Chapter 3: “What do you think you’re doing?”

Aria blinked against the blinding light that assaulted her eyes the moment she opened them.

Her eyes darted around the room searching for confirmation, seeking reassurance that what she was seeing wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

She clamped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. She took a step back, body instinctively retreating as though her subconscious had triggered a defensive response to protect her.

Music hummed softly in the air, the gentle buzz of elegant laughter and clinking champagne glasses that grounded her to the scene around her.

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

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

Her breath hitched as she looked around, heart pounding wildly against her ribcage. Her eyes went vacant, like the empty windows of a haunted house as soon as she saw Adrian beside her, grinning.

It was as if her mind were wrapped in wool, softening the edges of reality. The last thing she remembered was pain, too much pain and blood. And her baby.

Her hands trembled with repressed fury, fingers curling into tight fists, nails digging into her palms, the pain grounding her amidst the tempest of her emotions. Her skin crawled when Adrian touched her arm, with a microphone on the other.

She knew what he was about to do. Propose to her. She smirked. She was definitely not 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 her.

The crowd sighed in anticipation. Her mouth went dry, her hatred a bitter taste that she couldn’t swallow. She felt a waved of nausea, a visceral reaction to his presence.

“I think it’s time we take things to the next step, my love.” Adrian said turning fully to face her 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 she interrupted.

“No.” she sneered, staring down at him.

The ballroom fell into a hushed silence, it was as though the air had become solid, and making each breath feels like an intrusion.

“What?” Adrian asked blinking as if he hadn’t heard her correctly.

The air cracked with tension as her jaw tightened, muscles twitching with every suppressed urge to lash out, her eyes blazing with fury indignation.

“I can’t marry you.” She answered, her tone chilled.

“What are you talking about?” Adrian asked, his mouth opened and disbelief etched on his face.

“I’m in love with someone else, so I can’t marry you.” She replied, her voice raised an octave.

The silence after her words stretched unnervingly long. It had a vitality of its own, like a living entity that permeated every corner of the hall.

“That’s not possible. Who?” he asked shocked.

She didn’t answer him. Her eyes scanned the ballroom in search of an escape route. But just as she was about to give up, she saw him.

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

They’d never gotten along. Ethan was her father’s former assistant, but he made his opinions about her, taking over as CEO clear. He thinks she was immature.

But Ethan Lou was real, not a liar, and definitely not a murderer. And he was someone she is definitely not in love with.

Before she could second-guess herself, she stepped off the stage. Her heart rate increased and her breathe came out in short gasps but she didn’t hesitate.

Her stilettos clacked against the ballroom floor, each step slicing through the thick tension that has descendent in the hall like a blade.

The silence was palpable, pressing in from all directions, as she stopped in front of him.

“Kiss me back, or we both lose everything.” She whispered to him, her fingers curled around his collar.

Ethan’s eyes widened, his jaw slacked as the whole ballroom stared, stunned.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered back, disbelief coloring his voice.

“Smile,” she cut him off, fingers still curled around 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.”

She didn’t give him a chance to reply. She just drew him close to her by his collar and kissed the hell out of him.

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

The absence of sound that followed was like a rubber band pulled at its limit, ready to snap at any moment. The quiet wrapped around them, muffling even the slightest sound.

The guests jaws dropped, eyes widening in disbelief as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through their veins leaving them momentarily stunned.

The media went crazy, snapping away at every detail of the kiss that was happening.

Aria finally pulled away from Ethan and their eyes locked.

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

But before she could respond, chaos erupted behind her.

“Aria!” her father’s voice boomed.

She could feel the wrath coming off of Adrian as he stormed towards them in a fit of rage.

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

Before Adrian could blink, she wheeled around and slapped him. Hard.

Her hands trembled with repressed fury, fingers curling into tight fists, nails digging into her palms, the pain grounding her amidst the tempest of her emotions.

Adrian’s shocked face was captured by all the cameras flashing crazily at the drama unfolding.

He raised his hands with intention of slapping her back… only for it to be caught mid-air.

Her father didn’t hesitate. His palms cracked across Adrian’s face for the second time with a sharp, hard echoing slap that made her flinch and the whole room to gasps.

Aria’s mother clutched her pearls, her smile forced as she attempts to hide her concern.

“You dare try to lay your filthy hands on my daughter?” Mr. Lin sneered down his nose.

Adrian staggered back, too stunned to reply.

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

Adrian’s mother who was quite all this while 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, Aria would have been terrified of hearing such a threat. But not anymore.

Adrian's mother had made her life hell, but she promised herself she would make them all pay for what they had put her 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.” Her father replied, stepping in front of her protectively.

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

Ethan stood speechless, watching as Adrian was hauled out of the ballroom. He had to admit, it was satisfying to watch the arrogant bastard being dragged away like that. The guy was a complete asshole.

Just as Ethan was about to dismiss himself quietly before attention turned to him, Aria collapsed but he managed to catch her just in time, preventing her from hitting the marble floor.

But as he held Aria's unconscious form, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd—someone watching him with a deep scowl and arms crossed tightly across their chest. His eyes widened and he swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry as dust.