Elias's office was silent except for the low hum of the air conditioner and the steady clicking of his assistant's pen as she took notes.
A board meeting was in progress.
Shareholders sat in a semicircle around the long glass table, discussing quarterly losses, future investments, and growth strategies. Elias leaned back in his chair—expression cold, posture composed, but his eyes sharp with calculation.
"CEO Elias," one shareholder said respectfully, "your decision to cancel today's media interview… was it absolutely necessary? It gives the public the wrong message."
Elias's jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his voice calm.
"It was unavoidable."
"Was it personal?" another shareholder probed."Rumors spread quickly. The public is asking questions."
Elias didn't answer. His gaze shifted toward the window, far away, as if he was thinking of someone else entirely—
Then—
A noise.
A strange noise.
A soft thud, like someone bumping into furniture.
Then a louder one.
Then a voice—
"OW! WHO PUT THIS PLANT HERE? MOVE!"
The shareholders exchanged confused looks.
Elias blinked, straightening slightly.
The assistant paused her writing.
Another noise—footsteps, running.
Then—
SLAM!
The office door burst open so violently that it hit the wall.
Everyone turned.
Elias's breath stopped.
Standing in the doorway, hair messy from running, breathing hard, cheeks flushed—
Aria.
His little sister.
The sister who died.
The sister he buried.
She was standing there. Alive.
But she didn't give him time to speak.
"WHERE IS HE!?" Aria shouted.
Everyone froze—including Elias.
But Elias's head bodyguard, Dren, immediately stepped forward.
"Miss, you cannot be here," Dren said firmly. "You don't have an appointment. Please step outside."
Aria ignored him completely.
Instead, she marched straight toward Elias—shocking every shareholder—and without hesitation grabbed his hand, clutching onto his index finger tightly.
Her eyes blazed.
"Why did you cancel the interview!?" she demanded."Do you think being young and rich means you can do ANYTHING!?"
The entire board gasped.
One shareholder's jaw literally dropped.
Another whispered, "Is she insane?"
A third murmured, "He's going to fire her. She's dead. She's truly dead."
Aria didn't stop.
She reached up and pinched his ear.
Actually pinched the CEO's ear.
"OW— Aria—" Elias flinched, eyes wide, shocked out of his mind.
"HOW DARE YOU CANCEL A BIG INTERVIEW BECAUSE OF SOME GIRL!" she scolded loudly.
The shareholders nearly fainted.
"Unbelievable…"
"She touched him…"
"She PINCHED HIS EAR—"
Dren, the bodyguard, rushed forward.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said quickly. "I will remove her from the office immediately—"
Elias stood so fast his chair scraped loudly across the floor.
His voice hit the room like thunder.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER."
The room fell dead silent.
Dren froze mid-step.
Elias's eyes were sharp enough to cut steel.
"How dare you," he repeated, voice low and trembling—not with anger, but with something far deeper."She is NOT to be kicked out. Not touched. Not ordered."
"Sir… she—"
"The meeting is cancelled," Elias declared, cutting off the bodyguard.
Every shareholder recoiled.
"What!?"
"Cancel the meeting?"
"CEO Elias—this is irregular—"
"It's final," he said coldly.
No one dared argue.
Aria blinked innocently, as if she hadn't just held the CEO hostage by his ear.
"Good," she said, folding her arms."Now take me to your office and bring me food. I'm hungry."
Every shareholder nearly fainted again.
"You— you're giving HIM orders!?" one whispered.
"She must have a death wish," another muttered.
But Elias only stared at Aria, unable to speak.
She was alive.
His baby sister—his sunshine, his troublemaker, his little world—standing in front of him.
He swallowed hard.
His voice cracked.
"…Assistant."
"Yes, sir?" his assistant stuttered, still in complete shock.
"Bring her food," Elias ordered quietly. "Anything she wants. Now."
She rushed out of the room.
Aria plopped herself onto the couch like she owned the place.
Elias stood frozen, breathing shakily.
Finally, he moved—slowly, as if afraid she would vanish again—and knelt in front of her.
He reached out, fingertips trembling, touching her hair as if testing reality.
"Aria…" he whispered."Aria, how are you alive…? You died. You died eleven years ago. The accident—your body—there was blood everywhere— I— I held you— I buried you— I…"
His voice broke.
Aria stared at him softly."I'm alive," she said simply. "And I'm back."
Elias's shoulders shook.
His breath came out ragged.
He reached forward and pulled her into his arms.
Elias held Aria like he was afraid the world would steal her again.His arms wrapped around her tightly, one hand gripping the back of her head, the other around her waist, pressing her into a protective cage of warmth and trembling strength.
Aria felt his heartbeat—wild, uneven, panicked—against her cheek.He was shaking. Not just his hands. His whole body.
Her big brother, the cold CEO feared by everyone, was shaking like a terrified child.
"Aria… Aria… Aria…"He repeated her name like a prayer he had said every night for eleven years.His voice broke on every syllable, cracking like shattered glass.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered hoarsely, his breath trembling against her hair."I thought— God, I thought—you were dead in my arms. I saw you bleed. I saw you go still. I couldn't— I couldn't save you. I failed you."
Aria's arms came up slowly, wrapping around him.He stiffened at her touch—then held her even closer, burying his face into her shoulder as if afraid she would disappear.
"You're warm… You're real…" Elias whispered, almost in disbelief."I dreamed of this—every night—I dreamed you would walk in through the door, smirking and calling me stupid, asking for money, demanding food—anything."
His voice trembled.
"But you never came back."
His fingers dug into the fabric of her clothes, gripping tight, as if anchoring himself to reality.
"I tried to move on," he confessed."For eleven years, I tried to forget the image of you lying there—cold, pale, gone. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw you. Every time I looked at your brothers, I thought of you. Every time I walked home, I imagined you running up to hug me."
His voice cracked again.
"But you were gone. And I… I was alone."
Aria felt her chest tighten painfully.
He sounded like a child lost in the dark.
Elias continued, voice small and raw:
"There were days I hated myself.Days I thought I deserved every failure.Days I wanted to follow you—because the world felt too empty without you."
Aria hugged him harder.
His breath hitched—sharp, fragile.
He shifted, arms locking even tighter around her, forehead pressing to her shoulder, breath warm but uneven.
"I tried so hard to become strong," he whispered."To protect Leon. To protect Rayne. To protect our home.But I couldn't protect you."
His voice was breaking again.
"You came back," he whispered, as if still convincing himself."You came back to me. My sister came back."
Aria closed her eyes.
"Elias…"
"I won't let you go again," he said fiercely.His voice was trembling but determined."I'll keep you safe. Whatever it takes. Whatever the cost."
She felt his heartbeat thundering beneath his suit—wild, desperate, alive.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes were red, lashes wet, expression undone.
He cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing her cheeks.
"Aria… don't ever leave again."
She nodded, smiling softly.
"I won't."
Elias pulled her into another hug—tight, protective, overflowing with eleven years of grief, love, regret, and longing.
And this time, Aria held him just as tightly.