After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law

Marcus’s office was a shrine to his own ego. It was all glass walls, chrome furniture, and a panoramic view of the financial district that screamed ”I charge hidden fees.”

Aria swept in, her faux-fur coat trailing behind her, and took the seat directly across from his massive desk without waiting for an invitation. She crossed her legs, resting her gold-tipped cane against her knee.

”Let’s skip the pleasantries, Marcus,” Aria said, adjusting her sunglasses. ”I’m a busy woman. I have a flight to Milan in three hours and a container of product stuck in customs. I’m here to talk synergy.”

Marcus sat down, looking intrigued. ”Synergy. I like that word. And who exactly are you, Madam...?”

”Madam V,” Aria supplied. ”West Coast operations. I specialize in the... niche market. High-end, high-risk, high-reward.”

She gestured behind her to the line of men standing like statues against the glass wall.

”My inventory speaks for itself.”

Marcus’s eyes slid over them. He ignored Ken (who was currently trying to unstick his vinyl thigh from the wall) and Julian (who was staring at the floor, praying for death). His gaze locked onto Damien.

Damien stood with his arms crossed over his chest, the leather harness straining against his oiled muscles, his face set in a mask of cold, beautiful menace.

”Impressive,” Marcus murmured. ”Very... aggressive energy.”

”He’s the Alpha line,” Aria said, bored. ”Top tier. Now, about the partnership. I’m looking to expand my footprint in the city. I need a local hub with established security protocols and a client list that isn’t composed of undercover cops. You have the infrastructure. I have the talent. We merge, we dominate the market.”

While Aria launched into a stream of corporate buzzwords—”vertical integration,” ”asset liquidity,” ”scalable growth”—Kai made his move.

He sashayed away from the wall, his leopard print crop top fluttering. He wandered over to Marcus’s desk, batting his eyelashes behind his glittery makeup.

”Oh wow,” Kai cooed, leaning his hip against the edge of the desk right next to Marcus’s computer. ”Is this a Mac? It’s so shiny! Can I touch it?”

Marcus glanced at him, annoyed but distracted. ”Don’t touch anything.”

”But it’s so pretty!” Kai giggled, spinning a pen holder. ”Do you have games on this? I love Candy Crush.”

While Marcus was rolling his eyes at the ”vapid” boy, Kai’s hand moved with lightning speed behind the monitor. He slipped a small, black USB drive—a hardware keylogger—into the rear port.

”Oops!” Kai gasped, knocking over a stapler to cover the sound of the click. ”I’m so clumsy! I’m just a silly little leopard!”

”Sit down!” Marcus snapped.

”Sorry, Daddy,” Kai winked, backing away but leaving the drive in place. ”I’ll be good.”

Aria suppressed a smirk. The keylogger was in. Now they just needed to get out without raising suspicion. Once they were clear, Kai could remotely access the client database. They would cross-reference every booking the three suspects had in the last month until they found the common denominator. It was the long game, but it was the only way to find Lydia’s trail without tipping her off.

”As I was saying,” Aria continued, drawing Marcus’s attention back to her. ”My talent is exclusive. They don’t do bachelor parties. They don’t do discount events. They are for the elite.”

Marcus leaned forward, his greedy eyes fixed on Damien again.

”He certainly looks elite,” Marcus said. ”But looks can be deceiving. In this business, Madam V, we don’t buy based on packaging. We buy based on performance.”

He stood up and walked around the desk, approaching Damien.

”I’d need a sample,” Marcus said, reaching out to touch the leather strap on Damien’s shoulder. ”A test drive. Just to see if the engine runs as good as it looks.”

The air in the room froze.

Damien didn’t move, but the temperature dropped ten degrees. His golden eyes locked onto Marcus’s hand. If Marcus touched him, Damien was going to break his fingers. Aria knew it.

”Marcus,” Aria’s voice cracked like a whip.

She stood up, slamming the tip of her cane onto the floor.

”Let’s get one thing clear,” she said, walking over to interpose herself between them. She looked Marcus up and down with a sneer of absolute disdain.

”You don’t test drive a Ferrari, Marcus. You put down a deposit.”

She slapped Marcus’s hand away.

”You want to see the engine? Fine.”

She turned to Damien.

”Spin,” she commanded.

Damien stared at her. His eyes promised retribution. ’You will pay for this,’ they said.

But he moved.

He turned slowly, a 360-degree rotation that displayed the breadth of his back, the taper of his waist in the tight leather pants, and the sheer power of his physique.

”See?” Aria said, gesturing to him like a prize horse. ”Flawless. Zero mileage. And he only responds to my voice commands.”

She turned back to Marcus, hooking her arm possessively through Damien’s.

”You have twenty-four hours to consider my offer, Marcus. I want full access to your vetting protocols and your client history to ensure our brands align. If you hesitate, I take my Ferrari to the competition.”

”I’ll send the contract,” Marcus said quickly, still eyeing Damien.

”Excellent.”

As she turned to leave, Aria’s cane ”accidentally” slipped from her hand, clattering against the desk right next to the computer monitor.

”Oh dear,” she sighed.

Marcus bent down to retrieve it for her. In that split second of distraction, Aria’s hand darted behind the monitor. She yanked the USB drive free and palmed it before Marcus straightened up.

”Thank you, darling,” Aria purred, taking the cane back. ”Let’s go, boys. We have a flight to catch.”

They swept out of the office, leaving Marcus staring after them, bewildered but greedy.

As soon as they were in the elevator and the doors slid shut, the tension snapped.

”I got it,” Kai whispered, dropping the bimbo act instantly. ”Uplink confirmed. The download finished before you pulled it. We have the data.”

”Thank god,” Julian breathed, leaning against the mirrored wall and clutching his mesh-covered chest. ”He didn’t recognize me. Aria, am I forgiven now?”

Aria looked at him over her sunglasses. She smiled sweetly. ”I’ll think about it.”

Aria leaned against the wall, exhausted but triumphant. ”Now comes the hard part. The paperwork.”