Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

The Will Reading.

Aria Hartwell.

The attorney's office was big enough, even though it smelled like leather, the type I was already used to.. I sat as far from Cassian as physically possible, my chair pressed against the mahogany-paneled wall, my eyes fixed on the window overlooking Central Park.

Anywhere but on him.

I could feel his gaze on me. I had felt it since the moment I walked into the conference room fifteen minutes ago, my head high and my expression carefully blank. He'd stood when I entered, as if to show some manners, and I'd walked past him without acknowledgment.

If he wanted to pretend that night never happened, fine. I was more than happy to oblige.

"Aria, darling, you look pale." My mother's voice cut through my thoughts. Mom sat across the table, impeccably dressed in a cream Chanel suit, her platinum hair styled in its usual severe bob. "Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine." The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

"Perhaps if you'd spent less time at that gala and more time resting..." She trailed off with a delicate sniff that spoke volumes about her disapproval.

If only she knew exactly how I'd spent my time at that gala. The thought almost made me laugh, except there was nothing funny about any of this.

"Leave her alone, Rosa." Marcus Vale's voice was smooth as honey as he reached over to squeeze my hand, and I recoiled at how softly he called my mom's name. "She's grieving. We all are."

I pulled my hand away, ignoring the flash of annoyance in his eyes. My ex-boyfriend had been hovering since my father's funeral, sending all concerned texts and unexpected visits. The attention made my skin crawl, but mom approved of him, so I didn't bother acknowledging him.

"Shall we begin?" The attorney, a silver-haired man named Harrison, opened a thick folder. "This is the last will and testament of Richard Hartwell, executed three months before his passing."

Three months. My father had updated his will three months before he died. Something about that timing made my stomach twist.

Harrison began reading the standard provisions. Bequests to charities. Generous packages for longtime employees. My mother received a substantial trust fund that made her smile with satisfaction. Marcus received nothing, which didn't surprise me, but I noticed Mom's lips thin slightly. I wondered why because Marcus wasn't related to us in any way.

Then Harrison got to Hartwell Industries.

"The company shares are to be divided equally between Aria Hartwell and Cassian Kent, with each receiving fifty percent ownership."

Relief flooded through me. Fifty percent. I could work with that. I could sell my shares to the highest bidder in the company, take the money, and disappear. Start over somewhere far away from New York, far away from memories of my father and mistakes with my stepuncle who I couldn't stop thinking about despite everything.

"However," Harrison continued, and my relief evaporated, "there are conditions attached to Miss Hartwell's inheritance."

The room went silent. I felt Cassian shift in his seat, sensed him, rather than saw him lean forward.

"What conditions?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.

Harrison adjusted his glasses. "For Aria Hartwell to inherit her fifty percent of Hartwell Industries, she must work as Co-CEO alongside Cassian Kent for a period of one full year, starting within one week of this reading. She must report to the company headquarters five days per week, participate in all major business decisions, and fulfill standard executive duties."

I stared in shock. One year? Working alongside Cassian? Five days a week?

"That's ridiculous," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "My father would never—"

"There's more," Harrison interrupted gently. "Miss Hartwell's office will be adjacent to Mr. Kent's, with a shared conference room and executive assistant. All major company decisions must be made jointly. Should Miss Hartwell refuse these terms, quit, or be terminated for cause, her shares automatically transfer to Mr. Kent, making him the sole owner."

I felt trapped... Suffocated. What was this? What did my father think he was doing?

"And if Cassian tries to force her out?" Marcus asked, his voice tight with barely concealed anger.

"Then his shares transfer to Miss Hartwell." Harrison looked between Cassian and me. "An independent board member has been appointed to mediate any disputes and ensure fair treatment on both sides."

I finally allowed myself to look at Cassian. His face was carefully blank, but his hands were clenched on the armrests of his chair, knuckles white with tension. Those same hands that had touched me in the darkness, that had learned every curve of my body...

Heat crawled up my neck at the memory, and I looked away quickly.

"This is outrageous," Rosa said, her cultured voice cracking slightly. "Forcing Aria into a position she's completely unqualified for—"

"I have a business degree from NYU," I cut her off, my pride stung despite everything. "With honors."

Mom's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. She'd never bothered to ask about my education, too busy dismissing me as a party girl wasting my father's money.

"Nevertheless," she continued smoothly, "this arrangement seems designed to fail. Aria and Cassian can barely stand to be in the same room together. How are they supposed to run a company?"

She wasn't wrong. The tension in the conference room was thick enough to choke on. I could feel Cassian's gaze on me again, heavy and assessing, and I refused to meet it.

"There's one final provision," Harrison said, consulting his notes. "Upon successful completion of the one-year term, Miss Hartwell will receive access to a private trust containing documents that Mr. Hartwell believed she deserved to know. This trust can only be accessed after the full year is completed."

My father had left me a mystery. A carrot dangling just out of reach, ensuring I couldn't walk away even if I wanted to.

And God, I wanted to.

"You have forty-eight hours to make your decision," Harrison said, closing the folder. "After that, the terms become void and the shares default to Mr. Kent."

The meeting ended. People stood, gathering their things, but I remained frozen in my chair. One year working beside Cassian. One year pretending that night never happened while my body remembered every touch, every kiss, every whispered word in the darkness.

One year of this unbearable tension that even now made my heart race and my hands shake.

"Aria." Cassian's voice was low, meant only for me.

I stood abruptly, grabbing my purse. "Don't."

"We need to talk about—"

"There's nothing to talk about." I finally met his eyes, and the impact was immediate. Grey eyes that had darkened with desire in the shadows, that had watched me come apart beneath him. "That night was a mistake. It never happened. And if you think I'm going to let you force me out of my inheritance, you're wrong."

Something flickered in his expression, but I didn't wait to think what it was. I just knew so well that I wasn't going to let him touch a single dime from the inheritance my father had left me.

"I'll see you Monday morning," I said coldly, heading for the door.

Marcus caught my arm in the hallway. "Aria, wait. You don't have to do this. We could fight the will, claim undue influence..."

"We?" I pulled my arm free. "There is no we, Marcus. There hasn't been for six months."

His expression hardened. "I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need your help."

I walked away before he could respond, my heels clicking against the marble floor. But I could feel multiple sets of eyes on my back. And I did not care!