Aria's POV
I wake up to Zane's phone buzzing nonstop on my nightstand.
He's still asleep beside me, one arm draped over my waist. Morning sunlight streams through my bedroom window, making his dark hair look almost soft. For a moment, I just watch him breathe. This beautiful, complicated man who somehow wants me.
His phone buzzes again. And again.
"Zane." I shake his shoulder gently. "Your phone."
He groans, burying his face in my pillow. "Ignore it."
"It's been going off for ten minutes. Might be important."
Zane reaches blindly for the phone, squinting at the screen. Then his whole body goes rigid.
"What's wrong?" I sit up, pulling the sheet around me.
He doesn't answer. Just stares at his phone with an expression I've never seen before. Cold. Dangerous. Almost scared.
"Zane, you're scaring me. What is it?"
He shows me the screen. Twelve texts from the same blocked number. My blood turns to ice as I read them:
"I warned you to stay away." "You think you can hide this from Maya?" "She deserves to know what kind of friend you are." "Meet me at Rosewood Cafe at 2pm. Come alone. Or I tell Maya everything." "Don't test me, Aria. I have proof."
The last text is a photo. Grainy but clear enough. Zane and me kissing outside the restaurant last night. Someone was watching us. Someone took pictures.
"Oh my God." My hands shake. "Who is this? How did they get your number? My number?"
Zane's jaw clenches. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
"They want to meet me. Today. At 2pm." My voice sounds strange, distant. "If I don't go, they'll tell Maya."
"You're not going alone." Zane's already getting out of bed, pulling on his jeans. "This could be dangerous."
"It's probably just Derek being vindictive. He's mad I moved on so fast." But even as I say it, I don't believe it. Derek's cruel, but he's not sneaky like this. He'd confront me directly, not hide behind blocked numbers.
Zane turns to face me. "Aria, listen to me. Someone followed us last night. Took photos without us knowing. That's not normal angry ex behavior. That's stalking."
Fear crawls up my spine. "Then what do we do? If I don't show up, they'll tell Maya anyway. At least if I go, I can find out who it is. Maybe reason with them."
"There's no reasoning with someone who threatens people." Zane sits back down on the bed, taking my hands. "But you're right. We need to know who's behind this. So we'll go together. I'll stay hidden nearby. If anything feels wrong, I'm there in seconds."
"What if they see you? What if—"
"They won't. Trust me." His voice softens. "I'm not letting anyone hurt you, Aria. Not physically. Not emotionally. We'll figure this out together."
I want to believe him. But my stomach's in knots. Someone knows our secret. Someone who hates us enough to threaten exposure. The question is: why?
Rosewood Cafe is crowded at 2pm. Weekend lunch rush. I spot an empty table in the back corner and sit down, my heart pounding so hard I feel dizzy.
Zane's across the street in his car, watching through the window. We tested the phone connection twice. If I say "I need to go," he'll be here in thirty seconds.
I order coffee I don't want and wait.
2:05pm. No one approaches. 2:10pm. Still nothing.
Maybe they changed their mind. Maybe this was just some sick joke.
Then she walks in.
I recognize her immediately from Maya's Instagram photos. Perfect dark hair. Designer clothes. The kind of beauty that makes other women feel invisible.
Victoria Chen. The senator's daughter. The woman Zane was supposed to take to the charity event.
She spots me and walks over with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Aria Chen? Maya's told me so much about you."
My throat goes dry. "Victoria?"
"Mind if I sit?" She doesn't wait for an answer, sliding into the chair across from me. Up close, she's even more perfect. Flawless skin. Expensive perfume. Everything I'm not.
"You sent those texts." It's not a question.
"Guilty." Victoria's smile widens. "Sorry for the dramatics, but I needed to get your attention. You've been ignoring reality, and someone needs to set you straight."
"What are you talking about?"
She pulls out her phone and slides it across the table. More photos. Zane and me at dinner. Laughing. Holding hands. Kissing in my doorway. All from last night. All proof of our relationship.
"Where did you get these?" My voice shakes.
"I have friends who keep me informed about Zane's activities. He's been on my family's radar for months. Our parents have an understanding—we date, eventually marry, combine our families' influence. It's good business."
"Zane doesn't want that. He told me—"
"He told you what you wanted to hear." Victoria leans forward. "Let me guess. He said you're different? Special? That he's never felt this way before?" Her laugh is cruel. "He says that to all of them, sweetie. You're just the latest in a very long line."
"You're lying."
"Am I? Ask yourself this: why would a man like Zane Hartley—wealthy, powerful, connected—want someone like you? A broke student with no family name, no connections, nothing to offer except..." She pauses. "Well. The obvious."
Each word hits like a slap. Because part of me has wondered the same thing. Why would Zane want me?
"He cares about me," I say, but it sounds weak even to my ears.
"He cares about the chase. The conquest. You were a challenge—his sister's innocent best friend, completely off-limits. Of course he wanted you. But once the novelty wears off?" Victoria shrugs. "He'll move on. He always does. And you'll be left with nothing except a ruined friendship with Maya."
"Why are you doing this?" Tears burn my eyes. "If you want Zane so badly, why threaten me? Why not just tell him?"
"Because Zane needs to make this choice himself. But he won't choose correctly if he's distracted by..." She waves her hand at me dismissively. "Whatever this is. So I'm giving you a chance to walk away with some dignity. End things now. Tell him you realized it was a mistake. I won't send these photos to Maya. Your secret stays safe."
"And if I don't?"
Victoria's smile turns cold. "Then Maya gets every photo. Every text. Every detail of how her best friend betrayed her trust by sleeping with her brother. How you lied to her face while sneaking around behind her back. How you chose a man over three years of friendship."
My chest tightens. She's right. Maya would be devastated. Hurt beyond repair. Our friendship would be over.
But ending things with Zane... my heart twists just thinking about it.
"I need time to think," I manage.
"You have until midnight tonight. After that, Maya gets an early morning text with all the evidence." Victoria stands, smoothing her perfect hair. "Choose wisely, Aria. Some men are worth the fight. But Zane Hartley? He's not worth losing everything."
She walks out, leaving me sitting there with my world crumbling around me.
I pull out my phone with shaking hands. Zane's calling before I can even dial.
"I'm coming in. What did she—"
"Don't. She's gone." My voice cracks. "We need to talk. But not here."
Twenty minutes later, we're in Zane's car. I tell him everything. Every cruel word Victoria said. The ultimatum. The midnight deadline.
Zane's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "She's bluffing. Victoria doesn't have that kind of—"
"She has photos, Zane. Clear ones. She knows everything about last night." I take a shaky breath. "Maybe she's right. Maybe this is a mistake. Maybe we should end it before—"
"No." Zane turns to face me, his eyes blazing. "Don't let her manipulate you. This is exactly what she wants."
"But Maya—"
"Will find out eventually anyway. Whether Victoria tells her or we do. At least if we tell her ourselves, we control the narrative."
"You want to tell Maya? Now? After two days?" My voice rises. "She'll hate us both!"
"She'll be hurt. But she'll get over it." Zane reaches for my hand. "Maya wants us both to be happy. Once she calms down, she'll understand."
"You don't know that. You didn't see Victoria's photos. Didn't hear what she said—"
"I heard enough. She called you worthless. Said you have nothing to offer." His voice drops dangerously low. "She's wrong, Aria. You're worth a thousand Victorias. And I'll prove it to anyone who questions us."
"How?" Tears spill over. "How do we fight this?"
Zane's quiet for a long moment. Then his expression shifts into something calculating. Something that reminds me he's not just the playboy everyone thinks he is. He's a businessman. A strategist.
"We fight fire with fire," he says slowly. "Victoria threatened to expose us? We expose her first."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean..." Zane pulls out his own phone, scrolling through something. "Victoria Chen isn't as perfect as she pretends. I've heard rumors about her. Things she wouldn't want her senator father knowing. If she's willing to play dirty, so am I."
"Zane, that's—"
"The only way to protect you." He looks at me intensely. "I meant what I said last night. You're not temporary. I'm not walking away because some entitled rich girl thinks she owns me. So the question is: are you with me? Or are you letting Victoria win?"
My heart pounds. This is crazy. Fighting Victoria Chen means war. Means risking everything. Means possibly destroying Maya's friendship forever.
But looking at Zane—at the determination in his eyes, the way he's willing to fight for us—I realize something.
I don't want to walk away either.
"I'm with you," I whisper.
Zane's smile is fierce. "Good. Because Victoria Chen just made a very big mistake. She threatened the wrong woman."
He starts the car, and I feel a strange mix of terror and exhilaration. We're about to go to war. Against a senator's daughter with unlimited resources and no conscience.
This should scare me more than it does.
Instead, for the first time since Victoria walked into that cafe, I feel something unexpected: Hope.