Chapter 2 Ghosts in the Mirror

Damien stared at the photo long after the rest of the office had gone dark.

The torn wedding picture trembled in his hand, its jagged edges as sharp as the memories now slicing through him.

Her eyes.

That woman at the gala-he hadn't been wrong. It was her. Aria.

But how?

He'd searched for her after the divorce. At first out of obligation. Later... because regret had started to rot inside him. But she had vanished, like smoke.

Now, she was back-beautiful, untouchable, powerful.

And furious.

Flashback – Three Years Ago

"You think I did this?" Aria's voice had broken like glass.

Damien had looked at her then-not with love, but with disdain. "The evidence was on your laptop. Don't insult me."

Tears clung to her lashes. "Damien, someone planted it! I don't even know how half of those files got there-"

"Save it." He threw the ring box on the table between them. "If you ever loved me, sign the papers quietly. Don't make this uglier than it has to be."

She hadn't cried until he walked out.

Present Day – Leontes Tower

Aria stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city sprawling below her like a kingdom.

"Ma'am," her assistant approached, tablet in hand. "Cross Enterprises' shares have dipped another 4% since this morning. Your takeover is ahead of schedule."

"Good," Aria said coolly, not taking her eyes off the skyline. "Schedule a full board intervention within ten days. I want Damien to feel every crack before it all shatters."

She turned, heels clicking against the marble. "Oh, and tell PR to leak a rumor: Leontes Corp. is preparing to appoint a new male CEO to replace Damien permanently. That'll break what's left of his pride."

The assistant hesitated. "You don't want the public to know it's personal?"

Aria's eyes were ice. "Not yet."

Cross Penthouse – That Night

Damien poured himself a drink. For once, the whiskey didn't burn. Nothing did-not since the photo arrived.

"Aria," he whispered, tasting the name like guilt on his tongue.

He pulled out a drawer he hadn't opened in years. Inside was the journal she used to keep-the one she'd left behind in her rush to disappear.

He flipped it open.

March 12

He kissed me today like he needed me. Maybe I'm not just the orphan girl he rescued. Maybe I'm finally someone worth keeping.

His chest tightened.

He remembered that kiss. It was the day she'd brought him coffee in the rain.

He'd laughed.

She had looked like home.

Next Morning - Cross Enterprises Boardroom

The boardroom was full. Tense. Every executive on edge.

And then she walked in.

Aria.

Damien rose from his seat before he could think. She wore white this time-clean, precise, powerful. The color of reinvention.

"Gentlemen," she greeted coolly, "and Damien."

He stared at her like he was seeing a ghost.

"You're... alive."

She tilted her head. "Disappointed?"

The room fell silent.

"I assume you received my gift," she added.

He didn't answer. Couldn't.

One board member cleared his throat. "Ms. Leontes, with all due respect, what exactly are your intentions regarding this... hostile acquisition?"

She smiled-small, deadly. "Oh, I wouldn't call it hostile. I prefer the term... overdue justice."

Later - In Private

Damien caught her in the corridor, grabbing her arm gently but firmly.

"Aria, wait."

She turned slowly. "Don't touch me."

"You can't just show up and start tearing my life apart-"

Her laugh was soft and bitter. "Funny. Isn't that exactly what you did?"

"You lied to me."

"No," she said. "You never listened. You chose to believe I was the villain because it was easier than loving me through the storm."

"I was protecting my company-"

"You destroyed your wife to do it!"

Silence.

The words hung in the air like broken glass.

Then she stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Tell me, Damien... How does it feel to lose everything to the woman you once called worthless?"

She turned and walked away, heels echoing through the corridor like war drums.

Back in her office, Aria stood over a new file.

A dossier.

She opened it, revealing a secret no one-not even Damien-knew yet.

A medical report.

Pregnancy test: Positive

Estimated date: Three years ago.

Her eyes glistened.

She whispered, almost to herself: "You didn't just divorce me, Damien. You left your child behind."

She snapped the folder shut.

And her voice hardened.

"This isn't just revenge anymore. This is legacy."

To be continued.....