Claiming Pembroke

Aria

My eyes drifted over the car's interior, irritation sparking in my chest. I wasn't an expert on cars, but even I could tell this one was expensive. The seats were buttery soft-the kind you'd find in luxury spas.

Every detail screamed wealth-a perfect blend of classic elegance and cutting-edge technology.

My jaw clenched when I spotted a built-in fridge nestled in the console.

A fridge. Who the hell needed that in a car unless they were absurdly rich?

I sank back into the seat, its softness unfamiliar, almost too welcoming. For a fleeting moment, I let myself relax, but unease clawed its way in.

This job didn't feel right.

The engagement I was about to crash wasn't some reckless groom looking for an out-it was something else.

Something bigger.

The gleaming screens, the sheer space, the flawless details... this job reeked of trouble.

Felix had better not have undersold me. Again.

If I was going to be known as an engagement crasher for the rest of my life, I deserved proper payment.

The driver caught my eye in the rearview mirror. He smiled-polite, genuine, like he actually enjoyed chauffeuring people around in this rolling palace.

I forced a smile back and turned to the window.

We pulled up to an iron gate that slid open soundlessly like it recognized us or him, I don't belong here.

A long driveway stretched ahead, lined with sculpted hedges. At the end of it stood a mansion so massive my stomach dropped.

This client was not an average person.

And I was definitely underpaid.

I yanked out my phone and typed furiously:

"Are you fucking serious? How much did you charge for this job? Tell me now before I walk away."

I hit send, my heart pounding with annoyance.

"Everything alright, ma'am?" the driver asked.

I plastered on another fake smile. "All good, thanks."

But I needed more information. "What's this car called again?" I asked casually.

"Maybach GLS 600."

"Oh, right." I nodded like I had no clue what that meant.

As soon as he looked away, I Googled it. My breath hitched when I saw the price.

A fortune.

No wonder Felix hadn't given me details.

A dry laugh escaped me. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I glanced up at the towering house.

It was grand, excessive-probably the most extravagant place I'd ever step foot in.

And I was in jeans and a blazer.

At least I wore heels.

The car rolled to a stop. I scrambled to fix my appearance, smoothing my hair and checking my reflection.

Dark eyeliner, bright red lips-too bold for the atmosphere. Not the right look for whatever this was.

I wiped off the lipstick, toned down the eye makeup, swiped on clear gloss.

Blend in.

The driver had stepped out, waiting with the door open.

The air outside was crisp, unnaturally clean, like it had been filtered just for rich people.

I took a deep breath, scanning the flawlessly manicured lawn.

The beauty only fueled my irritation.

Felix was going to pay for this.

I waved off the driver and stepped to the back of the car, dialing Felix. He picked up fast.

"Aria," he said, already defensive. "What do you mean, leave? You're already there."

I laughed, dry and sharp. "Yeah, I am. And if I said leave, I meant it. Felix, explain why you paid me five hundred bucks for a job where the car alone costs over two hundred grand? And this house-" I gestured wildly at the mansion. "This place could buy your entire bloodline."

"Leave my family out of this," Felix shot back.

"Oh, now you care about family?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You didn't care about me when you sold me on this cheap gig. I have a family too, Felix."

Somewhere. Somewhere in the past.

First, I lost both parents in a single accident. Then my only sister made a mistake trying to protect me-a mistake that cost her life. And her baby's.

Three years ago, I was chasing my dream of becoming a doctor. Then Jaicy, my sister, called me.

She was pregnant.

The father? An influential man. A Pembroke. And he wanted nothing to do with the baby.

He said the baby wasn't his, Jaicy wouldn't lie about something like that. But every visit to the Pembrokes ended in heartbreak.

I begged her to walk away, to raise the baby without him. But she kept going back.

She kept mumbling about how perfect our lives would be, how i could actually become one of the top Doctors in the world.

The irony of it, I am a stripper in a local club now!

Then, one day, I got a call.

Emergency room.

By the time I got there, she was gone.

Just like that.

They told me she'd been hit by a car.

Right outside a Pembroke subsidiary.

But when I saw her body, I knew-she had delivered before she died.

It took days of pushing, threatening, crying until someone finally cracked.

Sierra Pembroke, The wife of the Pembroke chairman, that man's mother, and that man (Jaicy's baby father) is a successor of Pembroke-Jaicy had barely told me his name-had come that morning.

Taken the baby.

Left my sister behind.

They wouldn't acknowledge the child when Jaicy was alive.

But once she was gone? They stole her. Took the only family I had left.

"Aria! Aria!" Felix's voice growled out of the phone

"Huh?"

"The deal was five hundred."

"No, Felix," I replied. "We agree based on the job. This isn't sneaking into a wedding and yelling, 'The groom is mine' before walking out. Wire me a fair amount in three minutes, or I'll fucking go inside and ask the fucking client myself."

Felix groaned. "Don't curse on that property."

"Do what you need to," I said, then hung up.

I turned to the driver. "Where's Grant?"

He nodded toward the grand front doors. "Waiting for you in the living room."

A notification popped up: $1,000 transferred.

A slow smile curled my lips.

"Looks like I'll be going in after all."

I straightened my shoulders and walked to the doors.

Get in, do the job, get out in ten minutes.

I reached for the handle, but before I could open it, the door swung wide.

My mind raced in excitement-Grant was supposed to be young, dark-haired, and tall.

But instead, a warm-looking middle-aged woman smiled at me, barely masking her confusion.

"Where's Grant?" I blurted, cutting through the silence.

I didn't wait for an answer. I marched past her dramatically, aware of my cheap heels clicking aggressively against marble, straight into the living room.

Chandeliers. Intricate molding of chandeliers. Wealth in every corner of the house.

But I wasn't here to admire.

I was here to cause trouble.

To ruin an engagement.

Showtime!

My eyes found him instantly. Tall. Dark hair and Beautiful, I will say. Sitting beside a woman whose hand rested possessively on his arm.

That was him.

That was Grant.

I took a breath and stepped forward. "Grant," I called, voice trembling with fake heartbreak. "You were really going to do this to me?"

A memory struck-Jaicy. Her lifeless body. Blood on cold tile.

I blinked hard.

Not now. Not like this.

But the tears that spilled down my cheeks?

They weren't fake.

Grant stood abruptly, eyes wide, searching my face.

Then, instead of reacting as I expected, he did something that threw me completely off balance.

He pulled me into a hug.

A real one. Strong. Warm. Unshaken.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, voice low and full of something I couldn't name.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you."

And I didn't know if I was still acting. He felt like home, comforting even.