slippery against my skin. The slit ran dangerously high up my thigh. I turned toward the mirror and… stopped.

The woman staring back wasn’t me. Or maybe she was, just stripped of the armor I usually wore. The tattoos that had made the attendants pause now looked like deliberate ornaments, dark vines and sharp lines accentuating the gown’s elegance. The dress hugged my waist so tightly I could feel every breath, and for one econd, I felt almost feminine.

The high slit exposed the single tattoo curling down my thigh, bold against the pale fabric. My chest looked… defined. Different. I lifted a hand instinctively to my neck, fingers searching for the small locket that should have been there. It wasn’t, of course. The absence of it burned worse than the wax had.

The door opened behind me.

I didn’t turn right away. But I felt Jade’s presence like a shift in the air. When I finally met his eyes in the mirror, he was frozen mid-step, lips slightly parted. The scowl and irritation he had earlier was gone. He looked at me like he couldn’t quite believe the same woman he’d dragged out of that office was standing here now.

For a long second, neither of us spoke.

Then Jade cleared his throat, the sound rough. “We’re late,” he said, but his voice lacked its usual bite. His gaze flicked over me once more…back, tattoos, slit, everything before looking away.

I smoothed my hands down the front of the dress, the acrylic nails catching the light. “Let’s get this over with,” I muttered, brushing past him and feeling a bit uneasy in the heels. He paid everything I didn't need to see to know that the expenses probabaly costs a fortune.

But as we walked out together, I caught my reflection again in the glass doors. For the first time in years, I barely recognized myself. And worse, I wasn’t sure I hated it.

The drive back to the Di Laurentiis' mansion was brief. I saw another car parked outside and could immediately tell that Zayn was back. Jade walked out and opened the door for me. He flashed me a fake smile and I just stared daggers at him.

“Just act natural and control that temper of yours when you get inside,” he gritted out. I glared at him before I lifted the edge of the gown a bit to ease my walking. The doors slid open before I reached the stairs. The bodyguards who stood outside stared at me through the corner of their eye. Zayn stepped out through the massive doors, cladded in a tuxedo, his hair sleeked back properly. He paused for a moment, staring at me from head to toe, his eyes lingering on my cleavage as his eyes dangerously raked across my body. I felt small under his scrutinizing gaze and for a split second I hoped he saw me as someone pretty.

I immediately brushed away the thought.He walked up to me without a smile and stretched forth his arm.

“Here mia cara,” he said curtly. I slowly slipped my arms into his, refusing to smile to. He smelled like danger, money and at the same time he still managed to smell delicious. Together we started our ascent across the stairs, going through the opened doors and straight to the elevator.

Following him closely with my arm still wrapped around his, we walked into an elegant sitting room. There two men were sitting there already, waiting.