Sweet Hatred
Chapter 203: NO TWISTED LOVE STORY

Chapter 203: NO TWISTED LOVE STORY

The shift in her expression was immediate. Surprise flickered, sharp, almost childlike, and then vanished beneath a mask so smooth I almost missed it.

Almost.

But I saw it.

She wasn’t expecting that.

I smiled, slow and deliberate, letting it stretch across my face like velvet over a blade. I shifted in my seat, crossing my legs again with a lazy grace, spine straight and voice syrupy.

"My point still stands," I said, voice casual, but lined with barbed wire. "There’s nothing between us. Nothing meaningful, at least. Just sex. Just... pleasure."

Ash tilted her head, watching me with narrowed eyes, like she was watching a flame trying to pretend it wasn’t burning everything it touched.

But I wasn’t done.

I leaned forward slightly, elbows on my knees, letting the words tumble out like poison laced in honey. "We get off. That’s it. No deeper meaning. No twisted love story. No heartstrings."

I smiled again, wider this time, teeth glinting. But inside?

Inside I was crumbling.

Because every time I said the words, just sex, I felt Kael’s body pressed against mine. Felt the way his hand would hold my face, like I was something breakable. The way his breath would catch when I whispered his name like a prayer. The way his silence could scream louder than a thousand declarations.

And the worst part?

I knew the sex didn’t feel like just sex.

It felt like something else. Something sacred and ruined. Something that left bruises on my soul, not just my skin.

But maybe that was just me.

Maybe Kael didn’t think about it at all.

Maybe to him, I was just a body he knew too well. A mouth to silence his demons. A heat to bury himself in when the cold got too loud.

I swallowed that lump in my throat before it could rise, before it could show. I buried it beneath another smirk.

Ash’s expression had gone blank now. Smooth as glass, sharp as ice. But her eyes... her eyes were reading me.

Still, I didn’t let her see more.

"You don’t need to worry," I said, flicking an invisible speck off my dress. "These little intimidation tactics? They won’t work on me. Maybe on some other woman. But definitely not me."

I stood.

Slower than necessary. Purposeful. Controlled. My bag slung over one shoulder like a shield. And Ash?

Still perched on the edge of the desk, still below me, still watching like a lioness licking her teeth.

I leaned forward, real close. Her breath hitched just slightly. Barely enough to notice, but I did.

"I look forward to working with you, Ash," I whispered, voice like honey mixed with cyanide. "Really."

The dangerous smile I wore? It wasn’t just a threat. It was a promise.

Ash’s mouth curled, slow and sweet and sharp. "Likewise, Aria."

Our eyes locked, neither of us blinking, both of us daring the other to strike first.

But I straightened, turned, and walked out without looking back.

Because I knew she was watching.

And that was enough.

The second the door clicked shut behind me, I finally exhaled.

Jesus.

I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath that long. My shoulders ached like I’d been bracing for a punch and forgot to stop. I rolled them out, slow and stiff, hearing the little pops and cracks echo up my spine like gravel under a shoe. My whole body felt like a statue, stone from jaw to toes.

Too many games. Too many eyes watching, reading, waiting to strike. I hated that I’d liked it just a little.

I pulled out my phone and texted Sarah.

_Meeting done. Ash is insane. What are we eating tonight? Should I pick something up?

Heading to grab more clothes, then back to yours. X_

I hit send and shoved my phone back in my bag. The hallway outside the suite was just as pristine and overpriced as the inside, marble floors that probably cost more than my college tuition and walls so white they looked sterilized. But it didn’t faze me.

Not anymore.

These kinds of places? They used to make me nervous. Like I didn’t belong. Like I was one spilled drink away from being dragged out by security.

But Kael...

Kael had ruined all that for me.

Private jets. Spontaneous work trips that turned into beach weekends. Dinners in countries I didn’t even have time to Google. I didn’t bat an eye at luxury anymore. My standards had been dragged up to heaven and then set on fire.

And still, I thought of him. Briefly. The way he’d look when he was half-asleep but still calling the shots. The way he’d rest his hand low on my back in public, all possessive and subtle like no one else should touch me.

I shook the thought off and looked around the building’s side entrance as I stepped outside. The air was cooler now, dusk crawling into the city’s edges. A black motorcycle curved into the lot nearby, its engine purring low and cocky, like it knew it was being watched.

And for a second, just a flicker, I thought of him.

The guy from the beach.

Mouthy. Irritating. Hands like he knew exactly what he was doing when he grabbed my wrist to keep me from falling into the waves.

I hated how often he popped up in my thoughts when I was alone.

Wonder what he’s doing now, I caught myself thinking, eyes following the rider as they parked and got off the motorcycle.

But I looked away before I saw the face. Didn’t matter. It wasn’t him.

It couldn’t be.

I pulled out my phone again and called a taxi, ignoring the strange twinge in my chest that whispered you should’ve asked for his name.

No.

I didn’t need another complication.

I already had enough.

---

The apartment was cold again.

Not cold in temperature, just cold in the way it felt. Quiet. Hollow. Like it was waiting for someone to breathe life back into it.

I shut the door behind me and let the silence wrap around my shoulders like a weighted coat. I used to crave silence. Now it just reminded me how alone I was.

I dropped my bag by the door and stood there for a moment, staring at the living room. The lights were off, curtains half drawn. Everything was still the way I left it, but it felt different now.