C6 Games of Distance

Aria’s POV

Aria didn’t sleep.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her small yet tidy apartment, the city lights outside painting patterns across her white walls. Cassidy Lorne had always been a storm in a business suit—dangerous, sharp, and untouchable. But now? Now he was in her head, stirring things she thought she buried under ambition and professionalism.

And he was getting too close.

Too close to the woman she had been that night. Too close to the girl who used to dream before the world taught her better.

You’ll get hurt, her brain warned.

He’s already inside your defenses, her heart whispered.

She got up before sunrise and drowned the thoughts with coffee and blueprints.

---

At Lorne Corp that morning, the atmosphere was electric—but subtly off. Assistants moved faster, interns looked nervous, and Cassidy’s executive team wore tight smiles that didn’t reach their eyes.

Something was happening.

Aria reached her office to find a sleek envelope on her desk. No logo. No note.

Just her name.

Inside was a folded card with three simple words:

> Lunch. My floor. Today.

She clenched her jaw.

This wasn’t about romance. This was about control.

And Cassidy Lorne didn’t just play chess—he designed the board.

---

Cassidy’s Office — Noon

Aria stepped in with her head held high. She wore a charcoal-gray pantsuit today—fitted, clean, powerful. Armor.

Cassidy stood by the window, gazing out over the skyline like he owned it. Which, to be fair, he sort of did.

“You’re punctual,” he said, turning around with a smile that was far too casual.

“You’re persistent,” she shot back.

He motioned to the table already set for two. “I thought it’d be easier than pretending to eat downstairs with the vultures.”

She sat down slowly. “Let’s be clear—this isn’t a date.”

“I never said it was,” he said, pouring her water. “But you look disappointed.”

She gave him a look. “You don’t want to know what I’m thinking.”

“Oh, I absolutely do,” he replied smoothly. “You intrigue me, Aria Winters. You pretend to be stone, but I’ve seen fire under that skin.”

Her hand tightened on her fork. “If you know who I am, then you know this job means everything to me. So stop with the mind games.”

He leaned forward, voice dropping. “Then stop lying to yourself. That night at the masquerade—you felt it. Same as me. You ran because you didn’t expect it.”

Aria froze.

He was right.

But truth didn’t mean trust.

“I don’t mix business with… illusions,” she said coldly. “Let’s keep it that way.”

Cassidy studied her like a riddle he was starting to solve. “You can try to walk away from that night, Aria. But some masks don’t come off so easily.”

She stood. “Then maybe we shouldn’t have worn them in the first place.”

And she left—again.

But this time, her heart wasn’t quite as steady.