Chapter 372: Back to work
Aria’s POV
By the time the sun dragged itself over the horizon, I’d already given up on sleep. The sky was pale and heavy, the kind of morning that didn’t really feel like one, more like a stretched continuation of the night before.
I’d spent most of it staring at my phone. Every hour or so, I’d check again, convincing myself that maybe I’d missed a vibration, maybe the rain had drowned it out. But there was nothing. No text. No call. The only thing lighting my screen were the timestamps of my own messages and the two missed calls that had gone unanswered.
I told myself he was busy. That something at work had come up. That Kael Roman wasn’t the kind of man who just disappeared.
But telling myself that didn’t stop the ache in my chest, or the way my body still remembered every inch of him from the night before.
So when morning finally came... bleary-eyed, limbs aching, I did the only thing that made sense: I got up. I’d been gone long enough. Either I’d get fired, or I’d walk back into that building and pretend like I hadn’t vanished for months.
Sarah showed up just like she said she would, all bright and punctual, the sound of her newly gifted car horning through the quiet street outside my window. She looked fresh, perfectly composed, like rain and time never touched her.
"Ready?" she asked when I climbed in.
"Not really," I said, half-laughing, half-dreading.
She gave me that smile that was warm and practiced. "You’ll be fine. They all missed you."
The drive was quick, uneventful. But the moment we stepped into the lobby, it was like stepping into a time capsule I hadn’t realized I’d sealed myself out of.
A few people from my former department stopped mid-conversation, turned, and smiled.
"Aria! You’re back?"
"It’s been forever!"
"How are you holding up?"
They all spoke gently, carefully, like they were afraid I might crack if they touched the wrong word. I caught fragments of talks too, about my father’s death, about grief, about how hard it must’ve been. And there was truth in that, but not the whole truth.
So I smiled, nodded, said thank you. Played along.
By the time the elevator reached the top floor, I felt like I’d already been through an entire workday.
The doors opened to the familiar quiet of Kael’s domain. Everything looked the same... cold, pristine, immaculate... but there was a subtle difference in the air, like it had been holding its breath too.
Rose looked up from her desk the moment I stepped out, and for a second she went completely still, her pen hanging midair.
"Miss Aria?" she said, eyes wide.
"Hi, Rose." I tried to sound casual, but her expression made me hesitate. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
"It’s just—" She blinked fast, collecting herself. "It’s been a while. I didn’t know you were coming in today."
"Neither did I," I admitted softly. "Is Kael in?"
Her mouth twisted slightly, the kind of expression people make when they don’t know how much truth to give. "He came in yesterday. Didn’t leave at all, even after I clocked out. I thought he might’ve just been working late but... when I got in this morning, he wasn’t here."
"Not at all?"
She shook her head. "His coat’s still in the office though, so I’m sure he must be planning to come back."
I nodded, trying to hide the worry that slipped through. "Okay. Thank you."
Walking down the corridor toward my own office felt strange, like retracing a dream.
Everything was exactly as I’d left it, the desk half-covered in papers, the faint smell of coffee gone stale, the small plant on the window that somehow hadn’t died.
I was halfway through taking a seat when the door burst open so hard it nearly slammed the wall.
"ARIA!"
Ashlyn barreled in like a storm, all hair and energy and chaos.
Before I could even stand, she threw her arms around me, squeezing so tightly I let out a small laugh against her shoulder.
"Okay—okay—Ash, air—please—"
She pulled back, eyes bright, practically vibrating. "You’re really here! Oh my God, I was thinking of visiting you at your place."
"Dramatic," I muttered, shaking my head. "That’s what you are."
Ash grinned, that familiar spark lighting up her features, but it softened almost immediately into something quieter. "You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that," she said, voice gentler now. "For a while there, I thought I’d lost the version of you that could still tease me back."
Something in me loosened. "I thought I’d lost her too," I admitted, my gaze falling to my hands resting on the desk. "Feels... strange, being here again. But good."
"Good’s a start," she said simply.
"What are you doing there though..." I asked, shifting the atmosphere. "I didn’t expect you to burst in right after I walked in."
"Oh yeah I wanted to help my dad and Mr. Ewan finalize some things with the board directors."
"Ah I see..."
For a moment, it was just that... the soft hum of the city below, the morning light spilling between us, two women breathing in the quiet after too many storms. I wanted to ask about Sylus, how he was doing, what he was up to but I couldn’t bring myself to.
But still I broke the silence. "Have you seen Kael since yesterday?"
Ash blinked, tilting her head. "No, not since I saw him a few days ago."
I hesitated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "He stopped by the day before yesterday and stayed over but he left in the afternoon without much of an explanation. He was acting weird especially towards Sarah."
Something flickered in her expression... surprise, then thought. "He does that sometimes," she said finally, though her tone was cautious, measuring. Then she hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek like she was debating something. "Actually, that kind of brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about."
My stomach tightened. "Ash... if this is about the ba—"
"It’s not, I promise" she said immediately, cutting me off before I could even finish the sentence. Her voice was firm, but kind. "It’s not about that. I wouldn’t bring that up like this, you know that."
I exhaled, tension leaking from my shoulders. "Then what is it?"
"It’s—" She stopped, glancing toward the door like she wanted to make sure it was still closed. "It’s something else entirely, about your friend, and I—"
But she never finished.
The door opened before the words could form, the sound of polished shoes clicking against the marble slicing through the stillness.
We both turned.