The elevator chimed softly as Rielle stepped into the dark hush of her penthouse. It was midnight yet the voices in her head refused to shut up.
The world in her head wasn't any less louder.
The city lights spilled through the glass walls, but the room itself was still. Clean. Cold. Exactly how she left it.
This wasn't the life her old self would love. Her old self loved vibrant colours. Her old self loved beauty, warmth and love.
Well, this wasn't her old self anymore. And that's the whole point of everything. Lina's dead, gone and buried.
Rielle lives now. And Rielle would eliminate any trace of Lina without blinking. She hated Lina. Always and forever. Lina gave her unspeakable pain, embarrassment, and made her a laughing stock.
Except for the man sprawled across her velvet couch, sipping red wine like it was a casual Tuesday, there was no one from Lina's life she'd want to associate with casually.
"Welcome home, darling," Aiden drawled without looking at her. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to think you'd gone soft."
Rielle dropped her keys into the glass dish near the door. "And I was beginning to think I had better security."
Aiden grinned and finally sat up, his button-down half undone and wine glass dangling from two fingers. "You do. They let me in because I said I brought wine." he raised his glass. "Which I did. See? I'm the reliable brother."
She crossed the room, peeled off her coat, and flung it expertly across the arm of a chair. "You're not even my brother."
Aiden was handsome. He was the casual, easy going part of Xander. He was just some inches shorter than Xander. Except that, he could pass off as Xander if he wears a frown and a glove all the time.
"Semantics."
"Aiden," she warned.
He stood. His glass still in hand, as he blows raspberry, and walks to her kitchen with the ease of a man who had done it before. "Fine. I'll behave. For now."
She leaned against the marble counter, with her eyes on him. "What do you want?"
"Your attention," he said, shameless. "And maybe a moment to tell you that I absolutely adored the part where you looked the board in the eye and gutted them one by one. Inspiring stuff. I almost teared up."
"You don't tear up." She scoffed. "Never,"
Aiden smiled and turned to her. He thought for a moment, and pointed a finger at her, as if she got his point. "Exactly. That's how good it was."
Rielle snorted. An actual laugh left her lips for a long time now. Well, it was barely a laugh but could count as one. "You're exhausting."
"I'm a delight."
She rolled her eyes at him, and tiredly took off her shoes. "You're a nosy delight who needs to leave."
He raised his hands in surrender. "Only after I remind you that the gala is in two days and you haven't picked a date. Don't make me bring your assistant as a stand-in again. She got weirdly attached."
Rielle eyed him. "I'm not going."
Aiden smiled. He took a sip from his wine, and nodded. "Yes, you are. It's your company now. You have to parade it."
She raised an eyebrow. "You mean parade me."
He grinned. "Same thing."
Just then, the elevator beeped again. Rielle turned as the doors opened. Jace stepped in without hesitation, dressed in all-black and alert. She rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
Looking at these men now, she wondered what made Lina so desperate to get even one glance from one of them. They were all toddlers hiding in the body of a matured me.
Especially Jace, who had the guts to go and get engaged to someone who tried to kill Lina in the past, just two weeks after dumping Lina's ass.
His eyes scanned the space, pausing briefly on Aiden, who smiled like a fox in a henhouse.
"Who's the guest?" Jace asked.
Rielle didn't miss the faint edge in his tone. What the hell? Who gave Jace the right to care about her life now? He never did in the past. Can he just leave before she picks up the kitchen knife and stabs him with it?
Also, how about his fiance? Beck was always needy for attention. Doesn't she want him around right now?
She moved over to the kitchen, and sipped Aiden's wine before she shrugged. "An annoyance."
"I'm deeply hurt," Aiden said, placing a hand to his heart. "And also offended that you didn't tell me your new bodyguard is this tall. I would've dressed up."
Jace stared at him, unreadable.
Rielle rolled her eyes. "Jace, ignore him."
"Trying."
Rielle scoffed inwardly. She knew for a fact he wouldn't even stress a breath for her, if he knew she was Lina. Just with a different face.
"I'm right here," Aiden said. "With feelings."
She pointed to the door. "Out."
Aiden gave her a dramatic bow. "Text me if he turns out to be a terrible conversationalist. Or if he sleeps standing up."
With one last grin at Jace, he disappeared into the elevator, whistling something that sounded like a love song from the 60s.
Jace shut the door behind him.
Rielle didn't speak.
Neither did he.
Until Jace couldn't endure the silence anymore, and ended up parting his lips first.
"You let him in?"
She sank into the sofa. "He lets himself in."
A pause.
Jace stood, arms at his side, but his stare heavy.
"You really don't care, do you?" He sounded a bit edgy. He didn't expect a tiny woman to stress him on his first day of work.
If Xander had met the situation, what would he have said?
"No," Rielle said. "I don't."
And she meant it. His entire presence made her uneasy, but she wouldn't show it. She doesn't know what Xamder wants but placing her in the circle of her past life, filled with memories shouldn't be the only way to go about it.
"You can leave, I_"
"I can't leave," Jace interrupted her. "Xander's order."
Rielle's countenance turned cold. "Leave. Now. And close the door behind you,"
Jace held her gaze for a moment. Letting go, he nodded, and walked out.