ARIA POV

The sunlight slips through my window casting an eerie glow on my face.

I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head.

My body still felt sore and heavy, my muscles ached in a strange but pleasant way that instantly brought back memories of last night.

The club. Adrian.

My eyes opened slowly.

For a moment I just stared at the ceiling, replaying everything in my head. Then the memory of the note hit me again.

Sometimes we are meant to enjoy pleasure just once and keep it as a memory.

I sighed and forced myself out of bed.

"Stupid," I muttered to myself.

Why was I even thinking about him? It had only been one night. I barely even knew the man.

Still... the empty feeling in my chest hadn't disappeared. I shook my head and walked toward the bathroom.

"Forget it, Aria," I told my reflection in the mirror. "He already did. I doubt he still remembers the night we shared."

My mind drifted to my dad, and I hope he won't question my whereabouts.

By the time I came downstairs, the house was already awake.

Our dining room was large, placed beside a window. The polished surface reflected the morning sunlight.

My father sat at the head of the table, reading something on his tablet while drinking his usual black coffee. I looked to the left hoping to see my mother, but she wasn't sitting.

Meaning she wasnʼt back from her trip.

My father didn't look up when I entered.

"You're late," he said calmly.

I grabbed a cup of coffee from the table and sat down.

"Good morning to you too, Dad," I replied sarcastically

He lowered the tablet slightly and looked at me over the rim of his glasses.

"You should learn discipline, Aria. Waking up at noon is not productive." He drawled.

"It's not noon," I said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Ten thirty," he answered.

"Exactly."

He sighed, having just confirmed his disappointment in humanity.

Then he set the tablet down. "I've hired a new driver.

I blinked. "Okay," I responded, surprised as to why I needed that information.

"Our previous driver quit yesterday."

I shrugged uninterested. "That happens," I replied still sipping my coffee.

My father frowned slightly. "You don't seem very interested."

"Why should I be?" I asking getting tired of the back and forth.

"You will be using him daily."

"I used the last one daily too," I replied calmly. "I survived."

He ignored my tone. "He starts today."

"Great," I said, reaching for a piece of toast. Right at that moment, the dining room door opened.

I didn't bother looking up.

I was too busy adding more sugar to my coffee.

My father spoke first. "Ah. Perfect timing."

Something about the tone in his voice made me glance up. And the cup nearly slipped from my hand.

Standing in the doorway was no other person than Adrian.

For a second, my brain refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.

Same tall frame, same calm posture, same dark eyes. Except now he was wearing a clean blue suit, and standing inside my father's house.

My heart beat violently against my chest. I had to hold it to stop it from falling.

No.

That wasn't possible. Adrain doesn't look like someone who would have to drive rich men to survive. He looks rich himself.

Something doesn't add up.

This had to be some kind of nightmare. But Adrian looked completely normal, composed, and professional. Like last night had never happened. He walked into the room slowly and stopped right beside the table.

My father gestured toward him. "Aria, this is your new driver."

I stared at Adrian, unable to speak.

My fingers tightened around the coffee cup.

He looked at me calmly, no surprise or shock on his face. He held a blank look.

Then he bowed his head slightly, in a polite and respectful way.

"Good morning, Miss Bennett."

The words made me froze.

_Miss Bennett._

Like I wasn't the same woman he had held in his arms just a few hours ago. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

But Adrian didn't react. He didn't look nervous or embarrassed.

He didn't look like the man who had spent the night with me. He looked exactly like what my father had introduced him as.

A driver.

My father glanced between us. Oblivious of what was going on.

"You two will be seeing each other often," he said casually.

I swallowed the bile raising in my chest.

Adrian's gaze met mine for a second.

Just one second. But something dangerous flashed in his eyes. Something that reminded me exactly of the man from last night.

Then it disappeared.

His expression returned to calm professionalism driver. My heart was still beating fast.

Different thoughts kept running through my head. And one thing I was sure about was that he wasn't surprised to see me.

Not even a little.

Which meant one thing.

Adrian already knew whose house he was walking into.

ARIA POV

My father finished his coffee as if nothing unusual had just happened.

Like the man standing a few feet away from me wasn't the same man who had spent the night making my entire body burn.

My father finally stood from the table adjusting the cuffs of his suit.

"Adrian." He called.

"Yes, sir,"

"You will drive Aria to her university today."

"Of course, sir."

After he picked up his tablet and walked out of the house without even bidding me goodbye.

Well I wasn't new to that.

Now I was left with him. Adrian. I sat still, staring at Adrian. He didn't look at me, he even didʼnt spare me a glance.

He remained where he was, his face hard as steel.

I forced my legs to move.

I slowly went back to my room to grab my bag. I slammed the door, running my hand through my hair.

"This is a bad idea," I cried out in frustration.

I took my bag and walked toward the door. Adrian was still standing in the exact same spot where I had left him. I walked out anyway.

He moved behind me like a bodyguard.

The walk to the driveway felt longer than usual.

The morning air was cool against my skin, but my body felt hot.

The black car was already prepared outside the mansion gates.

Adrian opened the back door for me bowing lightly. "Miss Bennett," he said, in that same formal tone again.

"Fucking coward," I muttered, under my breath.

I climbed inside the car without saying anything. I didn't want to give him the impression that he has a hold over me.

The leather seat felt cold against my skin. A second later, the door beside me was slammed shut.

Adrian walked around the car and got into the driver's seat.

The engine started.

And just like that, we were leaving the mansion.

The silence inside the car was unbearable. My fingers tightened around my bag.

I stared at the back of Adrian's head. His shoulders were relaxed, while his hands moved calmly on the steering wheel. Like nothing had happened between us, like last night never existed. Like he doesnʼt even know me.

I know everywhere was dark when we saw, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to make out my face. Because I could also make out his face in the dark.

Was he seriously pretending? My chest tightened at the thought of that.

The car stopped at a red light. That was it. I know I shouldnʼy have done that, but fuck I had run out of patience.

"Explain. Now." I yelled, my words came out sharp.

Adrian didn't react immediately, his eyes stayed on the road. Like he didn't hear me.

The traffic light turned green, and the car started moving again.

My anger rose.

"Are you going to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Still nothing.

I leaned forward slightly in my seat. "Adrian." This time my voice was colder.

Finally, he spoke. His tone was calm.

"What would you like me to explain, Miss Bennett?" he asked.

My jaw dropped. "Are you serious right now?" I asked, my voice shaky.

I didn't want to sound desperate, but I couldn't help it. He made me feel what I haveʼnt felt in years. I couldn't blame myself.

His eyes met mine briefly through the rearview mirror. His expression remained dark, holding no emotions.

"Very serious." He responded, clenching his jaw.

I felt heat rush to my face in embarrassment.

"You spent the night with me." I dropped my voice, "... in that club."

Silence filled the car again.

For a moment, I wondered if he would deny it.

But he didn't.

"I remember," Adrian said.

My chest tightened with a mix of anger and something worse... disappointment.

"Then why are you acting as if nothing happened?"

His gaze returned to the road. "Because nothing happened that should affect my job. What happened at the club remained in the club."

I stared at the back of his head in disbelief. "Your job? Remained in the club?" I repeated still in shock.

"Yes."

"You spent the entire night with me," I said through clenched teeth. "And now you're pretending I'm just your boss's daughter?" My voice rose despite trying to keep it down.

Adrian slowed the car slightly. "Lower your voice, Miss Bennett."

That did it. "Stop calling me that!" The words burst out of me.

"Miss Bennett. Miss Bennett. Miss Bennett." I mocked angrily. "You didn't call me that last night."

The car grew quiet again. For a moment, Adrian said nothing.

Then he spoke quietly. "Last night and today are two different situations."

I clenched my fist, resisting the urge to punch that word off his mouth. "Oh really?"

"Yes."

"What exactly changed overnight, Adrian? Or should I call you the dominant driver now?"

I know I shouldʼt have said that. But you can't tell an angry woman what not to say.

Adrian's jaw tightened slightly at my word, but he ignored it. "You became my employer's daughter."

The words hurt me more than I expected. I leaned back slowly in my seat.

"So that's it?" I asked bitterly. "That's your explanation?"

Adrian didn't answer.

The silence stretched between us.

My mind kept replaying the night in the club. His hands, his voice. The way he looked at me.

That man felt real.

But the man driving this car? He felt like a stranger.

"You knew," I said suddenly. Adrian's eyes darted in the mirror. "You knew whose house you were walking into."

It wasn't a question, it was more of a statement.

He didn't deny it. "Yes." He said coldly.

My stomach dropped.

"You knew I was Victor Bennett's daughter... and you still..." I stopped myself.

Adrian spoke before I could finish. "The club has rules."

My eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"What happens inside stays inside." His voice was firm now. "That night belonged to the club. Not to our lives outside it."

I let out a dry laugh.

"So you're just going to erase it?"

Adrian didn't answer.

The university gates appeared ahead of us. Students walked around the campus. The car slowed to a stop near the entrance.

Adrian got out and opened my door. "Your university, Miss Bennett."

I stepped out slowly. For a moment, we stood there facing each other.

This was the first time I had seen him up close since this morning. And I couldn't deny the fact that he looked exactly the same. Same posture, same calmness.

But his eyes... They weren't as cold as he wanted me to believe.

"You're lying," I said quietly.

His expression didn't change. "What do you mean?"

"You're pretending it meant nothing," I said, holding his gaze. "But it did, deep down you know that."

For the first time since the drive started, Adrian looked slightly unsettled.

I stepped back, without waiting for his answer. "See you later... driver."

Then I turned and walked toward the university entrance.

I didn't bother looking back, but I could feel his gaze on me.

ADRIAN POV

I kept staring at the TIME. 2:00 PM.

Which meant I had ten more minutes before Aria finished her last class.

I leaned against the black car parked across the university gate, folded my hands across my chest, patiently waiting.

Students walked past me in groups, laughing and talking loudly about assignments, parties, and weekend plans.

None of it mattered to me, my eyes were fixed on the entrance of the university, waiting for her to be done.

Aria Bennett. Victor Bennett's daughter.

Just thinking about her name made my jaw tighten. The moment she stepped into that club last night, I recognised her. Immediately.

People believed the masks inside the club hid the identities of those wearing them, but they were wrong. Some people carried their identities in the way they walked, the way they spoke, and the way others reacted to them.

Not even for Aria Bennett, whom I spent the last four month, making research on.

Aria Bennett a powerful businessman's daughter. The girl every media outlet loved to talk about. The obedient princess of the Bennett family.

Except last night... she wasn't obedient. She was anxious, and dangerously curious.

I exhaled slowly.

I never planned to touch her. I never planned to see her in that club., but the moment she challenged me... everything changed.

That night should have never happened.

A group of students passed in front of the car, blocking my view for a moment discussing God know what. When they moved away, I saw her.

Aria stepped out of the university gate with two girls beside her. One I recognised as Ashley, the one who brought her to my club, and the other one was Leah. I know about her through my research on her.

Aria was talking to them, but she didn't look happy. Her expression was blank. Then her eyes found me.

She froze.

The two girls beside her followed her gaze and looked at me curiously. Ashley's gaze hardened at the sight of me.

For a brief second, something flashed in her eyes... before she masked it with an innocent smile, acknowledging me with a stylish bow.

Aria quickly whispered something to them as she walked toward the car.

She took a slow step towards me, like she was taking her time, or like she didn't know whether she wanted to strangle me... or scream at me.

Probably both.

I opened the back door before she reached the car.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bennett."

Her eyes stayed on me with clear irritation immediately.

She climbed inside without answering me.

I slammed the door harder than necessary. I walked around the car and got into the driver's seat.

Then I started the engine.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Suddenly I heard her voice from the back seat.

"So we're still doing this?" she asked in a low voice.

I kept my eyes on the road. "Doing what, Miss Bennett?"

A sharp laugh came from behind me. "Pretending."

The word stayed in the air for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything.

I exhaled slowly.

"You should keep your voice down," I said calmly.

"Oh, don't worry," she snapped. "I'm not screaming this time."

The car stopped at a red light. I glanced briefly at the mirror. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, I could sense frustration on her face.

"Why did you take this job?" she asked suddenly.

Straight to the point. I expected nothing less.

"Your father hired me," I answered simply.

"That's not what I asked." She retorted, glaring at me through the rear-view mirror.

The light turned green, then the car moved again.

Silence stretched between us before I finally spoke.

"I knew who you were when you walked into the club. I was already hired before then." I confessed.

Her breath caught behind me. "I thought so," she said quietly.

"But I didn't expect the night to happen, I didnʼt expect you to be at the club a night before my resumption, nor did I expect you to know about the club." I continued.

"And now?" Her voice was softer now.

"Now it's dangerous," I said calmly.

We stay silent, the word hard on us.

"Dangerous?" she repeated.

"Yes."

"Because of my father?" she questioned.

"Yes," I repeated.

She leaned forward slightly in the seat. "You're scared of him?"

"No."

My answer came immediately. "I respect the consequences, and the rules of my job."

That seemed to irritate her even more.

"So the solution is pretending nothing happened?"

I finally looked at her through the mirror. "Not pretending."

"Then what?" she asked.

"Protecting both of us," I answered easily.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"If your father finds out what happened at that club..." I continued.

I let the sentence hang.

She understood immediately. Her expression hardened. "He would fire you."

"That would be the best outcome," I replied, and that made her pause.

"And the worst?"

I turned my eyes back to the road. "The worst," I said quietly, "would be far more complicated than this."

The car grew silent again.

Aria leaned back slowly in her seat. For the first time since the drive started, she didn't argue.

Instead, she asked something unexpected.

"Did you regret it?"

My hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. I didn't answer.

Not because I didn't have one... but because saying it would change things.

Her tiny voice came again. "Last night."

Another long silence filled the car.

Finally, I spoke. "No."

The answer came out quieter than I expected.

Aria didn't speak again after that.

Outside, the familiar gates of the Bennett mansion appeared. The car slowed down as the guards opened the gate.

We drove inside.

I parked the car in the driveway and stepped out.

Opening the back door, I held it for her.

She stepped out slowly. For a moment we stood there again. Closely, just staring at one another.

Her eyes searched my face for a moment. "You're a terrible liar, Adrian," she said softly.

My expression remained calm. "I never lied."

She studied me for another second. Then she turned and walked toward the mansion.

But just before entering the house, she stopped.

And looked back at me.

"This isn't over," she said. Then she disappeared inside