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Ariana stepped out of Avalon Club, the crisp night air cooling her heated skin. She had just played her hand, set the bait, and watched Liam squirm.
Now, all she had to do was wait.
She adjusted her coat, preparing to leave, when a familiar presence made her pause.
Leaning against a sleek black Aston Martin, arms crossed over his broad chest, was Damian Blackwood.
And he did not look pleased.
His gray eyes were sharp, locked onto her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.
Ariana blinked, thrown off for the first time that evening. “Damian?”
His jaw ticked. “Having fun?”
She arched a brow, recovering quickly. “Were you watching me?”
Damian pushed off the car, stepping closer. “You walked into a private club known for secrecy and whispered scandals,” he murmured, his voice low, dark. “And you had a very interesting conversation with your ex.”
Ariana smirked, tilting her head. “Are you jealous?”
Damian’s eyes darkened. “I don’t get jealous.”
Ariana took a slow step toward him, challenging. “Then why do you look like you’re ready to put a bullet in
Liam Carter’s head?”
Damian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached out, fingers brushing against her wrist, the touch light
but possessive.
“You shouldn’t be near him,” he said, voice edged with warning.
Ariana’s smirk didn’t waver, but she was very aware of how close they were now. “Why?”
His fingers trailed up her forearm, a slow, deliberate touch that made her pulse jump.
“Because he doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you,” Damian murmured, his gaze flickering to her lips.
Ariana’s breath hitched.
Damn him.
This was dangerous. Too dangerous.
She pulled back, clearing her throat. “Well, lucky for you, I wasn’t there to reconcile.”
Damian’s smirk returned, but it was darker this time. “I know. I also know you’re up to something.”
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Ariana gave him an innocent look. “Me? Up to something?”
Damian exhaled, his frustration evident, but instead of pressing further, he simply grabbed her hand and pulled her toward his car
“Damian,” she started, amused. “Are you kidnapping me?*
He opened the passenger door, looking down at her. “I’m taking you home. You’ve played enough games for one night.”
Ariana chuckled, shaking her head as she slid into the car. Possessive. So very possessive.
And she liked it way more than she should.
By the time Ariana got home, she was still embarrassed about the kiss she had impulsively given Damian after their last date.
And now, he was acting like he owned her.
She groaned, slipping out of her dress and stepping into a steaming hot shower.
As the water cascaded down her skin, her mind didn’t drift to Liam or Sienna.
It drifted to Damian.
His touch.
His voice.
The way he had looked at her tonight–like he wanted to ruin her in ways Liam never could.
Ariana exhaled sharply, turning the water off. She wrapped herself in a silk robe, made herself a light dinner, then sat at her desk, laptop open.
It was time for the next move.
Hacking into Avalon Club’s security system was almost too easy. Their firewalls were decent, but she had dealt
with far worse.
Within minutes, she was in.
She scrolled through the security footage, her fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard. Then-
There.
A perfect, crystal–clear two–second clip.
Liam, leaning toward her, looking almost desperate.
Ariana, smirking, calm, unreadable.
It was just enough.
Just enough to plant doubt.
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Ariana saved the clip, opened a burner phone, and typed a message.
Unknown Number: You should ask your boyfriend where he was tonight.
She attached the video and hit send.
The message was delivered to Sienna Hayes.
Ariana leaned back in her chair, taking a slow sip of wine, her lips curling.
Liam had no idea the storm that was about to rip through his life.
Carter Penthouse – 2 AM
Sienna Hayes sat in bed, her perfectly manicured nails drumming against her phone screen.
She had been waiting.
Waiting for Liam to come home.
Waiting for an explanation as to why he had disappeared without telling her.
Again.
The moment he walked through the door, she didn’t react.
Didn’t rush to greet him.
Didn’t even look up from her phone.
Instead, she waited.
Liam sighed, rubbing his temples as he shrugged off his jacket. “Sienna, it’s late. Why are you still up?”
She exhaled slowly, then turned her phone toward him.
“Where were you tonight?”
Liam frowned. “What?”
Sienna tapped the screen, playing the two–second video.
Liam’s body went rigid.
His own face stared back at him–sitting across from Ariana.
Sienna watched him closely, searching for a crack, a lie, an excuse.
“Where were you?” she asked again, voice deceptively soft.
Liam recovered quickly. Too quickly.
“Sienna, I-” He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “I ran into Ariana. It was nothing. She wanted to talk.”
Sienna’s lips pressed into a thin line. “So you went to see her? Behind my back?”
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Liam scoffed. “I didn’t go to see her. It just happened”
Sienna clenched her jaw. “And you just didn’t think to tell me?”
Liam stepped toward her, voice calm, controlled. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d overreact
Sienna’s fingers tightened around her phone.
“Overreact?” she repeated.
Liam exhaled. “Sienna, it was two seconds. Are you really going to start a fight over this**
Sienna stared at him, her stomach twisting
Ariana had set a trap.
And Liam had walked right into it.
Her heart ached, but she forced herself to think.
Liam was smart. A liar. A manipulator.
But was he telling the truth?
She studied him, his casual arrogance, his frustration.
And for the first time…
She wasn’t sure.
Her voice dropped. “Liam, do you still love her?”
Silence.
For a moment too long, he didn’t answer.
Then-“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Sienna’s stomach sank.
Because that wasn’t a real answer.
And now?
Now, she wasn’t sure if she had ever really won at all.
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