Aria's POV
The hallway felt colder than usual. Maybe it was the way that woman was looking at me. Like I was a smudge on her clean white wall. She stood straight, stiff, and perfect, like a sculpture made of ice and glass. Her black skirt didn't have a single wrinkle. Her blouse was so white it almost hurt to look at. Her hair was pulled back so tight I wondered if she could even blink without cracking.
I had barely stepped inside the apartment before she was on me. "Who are you?" she asked sharply. "And what exactly are you doing here?"
Her voice didn't shake. Mine almost did. I was tired. I was hungry. I was sore from walking all day in shoes that had seen better years. I didn't have the energy to argue with someone who looked like she charged people just to breathe near her.
Before I could even answer, the door creaked open behind me. I heard footsteps. Slow and steady. Familiar.
Kael's voice filled the hallway like a switch had been flipped.
"She's my… roommate. For now."
I turned just slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye. He was wearing a dark suit, crisp and clean, with a silver tie that shimmered slightly under the ceiling light. His hair looked freshly combed, not a strand out of place. His jaw was tight, his eyes unreadable. It was the most formal I had ever seen him.
The woman raised one perfect eyebrow and tilted her head. "Roommate? Sir, when did you get a roommate?"
Her tone was full of disbelief. Like Kael adopting a stray animal made more sense than him letting me stay here.
I didn't answer. I didn't even look at her again. I just rolled my eyes and walked past them both. Her perfume clung to the air, something expensive and sharp. It made me want to sneeze.
My shoes thudded against the hardwood floor, but I didn't care. My room was just a few steps away. I could already see the door. Safety. Silence. Just a few more—
"Would you mind at least taking off your shoes?" Kael said behind me. His voice wasn't angry, just irritated. Like he was trying hard not to lose patience. "You're tracking dirt in."
I stopped mid-step and looked down. The toes of my shoes were scuffed, crusted with dried mud and city dust. I had been walking all day. I probably was dragging a trail of grime across his perfect floors.
With a deep breath, I kicked them off, leaving them by the wall. My socks made no sound as I continued forward.
"Wouldn't want to stain the palace floors," I muttered under my breath.
I didn't wait for his reaction. I opened my door and closed it softly behind me. Then I leaned back against it, letting out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
Everything felt heavy. My arms. My legs. Even my thoughts. The rejection from earlier clung to me like smoke. I felt like a useless mess, and now, to top it off, I had tracked mud through Mr. Clean-and-Cold's mansion.
I needed a shower. A hot one.
I grabbed my towel and headed into the bathroom. The mirror showed a tired girl with dull eyes and scarlet hair sticking out in odd directions. I didn't even look like someone who should be asking for a job. I looked like someone who needed sleep and soup and maybe a hug.
The water took a minute to warm up, but when it did, it felt amazing. Like I was washing the day off my skin. I closed my eyes and let it run down my back, soaking away the sharp words and cold stares. When I finally stepped out, the mirror was foggy, and I felt slightly more human.
I changed into my soft gray pajamas. The fabric clung to my damp skin, but it was warm and comforting. I padded back into my room, shut the door, and flopped onto my bed.
The ceiling stared back at me. I stared right back.
My mind wandered.
Kael looked really… different today. That suit wasn't just for show. He had looked sharp, important, like someone who gave orders instead of taking them. And that woman. She didn't seem like a girlfriend. More like someone who worked for him. But she was clearly used to being in charge too.
Who was she?
And more importantly… who the hell was Kael Wolfe?
I snickered to myself. That woman looked like a principal from one of those strict boarding schools. The kind who handed out punishments with a smile and could ruin your future with a single phone call. She was scary, but she wasn't what stuck in my mind.
It was him. Kael. The way he spoke. The way he moved. The way the apartment seemed to match his energy. Clean. Precise. Expensive.
I realized, with a strange twist in my chest, that I didn't know a single real thing about the man I was living with. Not what he did for work. Not why he let me stay here. Not even why he was always so annoyed with me.
So, I picked up my phone.
I hesitated. My thumb hovered over the screen for a moment. Then I opened the browser and typed his name. Just out of curiosity. Just to ease the nagging feeling crawling through my brain.
Kael Wolfe.
The results loaded fast.
And what I saw made my eyes go wide.
Articles. News headlines. Images.
Businessman. CEO. Wolfe Industries. Net worth in the millions. One of the youngest rising leaders in the city. Known for being cold, sharp, and brilliant.
I blinked.
Scrolled.
Stared.
"Oh my God. What??!!"