Aria

Aria’s POV

The bell above the coffee shop door rings, and I smile automatically.
Morning shift.
I tie my apron and glance at my reflection in the glass—soft face, calm eyes, harmless smile. That’s what people see. That’s what I let them see.
“Aria, you’re early again,” Lena Frost says, handing me the order pad.
“I like quiet mornings,” I reply.
That’s not a lie. Quiet feels safe.
Maya Quinn is already at the counter, grinding coffee beans. She grins at me. “Your regulars are coming. Smile duty.”
As if I ever stop.
We work together like this every day—three girls, same routine, same jokes. They think this job is all I have. They think my life started after my parents died.
They don’t know about the nights I don’t sleep.
They don’t know about the messages I delete.
They don’t know I lie for a living.
“Earth to Aria,” Maya teases. “You’re thinking too hard again.”
I laugh softly. “Just tired.”
Lena watches me carefully. She always does. “Don’t overwork yourself.”
If only she knew what work really meant for me.
When the customers come, my smile becomes real enough to fool everyone—including my friends. But inside, I’m counting exits, faces, patterns.
Because this coffee shop is my cover.
And smiling is my weapon.

kian
The city looks small from my office window.
I like it that way.
“Your ten a.m. meeting is ready,” Evan Cole says calmly.
I nod without turning around. Evan understands silence better than most people.
Behind him, Rafe Knox leans against the wall—still, alert. Theo Vance stands near the table, already reading the room.
They’re the only ones I trust.
“Talk,” I say.
Theo looks up. “Someone’s collecting information around our lower networks. Quietly.”
I clench my jaw. “Name?”
“Not yet.”
That bothers me.
Nothing moves in my world without my permission. Someone testing my borders means one thing—war, or preparation for it.
I think of my family without wanting to.
Julian Vale, smiling like a snake.
Margaret Vale, sweet poison in human form.
Richard Vale, a father who taught me power before love.
I don’t belong to them anymore.
“Find the leak,” I say coldly. “No mistakes.”
Rafe nods once. He already knows what that means.
As Evan leaves, something strange settles in my chest. A feeling I haven’t had in years.
Not fear.
Awareness.
Something from my past is moving again. I don’t know what. I don’t know who.
But I know this—
Whatever it is, it’s closer than it should be.