Aria tried to focus on her work.
She really did.
But her mind kept drifting. To the café. To the way Adrian had looked at her when he said her name. To the quiet promise in his voice when he said he would protect her.
She shook her head and typed faster.
This was dangerous. Not the street attack—that part was over. What scared her now was how easily he had slipped into her thoughts.
Her phone buzzed.
Adrian: Did you get inside safely?
She smiled before she could stop herself.
Aria: Yes. I'm at my desk.
A pause.
Adrian: Good.
Just one word. Still, it made her feel strangely calm.
At lunch, her friend Maya leaned over her desk. "You've been smiling all morning. Want to explain?"
Aria hesitated. "I met someone."
Maya's eyes widened. "Someone?"
"Don't start," Aria warned.
"Oh, I'm starting," Maya said with a grin. "Is he cute?"
"Yes," Aria admitted. Then added, "And complicated."
Maya laughed. "That's the dangerous kind."
Aria knew that already.
Across the city, Adrian sat in his office, staring at a report he wasn't reading.
His assistant stood nearby. "We've identified two of the men from the attack. They work for a private group. Not street criminals."
Adrian's expression darkened. "Why approach me in public?"
"That's what worries us. It wasn't random."
Adrian thought of Aria. Of her small apartment. Her quiet routines.
"Move discreetly," he said. "No alarms. No visible guards."
"And the woman?" the assistant asked.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "She stays out of this."
But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true anymore.
That evening, Aria stepped outside her building and paused.
Something felt off.
The street was quiet, but not peaceful. A car was parked across the road. Engine off. Windows dark.
Her phone buzzed.
Adrian: Are you home yet?
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Aria: Just stepping out.
The reply came fast.
Adrian: Stay where you are.
Her heart skipped. Why?
Before she could type, the parked car's door opened.
A man stepped out. He didn't rush. Didn't smile.
"Miss Bennett," he said calmly. "We need to talk."
Fear crawled up her spine.
She took a step back.
Then another.
And suddenly, a familiar car pulled up sharply behind her.
Adrian.
He got out, eyes cold, body tense.
"She doesn't need to talk to you," he said.
The man glanced between them, measuring. "This isn't your business."
Adrian stepped closer, placing himself slightly in front of Aria.
"It became my business the moment you followed her."
The man studied Adrian, then smiled thinly. "This isn't over."
He got back into the car and drove away.
Silence returned, heavy and shaking.
Aria's breath came out fast. "You said distance."
"I tried," Adrian said quietly. "But I won't risk you."
She looked at him, really looked. The control. The worry he tried to hide.
"Then stop pretending," she said. "Because whatever this is… it's already here."
He met her gaze.
"Yes," he admitted. "It is."