ECSTASY | CRIME PRINCE SERIES | BOOK 0.5 FIRST EDITION

| 𝟐.| 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 ♤

Aria

They say people are not born with both beauty and brains, one area has to be lacking. I've never paid attention to it much, we cannot consider someone stupid simply because they were gifted with beauty and vice versa.

I would not truly admit to myself that I'm beautiful, but I would say I'm admirable. Knowledge is the true beauty, it can give power and it can take it. The more knowledge one acquires, the more upper hand one possesses in a situation.

But beauty is also a dangerous weapon that not everyone should possess, but that gives no right to belittle anyone for it. Men weaken at the sight of beauty, some are ruthless enough to not pay attention to it. Beauty can catch a man's attention, but it's how you sustain yourself that keeps him interested. Not just a man, everyone.

I don't know which I possess but I know it's always to my advantage.

I'm disturbed by my thoughts by my phone constantly ringing on my desk. Hesitantly I put down my custom-made white pen and answer.

"Aria Middleton?"

"Miss Middleton, your father has asked to speak to you. May I put you through?" The receptionist asked.

"Go ahead," I answer.

Silently I wait a few seconds and spin around my chair staring at the city from the highest floor in the building. It's always so busy and no one ever finds time to rest, to enjoy the sunny day.

"Aria," My father speaks.

"Yes, father,"

"I need to see you, it's worse than we thought" he continues.

"I thought you said everything was under control, how long will this continue before he destroys us." I lean back into my chair.

"Calm down, la fille just meet me and we'll speak about the rest."

I spin my chair around once again and grab my keys and clutch. Still listening to my father, I open my top drawer to put the file in, closing it and locking it. Rhea, my assistant comes in already blabbering, I lift my finger to silence and she sits waiting for me to finish.

"I'll be there in half an hour," I answer, quickly dropping the call to attend to Rhea.

"Alright, out with it."

"Mr. Davinski wants to set up a meeting, says he's unhappy about the pace which we going at. He says the meeting should be no later than 1:00 pm today because he is a very 'important person'"

"Men" I mumble not so quietly, Rhea chuckles "Set up a meeting with him at 2:00 pm, I'll be there at 2:30 pm."

She nods firmly and exits my office. I grab the rest of my things and head for my car, the valet brings it around and I step in driving off to my childhood home. My father is a powerful man, who worked day and night to get where he is now in return for being a bad father. Missing birthdays, fathers day, school dances, etc. We got along fine but we had different ideas and views of the world. He may have founded the company, made it known around the world. But he knows I built it, made it bigger, better. I'm not too one to brag but well I'm bragging. My father would've never been as successful as he was without my mother.

She was and still is his pillar of strength. Behind a successful man, there is always a woman. Although my mother was never behind my father, she was beside him. Even when she was unhappy in her marriage, she pulled through because she loved him. Finally, her wait was not pulled to last because when my father retired, he made sure to make up for every single tear she cried. I, on the other hand, wasn't interested he could never bring back my childhood, never come to my 16th birthday again. He didn't want to be my father and now I didn't want to be his daughter.