Chapter 2

As Aria sat in the swivel chair, the woman behind her spoke with a calm voice. "It seems you have had too much to drink. You need to go home."

Aria, defiant, replied, "I'm not drunk. I don't want to go home. I want to stay here." She gestured to the glass in front of her. "Bring me more wine and change the music on my phone."

The woman, Ava, hesitated, but eventually complied with Aria's requests. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease as she watched Aria drink and revel in her misery.

"Do what I told you," Aria demanded, growing increasingly impatient.

Ava, with a hint of desperation in her voice, tried to reason with her. "Aria, you need to go home. You have somewhere to be tomorrow with your father. Don't make this difficult for me."

But Aria was having none of it. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the empty glass and hurled it against the floor, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "Why do you stay, Ava? You're afraid of my father. Why don't you just quit this job?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the broken glass.

Ava sighed deeply. "I need the money. I need this job."

"That's the excuse of the lower classes," Aria sneered. "They need money, so they keep a job they hate. We're not so different, are we?" She laughed bitterly. "You stay because it's your job. I can't fire you unless my father tells you to. I'm sorry for your life."

"You don't understand my life, so you judge me like that," Ava justified. Aria, with a disdainful smile, stepped on the shattered glass beneath her heels.

"Yes, you're right. But what's the harm in living a life like yours, with freedom and choices? My father calls me crazy, so why not embrace the label and act accordingly? Maybe then, I can avoid the arranged marriage he wants to impose on me," Aria said, her words laced with defiance.

Ava let out a soft laugh. "So my life is a joke to you?"

"No, not a joke. But it's certainly preferable to be tied down to someone I don't even know," Aria said with a smile, her head tilted back as she leaned against the chair and gazed up at the white ceiling.

Ava took a step closer to Aria and hesitated. "You know, there have been some recent rumors about your mental state," she said, concerned.

"I've heard them, but what's new? There's always something being said about me," Aria said, shrugging it off.

"This time, it's more serious. You were linked to a senator, Antonio El Mundo. It started with just a conversation at a club, but it escalated quickly, and his wife and children dragged your name through the mud," Ava explained.

Aria let out a sigh. "Yes, I remember. And as usual, my father solved the issue by announcing my arranged marriage to someone I'd never met. Now, reporters know who my fiancé is, but I don't even have a clue. It's a strange situation, isn't it?"

Ava shook her head. "It's not right. You should at least have met the man you're getting married to, but here we are," she sighed.

She didn't want to ruin the image the mysterious man had of her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that his motives for wanting to marry her were not what they seemed.

Her assistant, Ava, was standing before her, arms crossed, waiting for her next question. "What's his name?" Aria asked.

"Mr. Zerran Kent Treveno," Ava answered, with a hint of intrigue in her voice.

Aria's mind raced as she considered the name. It sounded like a man who lived on the edge and sought excitement and danger. She could almost smell the dangerous, sinfully alluring scent of him.

"Have you stalked him, Aria?" Ava asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Aria smiled, her eyes twinkling. "No, I don't waste my time stalking people. But I have a feeling you have."

Ava chuckled. "You caught me. He's quite the catch, Aria. He's a well-known business tycoon, a bachelor with a reputation for wealth and good looks. Many women have been linked to him."

"You sound like you have a crush on him," Aria teased, her tone making Ava's face twisted in annoyance.

"Stop it. You know I'm happily married to the man I love, with two dear twin boys," Ava replied, her voice sharp with annoyance. "But that's the basic information I've gathered about him."

Aria sighed heavily, her mind still grappling with the strange situation. "There must be a reason, a reason my father won't accept any offer of marriage unless..."

"Unless what?" Ava's voice was filled with curiosity.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Aria said, her eyes fixing the closed door. The scent of lavender in the room reminded her of her mother, and she wondered if her mother's presence was still with her, or if the fragrance was simply a reminder of the past.

Aria stepped out into her office. The thought of tomorrow's meeting with the Prime Minister of Country U, and the endless scrutiny from the paparazzi, weighed heavily on her mind.

She couldn't help but wonder what sort of headlines they would create for her tomorrow. The thought made her skin crawl.

With a determined stride, Aria made her way down the quiet hallway, the sound of her heels echoing in the empty space.

Her thoughts drifted to her father's insistence on her attending yet another dull event, all for the sake of meeting the Prime Minister.

Why was it so important to him? The idea of him inheriting her late mother's company only because she refused to attend one of his stuffy parties was absurd.

But regardless of the reasons behind the arranged marriage, Aria knew she wasn't cut out for it. She was better suited for running, for freedom.

With a sudden impulsive decision, Aria kicked off her heels and carried them in her hand. The quiet of the night enveloped her, and for a moment, she felt at peace. No one was around to judge her or scrutinize her every move. She was finally free to do as she pleased.

As Aria made her way up the stairs to the top floor of the company building, she couldn't help but think about the weight of the day's events and the looming presence of her father. The thought of facing him filled her with dread, so she decided to retire to the spare room where she had sought solace since the passing of her mother three years prior.

As she lay down to sleep, memories flooded her mind. She remembered the last phone call she had with her mother, and a pang of regret struck her as she realized she couldn't even bring herself to say "I love you" in response.

The pain of her mother's suicide still lingered, a wound that had never fully healed. She couldn't help but think that if she hadn't attended the economic forum with her father, her mother would still be alive.

But her mother was gone, and in her place was a shell of a person, constantly scrutinized and monitored by the world her father had built. Slowly, Aria felt as though she was losing even herself, her soul becoming empty and her fear overwhelming.

The light and hope she once held had been snuffed out, leaving her in a world shrouded in darkness.