> "Your next target is Aiden Black."
The words rang through Aria's earpiece like a cold sentence.
"Get close to him. Protect him. And when the time is right… finish the job."
She had been trained for this. Years of combat, espionage, silence.
Now, dressed in a suit with her long hair tied tightly under a cap, she stood behind the most powerful man in New York.
"I don't need a bodyguard," he growled.
Aria didn't flinch. "I'm not here to protect your pride, sir."
He turned—and for the briefest second, their eyes met.
And just like that, fate changed everything.