Julian's pov

Power isn’t loud. It’s silent, cold, and calculated.

I stepped into the mirrored elevator of Styles International, my suit sharp, custom-stitched, the charcoal gray matching the mood of the morning. I adjusted my cufflinks platinum, engraved with my initials and checked the time. 7:56 a.m. Four minutes early. Exactly where I wanted to be.

When the doors opened, the scent of imported espresso and fresh ambition hit me like a pulse. Every head in the executive lobby turned not because I asked them to. They just did. Fear and respect did that.

“Morning, Mr. Styles,” Blaze said, falling into step beside me. She wore a tight bun, no makeup, black heels that clicked across the marble with efficiency. All business. No chatter.

“Status,” I said.

“You’ve got the board at nine. Vale Corp is pushing again Grey’s team wants a revised clause

in the patent deal.”

I smirked. “He’s still trying to chip away at our lead?”

Blaze didn’t look up from her tablet. “Desperate moves from the second-richest man in the industry.”

“Still second,” I muttered. “Let him stay there.”

The meeting was already heated when I walked in.

One of my VPs stood mid-argument, trying to defend a proposal that would weaken our hold on a newly acquired AI firm. Grey’s name floated around the table like smoke.

I didn’t sit.

Instead, I stood at the head, hands on the glass table, voice calm but firm. “If any of you think I built this empire by giving handouts to my rivals, you’re welcome to clean out your desks.”

Silence.

Eyes dropped. Spines straightened.

I walked slowly to my chair and sat. “Grey Vale wants a seat at this table. He’s not getting it. Not through tech. Not through the media. Not through me.”

An intern dropped his pen. No one laughed.

That was power, not ego, not noise. Just results.

I stepped back into my office, a fortress of glass, steel, and silence.

Blaze entered with a folder.

“Personal update,” she said. “Miss Reed moved in last night. Quietly. No media leaks. We’re clear.”

I nodded once.

“And tonight?”

“The dinner with your parents. Mallory confirmed they’ll be here at eight sharp.”

“Good.” I leaned back in the chair. “They’re expecting what?”

“A real relationship,” Blaze said carefully. “Your mother thinks she’s ‘refreshingly ordinary.’”

A low laugh escaped me. “She’s not ordinary at all.”

That thought lingered longer than I liked.

The penthouse was silent when I returned high above Manhattan, wrapped in glass, clouds sliding past like ghosts.

I found Aria in the sitting room, standing by the window in a soft, ivory dress. It wasn’t designer, but it suited her. Her blonde hair was curled lightly, falling past her shoulders. She wasn’t trying too hard and somehow, that made it worse.

Or better.

Her brown eyes met mine as I entered.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know if this was too formal…”

“You look appropriate,” I said, crossing to pour myself a drink. “And that’s not a compliment.”

She blinked.

“It’s a fact,” I added.

“I’ll take what I can get,” she muttered.

There it was the fire. I liked that. Too many people around me bent without breaking. She cracked without shattering.

"Here is your engagement ring" I said handling her a small black box

She opened it and saw a beautiful diamond ring which was probably worth hundreds of thousands. She was still staring at the expensive ring when she noticed it was being removed from the box.

"If you'll allow me" I said, taking Nicole's hand and gently putting the ring on her finger

This was only a contract yet I was still being a gentleman.

"Please don't blow this off" i whispered in her ears

I took a slow sip, then set the glass down. “Your clothes are in your room closet. Change. We’re meeting my parents in an hour.”

She straightened. “You could’ve said that earlier.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You had time.

“Next time, a heads-up would be nice.”

“There won’t be a next time,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Right.”

The Styles estate in Westchester was sleek and traditional glass chandeliers, deep mahogany walls, and white-gloved staff.

My parents were already seated at the private dining table. My father stood. My mother, Mallory, didn’t.

“Julian,” she said, her tone cool as usual. “And this must be Aria.”

Aria smiled politely. “It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Styles.”

Mallory studied her like she was reading between lines.

You can call me mom

“You have a calm face,” she said. “That’s rare.”

Aria flushed slightly. “I’m just trying to breathe.”

My father chuckled. “She’s honest. I like that.”

Mallory sipped her wine. “So tell me, Aria, how did you and my son meet?”

I answered before Aria could open her mouth. “She spilled tea on me.”

There was a pause. My mother blinked.

“Literally?” Mallory asked.

“Yes,” I said. “It was... memorable.”

Aria glanced at me, surprised. I gave nothing away.

“You must have made quite the impression,” my father added, smiling warmly at Aria. “He’s never brought anyone here before.”

“That’s true,” Mallory said, eyes narrowing slightly. “You must be special.”

Aria smiled tightly, choosing silence.

Good girl.

My mother leaned her chin into her hand. “So, Aria... what do you do in your spare time?”

“She likes books,” I said before Aria could. “And walks.”

Mallory raised a brow at me.

“She told me once,” I added.

My father chuckled. “And how long have you two been seeing each other?”

“Long enough,” I said. “Not long enough for this dinner to feel natural.”

They both smiled.

“Any plans to travel together?” Mallory asked.

“She’s not a fan of planes,” I answered again. “We’ll start with a road trip.”

“What about kids”?

“Mom I shouted using my side eye to look at Aria who choked on her food”

Aria blinked at me, eyes wide.

Mallory chuckled. “You really do listen. That’s rare for you.”

My shoulders relaxed a fraction.

By dessert, my parents were sold or at least interested.

Mallory leaned in. “Aria, I hope we see more of you.”

“Thank you,” she said, lowering her eyes.

“I mean it,” Mallory added, voice sharper. “I think you’re good for him.”

I saw it the shift. My mother, the woman who could smell lies from across continents, didn’t suspect a thing. And now she wanted Aria to stay.

Exactly what I needed.

I poured a glass of scotch in the kitchen, my sleeves rolled up. Aria sat at the breakfast bar, quiet.

“I’m surprised,” she said.

“At what?”

“Your parents. I thought they’d be... colder.”

“They’re not warm,” I said. “They’re strategic.”

She stared at me.

“Your mother likes me.”

“For now.”

“And your father?”

“He thinks any woman willing to tolerate me is a miracle.”

She laughed once, then stopped. “Do they know?”

“No,” I said sharply. “They think this is real. It needs to stay that way.”

Her eyes flicked to the black folder on the counter the contract.

“You said one year.”

“Yes.”

“Public appearances. Photos. Shared space. But no... expectations?”

I walked around the counter slowly.

“There are always expectations,” I said. “But they don’t include your body unless you want them to.”

A beat of silence.

“And if I do?”

My jaw tightened.

“Then we stop pretending.”

I stood in my office, alone. The city glowed beneath the glass. Somewhere below, Grey was watching me. Waiting.

I had power. I had billions.

But power couldn’t be lost through force. Only through distraction.

And Aria... she was becoming a distraction.

One I couldn't afford.

Yet here I was keeping her in my home, letting her take up space in my mind.

I had enemies. A rival who had taken Nicole from me. A woman I once trusted. A woman who sold her soul to Grey for money and status.

Now, I had something Grey didn’t expect: unpredictability.

And Aria?

She was the wildcard.

But this time, I’d be the one holding the strings.