Sweet Hatred
Chapter 39: Uninvited guest.

Chapter 39: Uninvited guest.

ARIA

The numbers on the screen blurred together. I blinked, rolled my shoulders, and refocused, but the throbbing at my temple only grew worse. I’d spent hours sorting through the details of the Blackwell merger project, drowning in reports, emails, and contracts Kael had dumped on me with little to no warning.

My fingers flexed over the keyboard, my frustration mounting. The man had assigned me a monumental task while he was off to whatever important business required his presence.

Or, more likely, he just enjoyed watching me helpless.

I scoffed under my breath, shaking my head. Of course, he’d do that.

Still, I wasn’t about to disappoint.

With an irritated sigh, I leaned back in my chair, rubbing at my temple. The memory of his damned voice still lingered in my head from our phone call earlier—his teasing, his sharp amusement, the low command that made my skin flush.

Stay pretty for me, firefly.

I scowled. If he thought I was going to sit here obediently waiting for him, he had another thing coming.

Deciding I needed a break before I lost my sanity, I shut my laptop, grabbed my phone, and headed out. A strong coffee would fix at least one of my problems.

The office was mostly quiet this late, a few employees still working, the hum of printers and the occasional ringing of phones the only sounds. I made my way to the café downstairs, my heels clicking against the polished floor.

I had just stepped outside, inhaling the cool night air, when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Aria."

My stomach twisted at the sound. Recognition hit instantly.

I turned slowly, already knowing who it was. Eric.

His hands were shoved into his pockets, his stance casual, but his eyes—dark and pleading—gave away the truth. My stomach tightened, air squeezing out of my lungs and more refusing to enter back in.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, my arms crossing defensively.

"I just wanted to talk," he said, stepping closer.

I shifted back instantly, my skin crawling at the proximity. "We don’t have anything to talk about."

"Aria, please—"

"No." I cut him off sharply, my patience nonexistent. "You lost that privilege the moment I walked into your apartment and heard you screwing another woman."

He flinched. "Aria, please— I made a mistake—"

I laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "A mistake? That’s what we’re calling it now?"

"Look Aria, I’ve been trying to reach you for days, weeks even. You’ve ignored or blocked every call, every text. I had no choice but to come find you."

My fingers curled into fists. "No, Eric. You had a choice when you betrayed me."

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I was an idiot, okay? I panicked, I messed up. But I really miss you Aria and let me just explain myself."

Explain? Explain??? What possible reason could he give that would justify his shitty act. His words sent a dreadful chill down my spine. I stared at him, my heart hammering—not with old feelings, but with pure, burning frustration. The nerve of the motherfucker—

"Go home, Eric."

"Just give me a chance to—"

"I’m not interested in whatever excuse you’ve come up with." I turned to walk away, but he stepped forward, gripping my wrist tight.

"Just give me a second to explain."

I yanked my arm back, ice and disgust seeping into my voice. "Touch me again, and I swear you’ll regret it."

Eric hesitated, his gaze flickering with frustration. "I know I messed up Aria. I was deceived, and it didn’t mean anything—"

"Spare me." I sneered, shooting him an even sharper glare. "What do you even want from me, Eric? Forgiveness? Another chance? Newsflash—I don’t do second chances with liars."

He exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. "You’re being unfair."

I huffed a humorless laugh. This piece of shit and his audacity. "Unfair?" I tilted my head. "You fucked another woman, Eric, telling her she felt better than me. I walked in on you. You don’t get to talk about unfair." My right eye twitched.

He took a step closer, his hands finding one wrist again before I could pull away. "Aria—please. This mistake isn’t just about me."

I clenched my jaw, already calculating how much damage my fists or knee could do if he tried something stupid. But then—

I felt it.

A shift in the air. A presence.

My body recognized him before my eyes did. That dark, commanding energy that made the hairs on my arms stand. The weight of a gaze so intense it burned Into my skin.

Kael.

He was there. Watching.

My heart lurched as my eyes snapped to him, standing just beyond Eric’s shoulder. The world dimmed. Kael wasn’t moving, wasn’t making a scene—just observing. His stance was calm, hands in his pockets, head slightly tilted in that way that made my stomach coil.

Predatory. Waiting. And fuck him.

He wasn’t going to interfere. He wanted to see what I would do, like always. But I wasn’t going to give him the scene he wanted.

Adrenaline shot through my veins. A wicked idea sparked in my mind before I could second-guess it.

Without another thought, I jerked free of Eric’s hold, took three steady steps forward brushing past the human waste, and grabbed Kael by the lapels of his coat. His scent—dark spice and danger—wrapped around me as I rose onto my toes and crashed my lips against his for the first time ever.

The world around us blurred, the muffled gasps of nearby onlookers fading into nothing. For a split second, Kael stilled. But then—

His hands found my waist, pulling me in, his mouth moving over mine with slow, deliberate control. Possessive. A warning.

By the time he pulled away, his smirk was razor-sharp, his thumb tracing my jaw. "Get rid of him." I whispered a desperate request and he heard me.

"I hope," he murmured, voice dripping with amusement, "you weren’t expecting her to greet you the same way."

I didn’t dare look at Eric. I already knew he was confused—seething. But all I cared about was the man in front of me—the one whose fire had just swallowed me whole.

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