Chapter 6 — "Her Silence Hurts More Than He Expected"
Kade Val didn't make a habit of obsessing.
Not over women.
Not over fleeting nights that were supposed to mean nothing.
But this… this was different.
The memory of soft gasps and trembling hands. The weight of her body curling into his that night. It had haunted him for weeks now, playing like a loop he couldn't pause.
He hadn't even realized it was her—Aria Lode—until he'd sobered up the next morning and caught the faint scent of her on his sheets.
At first, he thought he was imagining things.
Until he found a necklace under the pillow.
Hers.
And from that moment on, everything flipped upside down.
He hadn't seen her in two years, not since the night he ended things with cruel, cold words that were meant to push her away. She had been eighteen and too bright-eyed. Too young for him. That's what he told himself. But now—now that she'd returned into his life like a thunderbolt—he couldn't stop thinking about her.
And the worst part?
She hadn't called. Not even once.
Kade gripped his phone tighter and stared at the last message he typed. Still unsent.
Aria… can we talk?
He deleted it again.
What was he even doing?
He was Kade Val. CEO of ValTech, billionaire investor, and man of calculated decisions. Not some lovesick fool reeling over one mistake.
But it wasn't just one mistake, was it?
Because that night with her hadn't felt like a mistake. It had felt like a second chance he never asked for… and didn't deserve.
Maybe that was what was eating him up inside.
He ran a hand down his face and let out a tired breath. Across the room, his assistant poked her head in. "Sir, the board meeting's about to start."
He barely registered her voice. "Cancel it."
Her eyes widened. "Cancel? Sir—"
"I said cancel it."
The door clicked shut quickly after.
Kade stood and walked toward the large floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse office. The city stretched beneath him, lights flickering, cars moving like ants. Normally, it comforted him—the sense of control, of watching everything from above.
But not today.
Today, the city felt like a prison, and she was the only way out.
Finally giving in to the weight on his chest, Kade grabbed his phone and scrolled until he found her name. He still had her number saved, though he doubted she still had his.
His finger hovered over the call icon for a second too long before he pressed it.
Ring… Ring…
His heart beat faster.
Ring… Ring…
Then—
Click.
His breath caught.
"…Hello?"
Her voice was quiet. Tired. Suspicious.
He closed his eyes, her sound stirring something deep in his gut. "Aria."
Silence.
Then, "What do you want, Kade?"
He almost smiled. Straight to the point. Just like he remembered.
"I just… wanted to check on you."
"After a whole month? That's cute," she said coldly.
He winced. "I know. I should've called sooner."
"You shouldn't have called at all."
Ouch.
"I just wanted to know if you were okay."
There was a sharp breath on the other end. Then her voice, brittle. "You don't get to ask me that. You already hurt me once, Kade. And now… now I just want to be left alone."
Kade leaned against his desk, staring at the floor. "Aria, I didn't know it was you that night."
"I didn't either. I was drunk, and I entered the wrong room. But you—you could've stopped."
"I was drugged," he said quietly. "There was something in my drink. I wasn't thinking clearly. But when I saw your face the next morning…" He trailed off. "I should've chased after you."
"But you didn't."
No excuses. No defense. Just truth.
She was right.
"I haven't stopped thinking about you," he admitted. "Not since that night."
Another pause.
When she finally spoke, her voice was more distant than before. "You can't just show up in my life again, Kade. I spent two years trying to forget what you said to me. How you humiliated me. Treated me like I was a child who didn't deserve your time. And now you suddenly care?"
He stayed silent.
She scoffed. "Yeah, I didn't think so."
"Aria—"
"I have to go."
"Wait—can we meet?" he blurted. "Just once. Please."
"No."
Click.
The call ended, and with it, the little hope he had been clutching to.
He stared at the screen for a long time.
But even through the sting of her rejection, he couldn't help the way his heart twisted when he heard her voice.
Something was wrong. He could feel it.
Maybe she wasn't just angry. Maybe she was scared. Guarded. Hiding something.
She had always worn her heart on her sleeve—until the day he broke her.
Now, she'd sealed it away, and he knew it was his fault.
But he also knew one thing for sure: He wasn't letting her walk away again.
Whatever she was hiding, he would find out.
And if she thought he was giving up this time… she was dead wrong.
The next morning, his assistant rushed in holding a gossip magazine.
"Kade… you might want to see this."
He frowned and took the tabloid from her.
Front page: "Mystery Woman Leaves Billionaire's Hotel Room Drunk & Disheveled — Who is She?"
Right beneath the headline… was a blurry image of Aria.
His heart dropped.
She didn't just disappear.
Someone had found her.
And now… the world might, too.