The morning after their first real night together should have felt like peace.
But peace, in Damien Voss's world, never lasted.
Aria woke up wrapped in warm sheets and the weight of his arm around her waist. His heartbeat, steady against her back, was almost enough to make her believe that maybe just maybe they had a chance.
But fate had other plans.
Later that morning, Damien's phone buzzed as he read the financial forecast for a deal in Shanghai.
A message flashed across the screen from an encrypted number:
"We need to talk. Urgently. –Marcus"
Marcus Holt his head of security.
Damien excused himself from the breakfast table and stepped into his office.
When he answered, Marcus's voice was low and tense. "Sir, we have a breach."
Damien's body stilled. "What kind of breach?"
"There's a mole. Someone inside the manor has been leaking personal footage— hotos of you and Mrs. Voss to an outside number."
Damien's heart turned to stone. "Vanessa?"
"That was our first thought. But the device used to send the data doesn't belong to her."
Damien's voice dropped. "Then whose?"
A beat of silence.
Then: "It's Aria's maid. The one assigned to her since she moved in."
Meanwhile, Aria stood in the garden, the bracelet Damien gave her still sparkling on her wrist.
For once, she felt steady. Not safe but calm. Like the storm inside her had finally stopped screaming.
That was until the maid Leila appeared at her side, a little too quickly.
"Madam," she said, voice a little shaky, "your tea."
Aria took it with a smile. "Thank you."
But she noticed something strange.
Leila avoided her eyes. Her hands trembled. And her phone… wasn't in her apron pocket like usual.
Something was wrong.
Back in the manor, Damien ordered Marcus:
"Pull all footage. Shut down her access. Bring her to my office."
"Already on it, sir."
Within minutes, the door opened and two guards escorted Leila in. Her eyes were wide, her arms shaking.
Damien didn't yell. He didn't even raise his voice.
That made it worse.
"You were assigned to serve my wife," he said coolly. "And you used that position to spy."
She dropped to her knees. "Please I didn't mean to harm anyone. I was just… paid to collect harmless footage. Nothing serious. No audio."
"Who paid you?"
"I don't know his real name," she cried. "He called himself Mr. K."
Damien's fists clenched. That name hadn't been heard in years.
And it wasn't a good one.
Later that day, Damien found Aria in her painting room, surrounded by canvases and half-finished thoughts.
He stood by the door, watching her. She turned when she felt his gaze.
"Something's wrong," she said immediately.
"Yes." He walked in slowly. "We found out who's been leaking information about us."
Her eyes widened. "Vanessa?"
He shook his head. "Leila. Your maid."
Aria's mouth fell open. "But… she's been with me for weeks. She brought my vitamins. Made my tea. Helped me with everything…"
"She also took photos of us sleeping. Talking. Walking together in the garden. And sent them to a man I thought I'd buried years ago."
Aria stepped back. "Who?"
He hesitated.
Then said, "Kieran Maddox. My ex-business partner. The man who wanted me dead."
Aria's hand instinctively went to her stomach. "What does he want now?"
"I don't know. But it's not good."
That night, Aria couldn't sleep.
Her heart pounded. Not just from fear, but confusion.
Every time she felt like she could breathe again, the past returned with claws.
Who was Kieran Maddox?
Why did he care about her?
And most importantly was she, or her baby, in danger?
She got up and walked to the study, expecting to find Damien deep in files.
Instead, she found him staring at an old photograph. Two men in suits. Young, ambitious. Cold smiles.
"Kieran?" she asked, walking closer.
He nodded. "We built Voss Corp together. But he got greedy. He wanted power without rules. I pulled out. He swore he'd destroy me."
Aria sat beside him.
"And now he knows about me. About the baby."
Damien looked her straight in the eye. "I won't let him touch you."
Her throat tightened. "You can't control everything."
"I can protect what's mine."
Aria flinched. "Don't say it like that."
He softened. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like property."
She looked down. "I just want to feel safe again. For once."
Damien stood and offered his hand.
"You're not alone anymore."
And this time, when she took it… she believed him.