Chapter 1
[City Center Hotel – 9:45 p.m.]
Aria Henfer had never believed in fate.
But as she stood in front of the glittering ballroom doors, clutching the invitation to her own engagement party, fate decided to mock her.
Her best friend’s frantic voice still echoed in her head.
"Aria, don’t come in. You’re not going to like what you see—"
Too late.
Aria pushed open the door. Laughter, champagne, and music spilled out. And in the center of the dance floor, her fiancé—the man she thought she knew for five years—was kissing another woman like Aria didn’t even exist.
Not just any woman.
Her cousin.
The room spun. Conversations halted as guests noticed her at the doorway. A thousand pairs of eyes, and yet she had never felt so invisible.
“Aria—” her fiancé stammered, pulling away, his face flushed.
She didn’t wait for an explanation. She didn’t want excuses. With a trembling hand, she flung the diamond ring onto the marble floor. The sharp clink silenced the last of the whispers.
“You can keep her,” she said, her voice steadier than her heart.
And then she walked out.
---
[Outside – Ten Minutes Later]
Rain poured mercilessly over the city streets. Aria’s hair clung to her cheeks, her heels clicked against the pavement as if daring her to collapse.
But she didn’t collapse. Not yet.
Her chest burned with humiliation, rage, and heartbreak all tangled together. She wanted to scream, cry, run away—but instead, she stumbled into the nearest building, desperate for shelter.
The tall glass doors slid shut behind her, muting the storm.
It wasn’t until she caught her breath that she realized where she was.
A sleek, towering skyscraper.
The infamous Ainsworth Corporation Headquarters.
And sitting behind the polished reception desk, the night guard eyed her drenched dress and smeared makeup with raised brows.
“Miss… are you lost?”
Before Aria could answer, the elevator doors at the far end of the lobby slid open with a low chime.
A tall man stepped out.
Sharp suit, colder eyes, presence heavy enough to freeze the room.
Ashraf Ainsworth. The CEO himself.
His gaze landed on her—drenched, shivering, defiant despite everything—and for a long moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
“Who let you in here?” he asked, his voice deep and cutting.
Aria lifted her chin.
She didn’t know him. He didn’t know her. But tonight, both their lives had just collided in ways neither could imagine.
