ECSTASY | CRIME PRINCE SERIES | BOOK 0.5 FIRST EDITION

|𝟏𝟖.| 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵

Ash

The surveillance cameras stop at 07:00am in the morning around the time I left. I fast forward to a few hours later, Aria is wearing some of the clothes I put for her on the chair. Seems normal. I fast forward a few minutes later and it shows her being on a call and later on pacing around the room - thinking - she then halts and turns to the balcony doors.

I tilt my head and sigh, she seems to be thinking about something. After a few moments she looks through my drawers, nightstands, bathroom and my under my bed. What are you looking for? She paces again and halts before face palming herself, she walks over to a random wooden wall which is as ordinary as it looks. I turn up the volume.

She pushes the wall in and a block goes backwards. How did she? A screen carved into the wall becomes visible and she trys a few codes before getting frustrated. I'm a little happy she couldn't get it but than she types in a code again and it works. She stops and seems to be thinking about something.

"Why would the code be-?" she contemplates. Because that was the best fucking day of my life. She tenses behind me and I stop myself from looking at her. A wall of weaponry and equipment shows, she takes a string of rope and an arrow and I already know what's coming next.

She comes out of onto the balcony and I switch cameras. She uses the arrow and attaches to the fence and jumps over, it's a little hard with her injuries but she does it nonetheless. The footage shows her climbing down the balcony using the rope and I clench my fists around the remote when it budges and it makes her lose her balanced weight, she holds on but lands on her injured foot.

She limps the rest of the way but forces her self to walk straight even though she's in pain. I fast forward the footage again and it shows her coming back two and a half hours later. I pause the footage and turn to face her, she pulls the sheets to cover her leg.

"Why did you leave?" I sit down in the lounge chair and sigh into my hands.

"I had a business meeting" she answers, a little shaken. She stands up from the bed and sit in the other chair. The fact that she's calm about this makes me feel all the more agitated.

"You risked your health for a business meeting?" I ask, a little confused. She stares at me and shrugs.

She leans back into the chair, "Not that it's any of your business but I risked my health for people who depend on me."

My tongue clicks on the side of my mouth, "This couldn't wait for one day just for you get some rest".

"I've been asleep for two days, I'm already under pressure I couldn't afford to neglect my workers" she tugs at her hair in frustration.

"So you thinks it better to neglect yourself, your health?" I clench my fists together when my mind replays the image of Aria on the floor, blood all around her.

"Ash I'm fine, I'm alive am I not?" she tries to justify it but it doesn't help the vivid image that keeps playing like a broken cassette.

I snap when I picture her eyes closing like it was for the last, "Aria, that's not the point!"

"Don't yell at me! I just said I'm okay!"

I pull her chair towards mine and stop at a near distance, "Let me see your leg." she pushes it back slightly and upon seeing my facial expression brings it back and lifts it up. There are various cuts on her leg due to her falling, "Cuts, bruises, open wounds that could cause infections"

"It's nothing, really I'm fine." she rubs her leg and moves it under the chair.

"You're so stubborn, that's what you said five years ago and it almost got you killed" I stand and push the chair backwards pacing minimal steps.