Chapter 278 Should I call Nathan and warn him off?

Chapter 278: Chapter 278 Should I call Nathan and warn him off?

Aria’s POV

"As far as I know, we had no dealings with them before you came along," Lucas said.

"The Blackwood Pack keeps to themselves. V&A Group never crossed paths with their business interests. Alpha Damian and his father rarely show up at business functions here in the city."

So Victor hadn’t been lying to me.

Edmund probably just wanted to meet me privately.

"Something wrong?" Lucas must have caught the worry in my expression.

I managed a smile. "Nothing. Just a little nervous. Sylvia’s going to be there too, and I’m afraid she’ll try to make things difficult."

"Want me to come with you?" Lucas offered. "I should be free next week."

"You just got back from Italy," I said lightly, trying to make a joke of it. "I’m worried you might—"

Lucas huffed out a laugh, shaking his head.

But before he left, his expression turned serious. "Aria. Don’t be afraid. No matter what, the Smith family is your home too."

That one simple statement—spoken so calmly, so sincerely—gave me more courage than I’d expected.

"Thank you," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

After Lucas left, I was just starting to pack up for the day when movement caught my eye.

Nathan was walking toward Jennifer’s desk.

I watched him lean against the corner of her workspace, his tall frame angled in that casual, lazy way he had. Jennifer looked up at him, her expression carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.

"Jennifer."

She stood immediately when I called her name, relief flickering across her face.

"Aria!"

"Are you busy?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Jennifer’s desk was covered in files—reports I’d asked her to compile for the Italy trip.

Before she could respond, Nathan cut in smoothly. "Come on, Aria. You’ve been working her to death. I just wanted to take her to lunch."

I gave him a cool look. "Nathan, correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you just suspended last month? Are you really trying to get yourself suspended again for harassing female employees?"

"Harassment?" He straightened, putting a hand over his heart in mock offense. "That’s a serious accusation. We’re just friends having a conversation."

"Friends," I repeated flatly. "Right."

He grinned at Jennifer, completely unbothered by my tone. "Text me when you’re free, yeah?"

Then he deliberately brushed past me, close enough that I could smell his cologne.

Except... there was barely any scent at all.

I frowned. Nathan was usually drenched in expensive cologne, the kind that announced his presence before he even entered a room. Today, he smelled almost normal. Clean, but subtle.

Strange.

The moment Nathan was out of earshot, I motioned for Jennifer to follow me into my office. As soon as the door clicked shut, I turned to face her.

"Do you like Nathan?"

Jennifer’s eyes widened. "What? No! God, no. We just... we’ve been talking more lately. That’s all."

I studied her carefully. She didn’t seem to be lying, but there was something off about her denial. It was too quick, too emphatic.

Like she was trying to convince herself as much as me.

"Jennifer, I’ve warned you about Nathan before. He’s not a good person. Why are you still spending time with him?"

She didn’t answer, just looked down at her hands.

"Nathan is interested in you," I said bluntly. "I can see it. And you need to understand something—every woman he’s ever gotten involved with has ended up regretting it. He uses people. He hurts them. That’s what he does."

"I know." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Then why—"

"Because maybe I want to see who wins this time."

The words came out sharp, cutting. Jennifer looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw something cold and hard in her eyes. Something I’d never seen before.

The sweet, gentle girl I’d hired—the one who reminded me of a lamb, soft and kind—was gone.

In her place was someone else. Someone with edges.

"Jennifer... what’s going on? Is there something between you and Nathan that I don’t know about?"

I reached for her hand and found it ice-cold.

The elevator dinged, announcing we’d reached the parking garage. Time for me to leave.

Jennifer pulled her hand away gently. "I’m sorry, Aria. This is my business. I know my ideas are extreme and probably stupid, but I... I need to do this my way."

I could feel my heart sinking. She was going to go after Nathan. Try to play him at his own game.

And it was going to end badly. I could feel it in my bones.

"Jennifer..."

"Please, just let me handle this. You have enough on your plate. Nathan might be interested in me, but who says I won’t be the one who comes out on top?"

It was the first time she’d ever interrupted me. The first time she’d pushed back.

Her expression was determined, almost fierce. But underneath that determination, I could see something darker. Something cold and calculating that made my skin prickle.

"Do you really think someone like Nathan can fall in love?" I asked quietly.

Jennifer smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Everyone has a weakness, Aria. Even you—you’ve been hurt before, but you still have weaknesses. You still have soft spots."

"But Nathan isn’t like me. He isn’t like us."

"Maybe not. But if he can feel anything at all, then emotions are unpredictable. Who knows what might happen?"

The elevator doors opened. We’d reached the garage.

I didn’t want to leave it like this, but Jennifer’s expression told me the conversation was over. She’d made up her mind.

"Just... be careful," I said finally. "Please."

She gave me a brief hug, her hand pressing gently over my heart. "I will. I promise."

But as I drove home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the look in her eyes. The coldness. The calculation.

Jennifer wasn’t just playing with fire.

She was planning to burn Nathan down.

And I had no idea if she’d survive the flames.

I sat in traffic, my hands gripping the steering wheel, my mind racing. Should I intervene? Should I call Nathan and warn him off?