Feeling gentle fingers running through my scalp, I let out a hum of satisfaction unknowingly in my haze of sleep.
Careful tugging of my hair makes my spine relax in a way I never knew it could.
Almost like a dream—or maybe my own mind is making up things just to confuse me in the middle of sleep. I don't know.
I feel someone stroking my cheeks tenderly with their knuckles. The corners of my lips tug into a smile as I lean into the touch, even though I don't know if it's real or just a dream.
It can't be real. Since it's a dream, let me just soak in the tenderness of it.
"You are smiling in your sleep, Princess."
I freeze. My eyes snap open, my heart skipping a beat when I see a pair of arctic blue eyes staring down at me with affection and softness.
I blink rapidly, trying to shake off the haze, but no… it's not an illusion.
Sunlight kisses his face, softening the sharp edges of his features and giving him a boyish gentleness, a contrast to his usual composed, masculine aura. The faint musk of his cologne mixed with agarwood fills the air, awakening my senses.
"Aaron!"
"Yes, Princess."
My throat bobs with emotions I can't name… or maybe I don't want to name. His deep morning voice makes my stomach twist and my throat feel dry.
Then memory hits me like lightning.
I was in the car with Sebastian. There was an attack—some mafia guy—and someone injected something into my neck…
"Wait! What are you doing here?" I sit up instantly, eyes wide, my heart hammering as I try to piece everything together.
Aaron's smile fades. He clenches his fist at the spot where his hand had been resting a moment ago.
I take in my surroundings: the luxurious beige interior, the clear view of London Bridge, the silk bed, and the open balcony letting sunlight spill into the room. Fresh peonies—white and blush pink—sit in glass vases beside elegant lamps.
"Where am I, Aaron?" I ask, more sternly this time, clutching the blanket and shifting back from him.
He sits up straight, his eyes searching for something in mine that he doesn't find.
"It's my friend's penthouse," he says finally, his voice heavy, rough—as if he's holding too much inside.
My eyes harden. This entire situation is absurd.
The only way I could end up here next to Aaron is if—
He's the one who knocked me out in the car when Sebastian stepped away.
And he's involved with the mafia.
My blood runs cold at the thought.
No. That's ridiculous. Aaron isn't a criminal. He shouldn't be… he can't be.
My lips tremble, caught between fear and disbelief.
Aaron's jaw clenches hard enough for the veins in his neck to stand out.
I part my lips, but he cuts me off sharply. "Don't get curious and seek questions whose answers you aren't ready to hear."
His tone carries finality. A warning. A threat.
It makes my blood boil.
I hate it when someone tries to control my reaction, as if I owe them obedience.
"Aaron! You can't be serious! You basically kidnapped me!" My voice rises, the accusation raw and trembling.
Aaron stares in disbelief. "I didn't kidnap you, Princess!"
His defensiveness only fuels my anger. I get off the bed and stride toward him, trembling with emotion.
"Then what am I doing here? How did you get me from where I was?"
He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration, eyes squeezed shut.
Maybe I shouldn't ask. Maybe I shouldn't pry. But everything around me has been so messy, so chaotic ever since I joined Laurent & Cie.
"ANSWER ME!" I yell. "WHAT AM I DOING HERE?"
Aaron snaps coldly, "IF I DIDN'T BRING YOU WITH ME, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN CAGED BY SEBASTIAN!"
His voice is grim, shaking slightly—with anger, with fear.
Caged by Sebastian?
How does he even know Sebastian?
Questions swirl in my mind, heat rising under my skin.
"Why the fuck would Sebastian Von Kleist cage me?" I grit out, stepping closer, my glare burning into his.
Aaron's jaw flexes. His face flushes slightly. "Because you are—" He stops mid-sentence, his hand freezing in midair as if to touch my face.
My eyes fall to his hand. The winged ring on his thumb catches the sunlight. His fingertips tremble.
"You are…" His pupils shake. For the first time, I see something I never expected—fear.
His lips tremble. Then, suddenly, his hands frame my face, and before I can breathe—he kisses me.
I freeze. Stumble back.
His lips move against mine—desperate, demanding, filled with longing and horror.
One hand slips from my face to my lower back, pulling me tightly against his body. I blink, dazed, in shock.
He bites my lower lip gently, and I instinctively open my mouth, my eyes fluttering shut.
My heart races as his warm tongue slides against mine—tasting of smoke and ash.
Without thinking, I wrap my arms around his neck, feeling his pulse hammer beneath my fingers.
He keeps pushing me back until I fall onto the bed with a soft thud, his lips still on mine.
His grip tightens around my waist. His kiss grows more desperate, his body trembling faintly against mine.
I pull back, gasping for air, chest heaving. "Aaron, I asked you—"
He silences me with another kiss, his fingers tugging gently at my hair. His thumb presses lightly against my ribs, as if trying to absorb me into him.
I can feel his heart pounding against mine, his breath heavy with words he can't say.
He parts just slightly, enough for both of us to breathe, our foreheads almost touching.
"Please… please… please.....Please," he whispers desperately, his forehead resting against mine, eyes shut tight. "Stop being so reckless, Maya Singhania."
My eyes flutter open. Hearing him call me by my real name—the one no one has used in years—makes my chest tighten.
I part my lips, but he shakes his head quickly. "You have no fucking idea where Sebastian was taking you and why."
"Then tell me," I whisper.
He pulls back enough to meet my gaze. His usual calm blue eyes are stormy, burning with fear and panic for a danger I can't yet see.
"You're not ready to hear the truth," he says, shaking his head.
I gasp in disbelief, trying to push him away, but his grip is too strong. His breath brushes my skin, hot and uneven, sending a shiver down my neck.
"Isn't that something for me to decide?"
"Please, Princess." His voice cracks, the plea quiet but raw, breaking something inside me.
"Sebastian is far more dangerous than you can imagine," he whispers, pained. "He won't care about humanity if it means…" He trails off, inhaling sharply, his Adam's apple rising and falling.
This time, I don't push him. I can't. Not when his eyes are begging me to stop.
After a few long seconds, still holding me close, he speaks again. "Your friend Beatrix… she has intentionally risked your life."
My eyes widen. My chest tightens painfully.
He knows Beatrix!
But worse—he's saying she put me in danger.
"You're joking, right?" I whisper with a weak laugh that breaks halfway. "She's my best friend!"
I try to push him away again, but he holds me firm, his hand cupping the back of my head.
He bites his lip, dips down to my ear, and presses soft kisses as my tears begin to fall.
"You don't know anything," I choke out. "Betty and I have been best friends for years!"
I want to tell him he's wrong—that he's trying to twist everything—but the words die on my tongue.
Because deep down, something in me is afraid he's right, after what I have heard from Sebastian last night... I fear Aaron is right.
A painful sob escapes. Aaron keeps kissing my ear softly, grounding me as my body shakes.
Before I know it, I'm crying—loud, aching, raw—my arms around his neck, my tears soaking into his shoulder.
"You're lying!" I sob. "She's m-y best frie-nd! She would nev-er.....she would nev-er put me in d-anger!"
Aaron doesn't move. He doesn't argue. He just holds me tighter, pressing me down into the bed, his weight a quiet reassurance that I'm not alone.
"I wish I was lying," he whispers finally. His breath trembles. "I wish I could keep you in the dark—away from the pain of betrayal."
I choke on my tears.
Fuck you, Aaron.
You always make it so fucking hard to keep my mask on and pretend I am indifferent to pain.