Aria's pov

I blinked against the blinding light that hit my eyes the moment I opened them.

My eyes darted around the room, searching for confirmation, needing to make sure that what I was seeing wasn't just my imagination.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. I took a step back, my body instinctively retreating like my subconscious was trying to protect me.

Music hummed softly in the air. I could hear elegant laughter and clinking champagne glasses that grounded me to the scene around me.

How? I remembered dying. How was it possible I was back at this exact moment?

Yet here I was, standing on the very stage that had marked the beginning of my downfall.

My breath caught as I looked around, heart pounding wildly against my ribs. My eyes went blank, like empty windows of a haunted house, as soon as I saw Adrian beside me, grinning.

It was like my mind was wrapped in cotton, softening the edges of reality. The last thing I remembered was pain, too much pain and blood. And my baby.

My hands trembled with held-back fury, fingers curling into tight fists, nails digging into my palms. The pain grounded me in the storm of my emotions. My skin crawled when Adrian touched my arm, with a microphone in his other hand.

I knew what he was about to do. Propose to me. I smirked. I definitely wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice smooth as always. "A year ago, I met an incredible woman who changed the meaning of life for me. She's beautiful, smart, intelligent, to name a few, and has stood by me through thick and thin. Her light, her laughter, her grace... made me believe in love." He grinned at me.

The crowd sighed in anticipation. My mouth went dry, my hatred a bitter taste I couldn't swallow. I felt a wave of nausea, a sick reaction to his presence.

"I think it's time we take things to the next step, my love," Adrian said, turning fully to face me now.

He slowly kneeled down and brought out a velvet box from his pocket. Everything was happening the same way it did before.

"So, Aria Lin, will you make..." he was saying when I interrupted.

"No," I sneered, staring down at him.

The ballroom fell into hushed silence. It was like the air had become solid, making each breath feel wrong.

"What?" Adrian asked, blinking like he hadn't heard me correctly.

The air cracked with tension as my jaw tightened, muscles twitching with every urge I was holding back to lash out. My eyes blazed with fury.

"I can't marry you," I answered, my tone ice cold.

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asked, his mouth open with disbelief written all over his face.

"I'm in love with someone else, so I can't marry you," I replied, raising my voice.

The silence after my words stretched on unnervingly long. It had a life of its own, like a living thing that filled every corner of the hall.

"That's not possible. Who?" he asked, shocked.

I didn't answer him. My eyes scanned the ballroom looking for an escape route. But just as I was about to give up, I saw him.

Ethan Lou, my assistant. He was standing at the edge of the hall with a tablet in his hands, looking directly at me.

We'd never gotten along. Ethan was my father's former assistant, but he made his opinions about me taking over as CEO very clear. He thought I was immature.

But Ethan Lou was real, not a liar, and definitely not a murderer. And he was someone I definitely wasn't in love with.

Before I could second-guess myself, I stepped off the stage. My heart rate increased and my breath came out in short gasps, but I didn't hesitate.

My heels clicked against the ballroom floor, each step cutting through the thick tension that had settled in the hall like a knife.

The silence was overwhelming, pressing in from all directions, as I stopped in front of him.

"Kiss me back, or we both lose everything," I whispered to him, my fingers curled around his collar.

Ethan's eyes widened, his jaw dropped as the whole ballroom stared, stunned.

"What do you think you're doing?" he whispered back, disbelief in his voice.

"Smile," I cut him off, fingers still gripping his collar. "And play along. Or tomorrow, you'll be jobless and in every gossip headline as the assistant who broke a CEO's heart."

I didn't give him a chance to reply. I just pulled him close by his collar and kissed him with everything I had.

Ethan froze against my lips for a heartbeat, but then his arms came up to rest on my waist.

The silence that followed was like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment. The quiet wrapped around us, muffling even the smallest sound.

The guests' jaws dropped, eyes widening in disbelief like a sudden jolt of electricity had shot through their veins, leaving them momentarily stunned.

The media went crazy, snapping pictures of every detail of our kiss.

I finally pulled away from Ethan and our eyes locked.

"What the hell was that?" Ethan whispered, half surprised and half angry.

But before I could respond, chaos erupted behind me.

"Aria!" my father's voice boomed.

I could feel the anger coming off Adrian as he stormed toward us in a fit of rage.

"What's the meaning of this?" Adrian spat. "How dare you try to humiliate me? In front of all these people... these investors, our families."

Before Adrian could blink, I spun around and slapped him. Hard.

My hands trembled with held-back fury, fingers curling into tight fists, nails digging into my palms. The pain grounded me in the storm of my emotions.

Adrian's shocked face was captured by all the cameras flashing wildly at the drama unfolding.

He raised his hand to slap me back... only for it to be caught mid-air.

My father didn't hesitate. His palm cracked across Adrian's face for the second time with a sharp, hard slap that made me flinch and the whole room gasp.

My mother clutched her pearls, her smile forced as she tried to hide her concern.

"You dare try to lay your filthy hands on my daughter?" Mr. Lin sneered down at him.

Adrian staggered back, too stunned to reply.

"Get. Out," my father barked. "Guards. Remove this piece of trash from my sight immediately."

Adrian's mother, who had been quiet this whole time, came forward.

"How dare you humiliate my son like this, Aria? After everything my son did for you!" Mrs. Wu cried out, her voice shaking with rage. "You haven't heard the last of the Wu family!"

If this had happened before, I would have been terrified hearing such a threat. But not anymore.

Adrian's mother had made my life hell, but I promised myself I would make them all pay for what they had put me through—starting with her precious son.

Two suited guards appeared, grabbing Adrian by the arms as he tried to protest.

"You don't understand... she's mine!" Adrian shouted, his eyes blazing murderously. "You think this is over, Aria? You think I'll let you go that easily?!" He snarled.

"She was never yours," my father replied, stepping in front of me protectively.

The guards dragged Adrian away, the hall buzzing with hushed excitement and disbelief.

I watched as Adrian was hauled out of the ballroom. I had to admit, it was satisfying to watch the arrogant bastard being dragged away like that.

Just as I was feeling triumphant, everything suddenly felt heavy. My legs gave out beneath me, and I started to collapse.

But strong arms caught me just in time, preventing me from hitting the marble floor.

As darkness crept in around the edges of my vision, I heard Ethan's voice, sounding concerned and confused.

"What the hell just happened?" he muttered, holding my unconscious form.

Ethan's pov

My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped steel bands around my ribs. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten all about Lisa.

His girlfriend, who was at the gala as the event planner.

Sweat beaded on my forehead even though the room was cool.

How could I forget that Lisa was there? I'd recommended her myself, since she kept begging me to make the connection for her.

Planning the end-of-year gala for the Lins would definitely open more doors for her, but I regretted that decision now.

From where I stood with Aria still in my arms, I saw Lisa turn her back on me and storm out of the hall.

My heart raced, pounding in my ears. Each beat reminded me of the anxious panic running through me.

One minute I was standing at the edge of the hall, making sure everything ran smoothly, and the next minute, Aria was kissing me.

"Aria!" Mr. Lin's voice cut through the blood rushing in my ears.

The older man swept his daughter from my arms, her head falling against his shoulder, and rushed out of the hall with his wife right behind him, probably to take her to the hospital.

What I needed to do now, and fast, was follow Lisa and explain myself to her.

But it seemed the reporters wouldn't let me through easily.

"Mr. Lou, how long have you been dating the Lin heiress?"

"When do you plan on proposing?"

"Do you plan on taking over the CEO position as soon as you marry Aria Lin?"

I stopped and glared at the reporter who asked that last question. I held my breath as I tried to control my anger.

I signaled for the guards to escort all the reporters out of the ballroom, and I was finally able to go search for Lisa.

I checked all the balconies, but she wasn't in any. I decided to check the storage room at the back of the hall and was lucky to find her there, fuming.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants before approaching her slowly. "Lisa, let me explain..."

But I never got to finish what I was about to say. The sharp sting of her slap stunned me into silence.

"I don't need your stupid explanations, Ethan. I know what I saw," she spat.

"No, you don't. It was all a misunderstanding," I said, my voice thick and unsteady.

"I know what I saw. You... you kissed her. In front of all those people," she said, her voice cracking.

My heart hammered against my ribs like thunder echoing through my body. I couldn't lose Lisa. I just couldn't.

"Let me explain, my love. Nothing is going on between me and Mr. Lin's daughter. I swear it," I said, my voice shaking.

"I don't believe you. I felt humiliated out there, Ethan," she stammered with rage.

My hands shook uncontrollably, betraying how terrified I was.

When I tried to touch her, she pulled back like my skin burned her, and the rejection was a physical ache in my chest.

My hands shook more as I pulled out the ring I'd bought just a week ago from my pocket. I'd been planning to propose to her tonight at my place, after the gala.

"My love, hear me out please. Look, I was planning to propose to you tonight. Do you really think I would have bought this ring if I was seeing someone else?" I choked out.

My voice felt like a thin thread about to snap under the weight of my panic.

My breath came in jagged, uneven gasps, like my lungs struggled to draw in air through the suffocating fear of possibly losing Lisa.

"And what? You expect me to believe that? You kissed her in front of everyone. I saw your hands holding her waist," she scowled.

I couldn't believe the usual warmth in her voice was now replaced by cold distance.

"I can fix it," I stammered quickly.

"And how are you going to do that?" Her words dripped with sarcasm.

"Two days. That's all I'm asking for. And I swear, I will make everything right," I said nervously, licking my dry lips.

She scoffed, a sound that showed the contempt written across her frowning face.

"And you expect me to believe that? Come on, Ethan, I wasn't born yesterday," she spat.

My pulse throbbed in my ears, drowning out all other sound.

"You know what? It's over. I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore," she sneered, her eyes narrowed.

I stumbled back, my body reeling like I'd been hit by an invisible force. My face twisted with disbelief and shock.

My eyes glanced around the storeroom, not focusing on anything. In the silence that followed, I could hear the beat of my own pulse. Feel it everywhere in my body.

"Please... please, my love. Don't do this to us," I stammered, wringing my hands.

"Why don't you get it, Ethan? I want nothing to do with you anymore. And I swear, you won't like what I'm going to do to you if you follow me out of this room," she spat.

Lisa stormed out of the room, slamming the door against the wall on her way out.

Silence hung over the storage room like a suffocating blanket after Lisa left.

I fell to my knees on the cold floor, feeling the ache Lisa left behind in my chest. I didn't think I would ever feel normal again.

Aria's POV

I blinked against the sudden brightness that hit my eyes as soon as I opened them. I raised my hands to cover my face from the assault.

There was movement at my side and I turned to check.

My jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief like a sudden jolt of electricity had shot through my veins, leaving me momentarily stunned.

I stared at my parents.

My parents, who the last time I saw them was about three months after my wedding to Adrian.

I remembered waking up that awful day to news that both my parents had died in a plane crash on their way to London.

I blinked my eyes harder, trying to stop the tears at the edge of my eyes from falling.

I really tried to stop the tears, but they still flowed down my face. It had been five years since I saw them last, so the ache in my chest was too much to bear.

I did remember vaguely seeing them yesterday at the gala, but my emotions were running high, so I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings.

My crying must have alerted them that I was awake.

My father was the first person to approach my bed in a hurry.

"Princess, you're finally awake. What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Mr. Lin asked, his eyes wide with alarm.

My mother came close as well, taking my hand in hers. "Should we call the doctor back? Tell us where it hurts?" Mrs. Lin asked as she bit her lip worriedly.

I couldn't stop my tears from falling more upon hearing their concern.

Both my parents looked at each other, probably wondering what could possibly make me cry so much.

I was finally able to control my tears and wiped at my face with the back of my hands. "I was just glad to see you both. That's all," I choked out.

My father still looked unconvinced.

"You gave us the shock of our lives yesterday, Aria. Care to explain what that was?" he asked.

"Now come on, dear, I don't think now is the right time to question her about that. Let her recover first," my mother replied to my father.

"Forgive me, Princess, your mother is right. You need all the rest you can get," Mr. Lin said.

"No... no, it's all right, Dad," I hiccupped.

I couldn't begin to tell them all I'd been through. No one would believe I went back in time. I found it hard to believe myself.

"How about we let you rest now, hmm?" my mother said, as she fluffed my blanket.

I smiled and watched as my mother practically dragged my father out of the room.

Finally left alone, I stood up and looked around my old room. The last time I saw it was on the day I married Adrian.

The sharp ringing of a phone interrupted my thoughts, so I searched around for where it was coming from and found it in the clutch I used yesterday.

The caller was my best friend Mia Wong.

A smile immediately spread across my face, and I picked up the call on the fourth ring.

"Hi Mia," I said into the phone.

"Don't 'hi Mia' me, Aria. I thought I was your best friend, so how is it that so much happened and I didn't know a single thing?" Mia shouted.

I had to immediately pull the phone from my ear because of how loud Mia was shouting.

"Calm down. How do you know all this?" I asked.

"How did I find out? Have you even checked your phone today?" Mia continued without pause.

"No, why?" I asked back.

"Just check your phone immediately, girl," Mia snickered.

I immediately hung up the call and opened my browser. I searched my name.

It felt like the floor was pulled out from under my feet and I put my hand over my mouth to cover my gasp upon seeing what Mia must have seen.

Aria's pov

My eyebrows shot up in shock. It was a written blog. About me.

I closed my eyes for a second, breathed through my mouth, and opened Instagram to read it again for the third time.

🌠'CEO CHAOS: CEO Turned Heartbreaker says "No" To Fiancé, Then Tongue-Tangles with Her Assistant on Stage?!'🌠

Posted by velvet vine/ Verified Mess since 2020

'Last night's Lin & Co. gala wasn't just about launching a new jewelry line... it was about launching one poor man into humiliation orbit. In a scene straight out of a soap opera, Adrian Wu dropped to one knee in front of hundreds of guests, expecting a yes. What he got? A devastating no... and a front-row seat to Aria's fireworks-level passion for her Assistant, Ethan Luo.'

The photo embedded in the article was unforgiving... Adrian on one knee, frozen in shock, ring box still open... while I had my hands tangled up in Ethan's collar like something out of a damn romance novel.

I scrolled down, my heart racing.

'Sources say the affair had been going on for months. Could the polished CEO have been playing the perfect girlfriend while sneaking kisses in office corners? One thing's for sure... if Aria Lin wanted a rebrand, she just went viral.'

What's next for Aria Lin?

Damage control? A resignation? A rebrand?

Stay tuned... because we're not looking away.

I tugged at the collar of my nightdress, the fabric feeling tight against my clammy skin. I paced my room while gripping the hair at the back of my head with one hand.

The post was already at 10 million views and about 5 million comments.

I should turn off my phone. Burn it or bury it in a grave six feet deep. But, like the masochist I apparently was, I clicked on the comments section.

COMMENTS SECTION:💌

@PRPrincess: 'This is what happens when you hire your fantasies.' *Sighs dramatically*😋

@HeartbrokenForAdrian: 'He deserved better. She humiliated him in front of everyone. Cold.'😒

@GirlBossEnergy: 'Not her walking into HER villain era with red lip and zero regrets. We stan.'😍

I wanted to stop reading the comments, but it was like the more I read, the more I wanted to continue. I clutched the hem of my nightdress tightly, the fabric bunching in my hands, as I read on.

@businessbabe88: 'She just tanked her image. Can't wait for the apology tour.'😔

@AriaThelcon: 'People mad because she chose passion over PR. Let the woman live her truth.'💞

@TeamEthan: 'Assistant? More like soulmate. I've never seen Aria look that alive.'😘

@OfficeAffairsAreGross: 'Sleeping with your assistant? Major HR violation and major yikes.'🤮

I dropped the phone on my bed like it burned me. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to scream, cry, or go back in time and throw a glass of champagne in my own face.

Instead I chuckled and muttered to myself, "Well... at least we made headlines."

I turned sharply when I heard the sound of glass breaking from downstairs, followed by my father's angry voice.

I hurried downstairs and the sight made me gasp. My father had smashed his phone and thrown pieces of what I assumed was once a mug at the wall.

My mother was trying to get him to calm down from his rage, but it seemed like an impossible task. I had never seen my father this mad in my life.

"How dare they post all that stuff about my princess? I'm going to destroy them all," he thundered.

I rushed down the stairs and met my parents in the center of the room, with some of the servants peeking, trying to see what all the commotion was about.

"Dad, please calm down. That's exactly the reaction they want us to have," I said, squeezing his arm.

"But what they posted isn't fair, Aria," my mother muttered.

"And I know just how to handle them. So don't worry too much. I just hope it hasn't affected the company," I said, my forehead creased with worry.

My parents exchanged looks between themselves.

"Well," my father started. "It did, dear. The company's stock has dropped drastically."

I stood there unblinking, trying to process what my father just said to me.

"What?" I asked, like I hadn't heard what he'd just said.

"It's nothing new, dear. It happens all the time, so don't you dare think it was your fault. Because it isn't," my father said, patting my hand gently.

"I promise to fix it, Dad. I'm the CEO now. Many people will be counting on me to make this right. And I will," I stated.

My father smiled at me. "And that's why I said you're the perfect candidate for the CEO position. Go show them how the Lin family deals with whoever messes with us," he exclaimed.

My whole face lit up with certainty. "Of course. I'm Aria Lin after all," I teased.

I left my parents downstairs and went to my room to get ready for work.

The morning sun hit the Lin Corporation tower like a spotlight.

I stepped out of the back seat of the sleek black sedan, sunglasses shielding my eyes, my heels clicking confidently against the polished stone of the private parking level.

My white pantsuit was crisp, elegant, and calculated... clean lines, high collar, and no room for interpretation.

I could see Ethan already waiting by the elevator. Well, standing might have been generous.

He leaned against the wall, his suit wrinkled, tie loose and eyes bloodshot. He didn't even look up right away, probably didn't even hear my footsteps.

When he finally did, it was like watching someone force themselves into autopilot.

"Morning," he said, his voice low and rough like sandpaper.

He straightened up and pressed the elevator button with more force than necessary, which made me pause.

I tilted my head slightly. "You look like hell," I commented.

"I slept great," he said flatly, rubbing his temple.

I blinked slowly at him, but the elevator opened before I could say more.

"I assume you've reviewed the updated numbers?" I asked, already changing the subject.

Just because I felt sorry for him didn't mean I had to show any weakness. Especially not in front of him.

"Yeah. Forecast is stable. The partnership with Duwari & Sons is going to need a three-week delay, but legal's on it. I sent you the preliminary this morning," Ethan replied.

"Good," I muttered without turning to look at him.

It was like the air had become solid around us, making each breath feel wrong in the silence.

I cleared my throat. "For what it's worth, I didn't plan any of that. The kiss."

His gaze finally shifted to me. "And yet you still went ahead and did it anyway."

Silence hung over the elevator like a suffocating blanket after his reply.