Chapter 6 Invitations and Rides

A thin white envelope waited on Aria's breakfast tray, its gold seal catching the morning light. The Carter family crest a crown framed by laurel leaves was stamped deep into the wax.

She didn't touch it at once. Instead she finished the last sip of tea, slow and steady. In her first life she would have ripped it open the second she saw it, heart pounding, afraid of what her parents might think if she delayed.

Not today.

When she finally broke the seal, the handwriting was her mother's.

Family dinner this evening. Eight o'clock. Your presence is expected.

No greeting. No love. Just the familiar, chilly command.

Aria smiled, small and sharp.

Expected. Of course.

She rose from the table and walked to the wardrobe. Her new life as Mrs. Cross came with closets full of luxury, but she chose a simple black dress that skimmed her knees. Soft silk, long sleeves, no sparkle. She added pearl earrings and a single silver bracelet. Understated power.

"Good choice," she murmured to her reflection. The woman in the mirror looked calm, almost regal.

By six o'clock the Cross family driver, a quiet man named Peter, waited at the door. "Mrs. Cross," he said with a respectful nod as he opened the sleek black sedan.

Aria slid into the back seat. The leather was cool against her palms.

The city outside blurred as they moved. Neon lights flickered across glass towers. Traffic hummed like a low tide. Aria let her head rest lightly against the seat and watched the familiar streets pass.

This road had carried her to the Carter estate many times before. She remembered the last drive before everything fell apart: the frantic way she'd checked her makeup, the dread that sat heavy in her chest, the desperate hope that her family might finally show her kindness.

What a fool she'd been.

Now she rode in silence, no fear, only a quiet readiness.

Peter spoke once. "Will Mr. Cross be joining you later, ma'am?"

"No," Aria said. "This visit is mine alone."

The driver nodded and focused on the road.

The city lights thinned, giving way to long dark stretches of trees. The Carter estate stood outside the bustle, a showpiece of old money and pride.

As they neared the gates, Aria caught her first glimpse of the mansion. Golden lights glowed behind rows of tall windows. The stone walls rose high and cold, ivy twisting like dark veins. Spotlights lit the driveway, throwing long shadows across the gravel.

It looked exactly the same as the night she'd come begging for help in her past life. She remembered how those gates had seemed like the entrance to safety. Instead they had opened onto betrayal.

Her chest tightened for a breath, then the feeling passed.

Peter slowed to a stop at the main gate. A security guard stepped forward, flashlight sweeping across the car before recognition lit his face.

"Mrs. Cross," he said quickly, almost bowing as he waved them through.

The car rolled along the long driveway, tires crunching over gravel. The scent of pine drifted through the open vent, cool and sharp.

Aria sat straighter. Each second brought her closer to the people who had once ruined her. But she wasn't the same girl they'd broken.

When the sedan finally halted before the grand front doors, Peter turned to her. "Shall I wait here, ma'am?"

"Yes. I won't be long."

He nodded again and stepped out to open her door.

Aria placed one heel on the gravel, then the other. The night air carried a faint trace of rain, and the mansion's lights bathed her in a pale gold glow.

She lifted her chin and climbed the steps.

Inside those walls her parents waited with their careful smiles and hidden knives.

This time, she thought, let them try.

A servant opened the heavy oak doors before Aria could lift a hand to knock. The woman bowed slightly. "Welcome home, Miss Ar-" She caught herself. "Mrs. Cross."

The pause was small but sharp enough to notice. Aria only nodded and stepped inside.

The Carter mansion smelled of polished wood and faint lavender, exactly as she remembered. Chandeliers dripped light onto marble floors. Oil paintings of long-dead ancestors lined the walls, their stern eyes following every move.

Her father waited in the front hall, straight-backed in a dark suit. Charles Carter still looked like the businessman who ruled boardrooms, hair silvering at the temples but eyes bright and cool.

"Aria," he said. No hug. Not even a handshake. Just her name, flat as a meeting agenda.

"Father." She met his gaze without blinking.

Behind him her mother emerged from the formal sitting room. Grace Carter was elegance wrapped in silk, a deep green gown setting off her flawless skin. She smiled, but the curve of her lips never reached her eyes.

"Mrs. Cross," her mother said, the title smooth and careful. "We weren't sure you'd accept our invitation."

"You wrote that my presence was expected," Aria replied. "I try to be punctual."

A flicker crossed her mother's face surprise, maybe irritation but it vanished quickly.

From a side hallway came the shuffle of other relatives: an uncle with a drink already in hand, a pair of cousins whispering behind their palms. They had all gathered to see the daughter who had supposedly married into power.

One cousin, Lydia, stepped forward with a wide grin. "So it's true. You really did marry Damian Cross. I thought it was just talk."

Aria offered a small smile. "Talk travels fast, but yes, it's true."

"Is he as cold as people say?" another cousin asked, half-teasing, half-prying.

Aria let a heartbeat of silence stretch, then answered lightly. "You'll have to ask him yourself one day. I wouldn't want to ruin the mystery."

A ripple of quiet laughter moved through the group. Some looked impressed, others uneasy. Aria caught her mother's subtle frown and felt a spark of satisfaction.

The family moved toward the grand dining room. Footsteps echoed on marble, the air filled with the soft clink of glassware being set in place. Aria walked at the center of the group, calm and steady.

Inside, the long table gleamed under crystal chandeliers. Silver cutlery and white china reflected the light like tiny mirrors. Two servants poured wine into delicate glasses.

Her father took the head of the table. "Sit here," he told her, motioning to the seat on his right a place of honor she had never been offered before.

In her first life she would have taken it with shy gratitude. Tonight she simply inclined her head and sat, neither humbled nor thrilled.

Questions came as soon as she settled.

"How is the Cross household treating you?" her mother asked, voice mild but eyes sharp.

"Peaceful," Aria said. "The staff are efficient. The house is quiet."

"Damian is a busy man," an uncle said, swirling his wine. "Perhaps too busy for a young wife."

Aria sipped her water. "Busy men build empires. I respect that."

The uncle blinked, clearly hoping for gossip that never arrived.

A cousin leaned in, curiosity bright. "Did you two have a proper honeymoon?"

Aria set her glass down, smile unshaken. "Business called him early. I don't mind. I have my own work to plan."

The cousin looked startled, as if she'd expected a meek bride.

Inside, Aria's thoughts moved like quick water. Every question was a small trap. Once she would have stumbled, desperate to please. Now she gave nothing away. Each calm answer reminded them that she was no longer the fragile daughter they had dismissed.

As the first course arrived a delicate soup scented with herbs Aria glanced around the table. Every familiar face held the same mixture of curiosity and calculation.

They wanted to measure her worth in this new marriage, to see if the Cross fortune would flow back into their hands. They wanted weakness.

She let them search. They would find none.

A sudden murmur near the door drew everyone's attention. Soft footsteps approached, slow and deliberate.

Vivienne.

Aria didn't turn right away. She lifted her spoon, tasting the soup as if nothing at all had changed, while the air in the room thickened with the promise of the next battle.