Chapter 232: The tempting offer

Downstairs, Aria had finished her meal a while ago and was growing restless. She wandered the halls a little, bored, thinking about going up to find Sienna, thinking the two of them could sit together, talk, maybe find something fun to do to pass what was left of the evening.

But when she reached the bottom of the stairs, Marcus was standing there, arms crossed, blocking the way without a word needing to be said. No one was allowed up there right now. Apparently.

Aria huffed, annoyed, turning away from the stairs.

"I’ll walk you to your room, Miss Aria," Manuel offered, appearing beside her with an easy smile.

She glanced sideways at him as they walked, studying his face for a moment. "Tell me something," she said. "Are you two really related? You’re nothing like that ice-cold guy."

Manuel laughed softly. "We’re really related," he said.

When they reached her door, he stepped back, already turning to leave.

"Why don’t you come inside," Aria said, "for a deeper chat."

"No," Manuel said, shaking his head, though something in his smile softened the refusal. "I’ll pass."

"Oh, come on." Aria leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head, a slow, teasing smile spreading across her face. "I see the way you look at me. Is that not what you wanted? A good time?"

Manuel’s smile faded slightly, replaced by something more careful, more honest. "I must admit," he said, "you are quite an attractive woman." He paused, holding her gaze steady.

"Besides that, you are still the boss’s niece. And you are hurting right now. That’s okay. I can be there for you, as a friend." He shook his head slowly.

"But if you’re looking for something more, something to make you feel less of all this, then I’m not your guy." His voice stayed gentle, but there was no wavering in it.

"And that’s not really what you want either, not deep down, you know that. No number of nights spent with someone inside you is going to make you feel what you actually want to feel."

Concern sat plainly behind his eyes as he said it.

"You mean," Aria said, her voice sharp with sarcasm, arms crossing over her chest, "according to your theory, a good, strong dick inside me won’t make me feel anything." She said it lightly, almost mocking, but underneath it she already knew he was right.

She had wanted to feel something, anything at all, something other than the hollow ache that had been sitting in her chest for weeks. But even she understood, somewhere underneath the joke, that this was not the way to find it.

"You know what I mean," Manuel said quietly.

Aria let out a breath, some of the fight going out of her. "Okay, fine," she said. "You want to go for a walk with me? Don’t worry, I won’t jump on you and try to have sex with you." She said it with a teasing lilt, trying to smooth the moment back into something lighter.

"Good," Manuel said, "because I won’t be able to hold myself back for the second time," the words slipping out almost before he realized he had said them out loud, quiet, half to himself.

"Did you say something?" Aria asked, catching the tail end of it.

"No," Manuel said quickly. "I said I’ll be happy to."

He walked beside her after that, out through the quiet garden path, the evening air cool around them.

Aria talked the whole way, the way she always did, one thought spilling into the next without much pause between them, and Manuel listened. Really listened, his eyes on her the whole time, nodding at the right moments, asking small questions that showed he was actually following along.

And somewhere in the middle of all her talking, he found himself thinking that she was sweet, and cute, and quietly, plainly beautiful, in a way that had nothing at all to do with how she looked.

—

Morning came fast. Too fast, it seemed, for the two people still tangled together on the bed upstairs, the early light slipping in softly through a gap in the curtains. Viktor held Sienna close against him, one arm draped over her waist, both of them still deep in sleep, breathing slow and even.

Marcus knocked once, lightly, out of habit more than expectation. No answer came. He pushed the door open anyway and stepped inside, and stopped there for a moment when he saw the two of them, wrapped together, peaceful, the whole room still and quiet around them.

A small smile crossed his face despite himself. Whatever news he had come to deliver, it could wait a few more minutes. It felt wrong, almost cruel, to be the one to carry another storm into a room that finally looked calm.

The news was not good. Signing the company over to Sienna had stirred something ugly among several key members tied closely to the Kessler name, men who did not take kindly to watching power slip sideways into new hands.

Marcus lingered by the door another moment, then began to retreat, quiet, careful not to disturb them. But Viktor’s eyes were already open.

He watched Marcus start to leave, and instead of calling out, he simply moved, slow and deliberate, easing Sienna down onto the pillow, taking his time with it, careful not to wake her, one small motion at a time until his arm slipped free and she settled undisturbed into the space he left behind.

Marcus turned back just as Viktor was rising from the bed.

"Sorry, boss, I didn’t mean to wake you," Marcus started.

Viktor cut him off with a sharp, quiet shh, one finger pressed to his lips, tilting his head toward the door. "Let’s talk outside," he murmured, already moving.

They stepped out into the hallway, and Viktor pulled the door shut gently behind them.

"What’s the matter?" Viktor asked, his voice low now that they were clear of the room.

Marcus hesitated for a beat before answering. "You’re not going to like this," he said. "The clan has risen up again. Once word got out that you signed the company over to Sienna, giving her equal power and authority to yours, some of the older members did not take it well."