CHAPTER TEN- I CAN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU

"Who is he?" Daniel asked, his voice low but taut, trying to mask the discomfort that was soaring up within his stomach. His eyes slightly moved as he looked at the man Aria had just stood to follow. He bit his lips, forcing a casual smile, though his fingers twitched against the edge of the dinner table.

Aria, she noticed it, the change in his voice. She raised her head a little, folding her arms with an air of defiance. "He's my secretary. Do you have a problem with that?"

Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned — not with anger, but warning.

Daniel's back straightened instantly. "No, I don't," he said immediately, his tone tight. "But we're in the middle of dinner. You can't just walk out like this Aria! "

"I can't walk out like this!" Aria scoffed, letting out a bitter laugh. "Why can't I , Daniel? I can't really be sitting through this dinner ignoring my responsibilities?"

He blinked. "Responsibilities? Aria, you didn't even utter a word, you were just busy digging into your food and now you're suddenly running off with some man—"

"I told you, he's my secretary!" she snapped, her voice slicing through the quiet hum of the restaurant. A few heads turned. She didn't care. Her patience was unraveling by the second. "And I have a court case to attend to, I have to go."

Daniel's eyes showed with frustration. He leaned closer over the table, lowering his voice but lacing it with steel. "Then you should've told me that before we sat down to eat."

"I tried, Daniel," Aria shot back, her voice filled with restrained anger. "But you were too busy forcing me to be here! "

Daniel opened his mouth, but no words came. She was right, guilt devoured his soul.

"I am tired, Daniel," she said, in a low tone, but the rim of her voice was sharper than ever. "Tired of always explaining myself. Tired of feeling guilty of my own work"

He stared helplessly at her, "I didn't mean it like that. I just... I wanted us to have one quiet night. Just you and me."

"And I wanted you to understand me without me having to shout it in your face," Aria whispered, her voice raw.

A long silence followed.

Then, she immediately took her purse from the table, "I have a court case, Daniel. I can't sit here."

Before he could respond, she turned and walked away, heels striking like thunder against the polished floor. Daniel sat still, watching her back disappear through the door.

The wine on the table remained untouched. The warmth in the room suddenly felt cold.

"I'm sorry about what just happened inside, Jerry," Aria said, her voice soft but strained as they stepped out of the restaurant. The argument with her husband still rang in her ear.

Jerry's jaw closed tightly, his eyes scanning the quiet street as they walked. "No problem at all, don't worry too much about it!" he replied, forcing a comforting smile. "There is no need to apologize to me, he just had no right to speak to you like that. Not now. Not ever."

After the case was held in the courtroom, Aria exhaled shakily, pulling her coat tighter around herself. The courthouse loomed behind them, its cold gray walls suddenly feeling like a fortress she couldn't wait to escape from. "He's spiraling," she muttered. " I think I went too far today!"

Jerry didn't answer. She knew he was holding back—he had seen too much at the restaurant. He doesn't like the way she was treated like that.

As they got closer to the end of the parking lot, Aria slowed. Rays of light from the street lamp shone overhead, casting long, shadows that swayed with the wind. The night had turned oddly still.

"Thank you for following me to court today," she said. "I was thinking of someone I could call! "

"You don't have to thank me," Jerry replied. "I told you—I've got your back. Especially now and I am still your assistant!"

She gave him a weak smile. "You're the only one who believes me."

"I believe what I see." He said.

"I'm going to treat you to a meal to express my gratitude!" Aria happily said, smiles evident on her lips.

A stylish smirk escaped his lips, "just what I have been waiting for! A proper date with you!" He said under his breath.

They were halfway across the lot when she felt it—that prickling sensation at the back of her neck, the way the air changes right before a storm or something worse.

"Jerry…" she called out slowing.

He didn't utter a word, but his body didn't react either but then, without warning, he turned quickly, stepping in front of her just as a loud-*crack* rang out.

*BANG!*

Aria screamed as Jerry's body moved suddenly and unstable. For a moment, time fractured—sounds stretched and broke, her vision tunneling into a narrow focus on him, his eyes wide with pain.

"No!" she cried, reaching for him, but Jerry shoved her backward, pushing her behind the concrete barrier beside a car.

"Get down!" he hissed, his voice tight with pain.

She dropped to her knees beside him, trembling. "You're shot," she said, her hands already moving toward the blood blossoming on his side.

"Don't… don't use your phone," Jerry said through gritted teeth. "Could be traced. This wasn't random."

"What?" she gasped. "You think- someone is after me?"

Jerry nodded faintly, his eyes scanning the shadows. "Someone was watching you in court. Too calm. They aren't going to let you live."

Aria covered her mouth, fighting a sob. Who could have done this, she just only finished a case and now this.

But this—this was something else.

She leaned in close to Jerry, her voice trembling. "We have to move. I won't let anything happen to you . You have to stay with me Jerry!"

Jerry met her gaze, eyes fierce despite the pain. "Then don't panic. Just stay low. And be ready. This isn't over, Aria. It's just beginning."

And behind them, somewhere in the darkness, footsteps retreated—slow, deliberate, and unforgiving.