CHAPTER 5 – The Second Strike

Morning sunlight spilled through the tall windows of the Vale penthouse, but warmth had long since left Aria’s world. She stood before her mirror, fastening a diamond earring, her reflection calm but her mind sharp.

Phase one was complete. Ethan’s reputation was beginning to crack, and Serena’s perfect façade had started to tremble. The whispers Aria planted now bloomed like venomous flowers — subtle, toxic, unstoppable.

Today began Phase Two: Serena Blake’s unraveling.

---

*Aria’s Point of View*

Aria glanced at the invitation lying on her vanity table — Serena Blake’s exclusive pre-launch brunch for the Kade Foundation’s “Women of Tomorrow” initiative.

The irony almost made her laugh. Serena pretending to empower women when she’d built her social standing on betrayal and deceit.

Aria’s lips curved into a cold smile. Perfect stage for her downfall.

She slipped into a soft lavender dress — graceful but understated, a look that whispered elegance without effort. She didn’t need to dazzle anymore; her presence alone unsettled people.

As she left, her phone vibrated.

A message from Alexander Draven.

> Alexander: “I hear you’re attending Serena Blake’s event. Don’t start a war too early.”

Aria smirked.

> Aria: “Who said I’m starting it? I’m simply watching the fire I lit.”

> Alexander: “Careful, Miss Vale. Fire doesn’t care who started it. It burns everything in reach.”

She didn’t reply — but a faint, inexplicable warmth lingered as she tucked her phone away.

---

*At the Brunch*

The venue gleamed — all white marble and crystal chandeliers. Cameras flashed, influencers smiled, and Serena Blake glided through the crowd in designer perfection.

But beneath that flawless mask, Serena’s nerves were cracking. Aria could see it — the too-bright smile, the darting eyes, the subtle tremor in her glass of champagne.

Aria watched from a corner, every bit the graceful socialite returned from exile. She greeted a few guests, exchanged polite smiles, and then — deliberately — walked toward Serena.

“Serena,” Aria said softly, her tone sugar-sweet. “It’s been a while.”

Serena froze mid-step, her face paling before she forced a polite grin. “Aria! I didn’t expect you here.”

“I’m full of surprises,” Aria replied. “Your event looks lovely. Truly inspiring.”

The sarcasm was so smooth that most people around them didn’t catch it — but Serena did. Her jaw tightened.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Aria’s gaze flicked to Ethan across the room. He was watching them — watching her — his expression unreadable but his knuckles white around his glass.

She smiled to herself. Good. Let him see what he has done.

---

*Ethan’s Point of View*

He shouldn’t care.

He told himself that again and again, but his heart refused to listen.

For weeks, Aria had been everywhere — in every social headline, every whispered conversation. And now, with Alexander Draven’s shadow hovering near her name, his chest burned with something he couldn’t name.

Jealousy. Regret. Fear.

He had built his empire on arrogance, on believing Aria would always stay — gentle, loyal, quiet. But the woman before him now was a stranger. Strong. Magnetic. Untouchable.

They had been arranged for years yet he still can't understand her.

He clenched his jaw. If Draven thinks he can take what’s mine, he’s mistaken.

Later that day, he summoned his assistant. “Push the legal paperwork for our marriage registration,” he ordered.

The assistant blinked. “But sir, I thought you wanted to delay—”

“Do it,” Ethan snapped. “I’m not losing her to anyone. Not even Alexander Draven.”

---

*Alexander’s Point of View*

From the glass-walled top floor of his tower, Alexander Draven watched the coverage of Serena’s event on his tablet.

Aria looked flawless. Controlled. Calculated.

And yet, beneath the perfection, he saw something only he could recognize — a flicker of exhaustion. Revenge was exhilarating, but it was also consuming.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers thoughtfully. “You’re walking a fine line, Miss Vale,” he murmured. “How long before you start to question who’s really winning?”

His phone buzzed. A notification — an alert from one of his internal channels. Ethan Kade had filed expedited marriage registration documents.

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “So the fool finally panics.”

Leila, his assistant, stepped in. “Sir, do we intervene?”

He gave a faint smirk. “No. Let him dig his own grave. I want to see what Aria does when the past tries to chain her again.”

---

*Later That Evening – The Private Gallery Event*

That night, Aria attended a private gallery showing hosted by Alexander. It wasn’t coincidence — she’d received a discreet invitation that morning, unsigned but obvious.

The gallery shimmered under soft lights. Paintings, sculptures, and whispered conversation filled the air. But the real art was the unspoken tension between the two of them.

“Miss Vale,” Alexander greeted, his gaze holding hers. “You clean up well after starting social chaos.”

Aria smiled faintly. “Someone has to make life interesting in Velaris.”

“You’ve done more than that,” he said, offering her a glass of wine. “You’ve made people nervous. Especially one man in particular.”

Her brow arched slightly. “You mean Ethan?”

“I mean a man who still thinks he owns you.” Alexander’s tone was soft, but the power beneath it was unmistakable.

Aria’s lips curved. “No one owns me, Mr. Draven. Not anymore.”

Alexander’s eyes darkened slightly — admiration, maybe, or something far more dangerous. “Good. Because I don’t share.”

For a moment, silence thickened between them — not empty, but charged. Every heartbeat seemed to echo in her chest.

She turned away first, breaking the intensity. “You sound possessive, Mr. Draven.”

He smiled faintly. “I sound honest.”

---

Aria’s Private Thoughts

Back home, Aria sat at her desk, rewatching a clip from the brunch event. Serena’s fake laughter, Ethan’s tight expression — every frame was proof of her control.

But then came another notification: a forwarded document from an anonymous source.

Marriage Registration: Ethan Kade & Aria Vale — expedited process initiated.

Her blood ran cold.

He dared. After everything, he dared to claim her again?

Anger flared hot in her chest, sharper than she expected. This wasn’t love. This was possession — the same kind of control that had suffocated her in her first life.

Not again.

Her phone buzzed. Alexander.

> Alexander: “I assume you’ve seen the news.”

Aria: “He thinks he can trap me again.”

Alexander: “Then make him regret trying.”

She stared at the screen for a moment, her anger cooling into purpose.

Yes. She would.

The next phase of her plan would not just ruin Ethan’s reputation. It would destroy everything he valued — his name, his pride, his control.

> You taught me how to kneel, Ethan. Now, I’ll teach you what it means to fall.

---

Alexander stood on his balcony that night, the city lights glittering like stars beneath him. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

The way her eyes had burned when he mentioned Ethan. The way her voice held steady even when fury stormed behind it. She wasn’t a woman anymore — she was an empire reborn.

He smirked to himself. “Let’s see, Aria Vale. If you can burn a man like Ethan Kade to the ground… what will you do when the fire turns toward me?”

The storm outside roared softly, as if answering him.

And somewhere across the city, Aria’s phone lit up again — not with a message, but with a call from Ethan.

She let it ring.

Then smiled.

> Because this time, the game had only just begun.

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