Chapter 1 Fired by the Devil

POV: Aria West

"You may leave now, Miss West. You're no longer needed."

Aria felt like the words were as sharp as any knife she had ever used. Everyone in the meeting went silent in shock. Her chest hurt like a war drum, and the sound of it echoed through everything she'd built.

On the top floor of Blake Enterprises, the office with glass walls sparkled with clean beauty. Manhattan's skyline sparkled in the distance, but the cold tension in the room was brighter than the city itself. Aria West stood in front of a group of executives in a half-circle, her chest moving slowly up and down to show she was angry.

It looked like a king was sitting on his chair at the head of the long black table. Julian Blake was the man who ran the kingdom. He was incredibly good-looking in a cruel, alluring way. He had a sharp chin, dark hair that looked too good to touch, and eyes as cold as obsidian.

He said in a voice that didn't sound cool, "You're going against my strategy in front of the board." "Is this your idea of professionalism, Miss West?"

Aria squeezed her hands together. "With all due respect, Mr. Blake, your strategy will bury the charity wing and expose the company to media backlash."

A few board members looked at each other in a strange way. Aria could see them fidgeting in their places, not sure if they should speak out for her or keep quiet because Julian Blake had made it clear that they couldn't.

He slowly tilted his head, like a hunter getting a good look at its prey. "Is that true?" Do you believe you know more than I do?"

"I think I care about people more than you do," she shot back. Her voice was calm, but her nerves made her hands sweat. "This is more than just numbers." It's about family. It's about life."

They were cut off from each other by a long silence.

He smiled with his lips curled together. Not nice. Not pleased. Not safe. "Miss West, you can go now. "We no longer need you."

Gasps could be heard all over the office. Some people's eyes dropped. No one moved.

Aria took a quick blink.

"Excuse me?"

He stood still and in charge. "You're fired." Starting right away."

Going back:

She was on the cover of Forbes' "30 Under 30" book a year ago. An important person on Wall Street, Martin West's daughter.

It all went bad after that. stealing money. Corruption. The police caught her father. Their family name caught fire. She went from being loved by business people to being looked down upon overnight.

She got into Blake Enterprises with just her pride, her degree, and her guts. She was being wiped again.

Aria's pride was shaky. She was ready to cry, scream, and throw something. She wouldn't give him that power, though.

She said in a whisper, "You can't do this just because I don't agree with you."

Julian moved toward her. Not far enough. His smell dark wood and ambition wrapped around her like smoke.

"Watch me."

His voice was soft. It's cold. Not safe.

His eyes did seem to be telling him something, though. The mask has a crack. Ready to go? An annoyance? She couldn't name it.

She put her heel down and walked out, the sound of her shoes hitting the tile floor like a war drum.

She wasn't sad. She wasn't even in the lift when she got there.

It broke her whole world again, though.

In the late evening

Aria and her best friend Lexi were sitting across from each other in a quiet bar. The air was heavy with the smell of booze and broken hearts.

"He made me look bad, Lex." In front of the whole board."

Lexi closed her eyes. "Julian Blake wears fancy suits like the devil." Don't worry, though. Karma is a very patient person.

Aria took a sip of her whiskey. "I wish karma worked faster." I need a job. Next week is the rent due date.

Lexi put her head down and leaned in. "What if I told you there's a way to ruin him and get your life back?"

Aria wrinkled her face. "What are you talking about?"

Lexi smiled with her lips curled up. "Julian Blake needs a fake wife badly. A friend of mine who works in law heard what his helper said. It's for a deal to join."

Aria stopped moving.

"A fake marriage?"

Lexi said yes. "And you're going to be the bride."

Aria's chest was beating very fast.

False wedding Did Julian Blake?

Who was the man who had just killed her?

She put her glass to her lips and shook her hand.

"Give me that deal." Watch how the devil treats a woman who has nothing to lose.

Julian Blake watched Aria's employee file flash one last time on his screen from the dark of his hilltop office.

"Let's see if you're worth the trouble, Miss West," he said.

I screamed into the lift and didn't dare look back. My boots squeaked as they hit the marble floor. The sound was sharp, just like every word Julian Blake had said to me. But something much more dangerous than anger beat in my heart, making it shake and betray me.

It hurt that the thought of his voice made my heart beat faster.

"Wait."

Someone reached in and opened the elevator doors, just in time.

Julian.

I held my breath. "Are you here to gloat some more?"

He walked in, still and calm, but his eyes showed that he wasn't. "No." "I'm here to warn you."

I laughed very hard. "You've already taken away my honor." What else do you want to warn me about?"

Too close, he moved in. The pricey cologne on his shirt could be smelled. It was both exciting and frustrating.

"You think I liked firing you?" he asked in a low voice. "You're smarter than that."

I was shocked and blinked. "You made me look bad in front of everyone." "You made it about me."

He clenched his teeth. "Because it was personal."

That shut me up.

My chest quickly went up and down. It felt like a breath as the heat from his body touched mine. He was only a few inches away.

"Why, Julian? "Why make it about you?"

It wasn't an answer.

The elevator made a noise. On the parking level, the doors opened, but neither of us moved. The stress was like steel cords around us.

Then he said it in a low, dangerous voice: "Because someone is after you." You had to leave before they turned you into a pawn.

I went cold. "What are you talking about?"

He looked at me like he was thinking about what to do next. "Let's just say that your dad's scandal wasn't just about him." You'll be next."

The doors began to shut once more.

"Wait, what do you mean I'm next?" Julian!"

He opened the door and left. "Aria, we'll talk soon. Not here, though. "Don't do it while they're looking."

He vanished into the darkness.

I was the only one in the lift.

I was fired, but now it wasn't the worst thing that had happened to me today.