Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Nathan gave me an impossible project
Aria’s POV
I woke up tangled in silk sheets that still carried Damian’s scent.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse bedroom, and I blinked groggily, my body deliciously sore in all the right places.
Last night had been... intense. My cheeks flushed at the memory of Damian’s hands on my skin, his mouth claiming every inch of me, the way he’d made me come apart over and over until I’d lost count.
I reached across the bed, but his side was already cold. Of course he’d left—an Alpha King didn’t have the luxury of lazy mornings, even after a night like that.
But when I padded into my kitchen, still wearing nothing but a shirt that I’d pulled on, I found lunch waiting on the marble counter.
A perfectly seared salmon fillet with a side of roasted vegetables, a fresh garden salad with lemon vinaigrette, and a cappuccino that was somehow still perfectly warm.
A note in his sharp handwriting sat propped against the coffee cup: *Eat. You’ll need your strength. —D*
I was halfway through a piece of salmon fillet when my phone lit up with notifications.
The group chat I’d created for my team at Silver Creek Pack’s company—five brilliant analysts I’d personally trained and mentored—was lighting up with panicked messages.
*Aria, when are you coming back? We can’t take this anymore!*
*Seriously, I’m ready to quit tomorrow...*
*Same. Without you here, there’s no point. I only worked this hard because of you anyway.*
My fingers tightened around my coffee cup. These women didn’t panic easily.
I’d made sure of that when I’d trained them—taught them to stay calm under pressure, to handle difficult clients, to stand their ground.
If they were freaking out, something was very wrong.
*What happened?* I typed quickly.
The responses came flooding in, each one making my blood pressure spike higher.
Ethan had taken Clara to pitch the Maxwell Group project this morning.
The meeting had been a disaster—Alpha Maxwell had literally walked out and initiated termination procedures. The entire company was in chaos.
And Clara, furious and humiliated, had decided to take it out on my team.
This wasn’t the first time either. In just two days since I’d left, Clara had systematically targeted my people—transferring their projects to other departments, cutting their bonuses on bullshit technicalities, making their lives hell.
Cold fury settled in my chest, sharp and crystalline.
Clara had crossed a line.
*Don’t worry,* I typed, keeping my tone steady even though I wanted to throw something. *Take personal leave. All of you. Step away from the company drama. I’ll handle this.*
The relief in their responses was immediate. They trusted me completely, and I’d be damned if I let them down.
I’d been planning to let Ethan stew for a while longer, let him feel the full weight of losing me before I made my next move. But if Clara thought she could bully my people while I was gone, she had another thing coming.
Time to remind them both exactly who they’d fucked with.
---
I arrived at V&S Group headquarters twenty minutes later.
My assistant was waiting when I stepped off the private elevator into my office suite, looking apologetic and distinctly empty-handed.
"Ms. Smith, I’m sorry, but—"
"Where are the reports I asked for?" I kept my voice level, but I could feel my temper starting to fray.
"They said..." She shifted uncomfortably. "They said you don’t have company clearance yet. They can’t release confidential documents without board approval."
Of course they did.
I’d been back at V&A Group for days now, and the board members were still dodging my calls. Sylvia had them all in her pocket, and they were clearly hoping to keep me locked out of actual company operations until they could figure out how to strip my inheritance.
"Ms. Smith?" My assistant looked nervous. "Should I—"
Another knock, sharper and more confident.
"Come in," I said again, waving my assistant out.
Nathan stepped into my office, and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
My dear stepbrother, Sylvia’s golden child, looking impeccable in a tailored suit that probably cost more than most people’s monthly rent.
He dropped a thin folder on my desk without ceremony.
I glanced at it, then at him, one eyebrow raised. "What’s this?"
"A project." He settled into one of my guest chairs like he owned the place, all casual arrogance.
"Heard you used to handle project management at your old job. Thought you might want to help out."
I flipped open the folder, scanning the summary page.
A subsidiary of V&A Group—named Nova Enterprises, currently hemorrhaging money. A hundred million in losses, funding completely dried up, three failed partnership attempts in six months.
This was one of the company’s most notorious disasters—the project even Nathan’s handpicked team hadn’t been able to salvage.
"What’s the catch?" I looked up, meeting his eyes.
"No catch." His smile was all teeth and no warmth. "Just trying to be helpful. You want to prove yourself to the board, right? Want them to take you seriously as Vincent’s heir?"
"And you think assigning me an impossible project is going to help with that?"
"I think," Nathan said slowly, "that if you can turn this disaster around, nobody will be able to question whether you deserve your seat at the table. But—"
He held up one finger. "You’ll have to do it on your own. No company resources. No touching your trust fund. Prove your skills are real, not just daddy’s money opening doors."
He was trying to humiliate me. Set me up to fail so spectacularly that the board would vote to remove me entirely.
I should’ve been angry.
But as I flipped through the folder and saw the list of potential partners, I had to suppress a laugh.
Maxwell Group. The same client that had just walked out on Ethan and Clara this morning.
Nathan had just handed me the perfect opportunity on a silver platter, and he was too arrogant to realize it.
The Maxwell account was mine. Alpha Maxwell had worked with me exclusively for three years, trusted my instincts, valued my analysis. Clara and Ethan could run themselves ragged trying to win him back—he wouldn’t even take their calls.
But me? I could have that contract signed by end of business tomorrow.
And stealing it out from under Ethan would be so, so satisfying.
I looked up at Nathan, letting a slow smile curve my lips.
"Alright," I said softly. "I’ll take your little test. But when I succeed—and I will—I want full access to company systems, complete board transparency, and a seat at every strategic meeting. No more games."
Nathan’s smile flickered, just for a second. He hadn’t expected me to accept.
"Deal," he said, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "Looking forward to watching you try, little sister."
The door closed behind him, and I sat back in my chair, mind already racing through logistics.
My phone buzzed. A text from Damian: *Dinner tonight? I have something to discuss with you.*
My wolf stirred, pleasure warming my chest at his attention.
*Can’t wait,* I texted back. *I have good news to share too.*
Because by tomorrow night, I’d have the Maxwell contract in hand, Ethan’s company would be in shambles, and Nathan would be choking on his own arrogance.
Sometimes revenge tasted even sweeter than Damian’s kisses.
Almost.
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