The CEO's Midnight Remedy novel Chapter 383

Chapter 383

Aria’s POV

The sunlight streaming through Devon’s floor–to–ceiling windows felt more like a spotlight on my cage than a blessing. I blinked against

the brightness, disoriented for a moment before reality crashed back–Devon’s penthouse, his arms around me from last night, his scent

still clinging to my skin.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Again.

I reached for it, careful not to wake Devon, but my fingers touched only cool sheets. He was already gone. Of course he was. Whatever

business had pulled him away in the early hours, he’d left me here. Protected. Imprisoned.

Seven missed calls./

alls. All from H

from Harper Group’s office line or my father’s private number.

A knock on the bedroom door made me flinch. “Miss Harper?” Lucas’s voice carried that apologetic edge he’d perfected over the past three

weeks. “Breakfast is ready. Third reminder.”

Three times. They’d knocked three times while I’d slept like the dead, exhausted from carrying a secret that grew heavier every day.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the way my stomach rolled in protest. “Coming”

The shower helped clear my head, but not my conscience. I stood under the spray, watching water circle the drain, and thought about all

the calls I hadn’t answered. My company. My position. My mother’s legacy, slipping through my fingers while 1 played house in a gilded

“I’m not a prisoner,” I told myself, gripping the marble countertop until my knuckles turned white. I’m just… protected. But my company?

My career? What happens when there’s nothing left to protect?”

My phone rang again as I was drying off. William Harper’s name flashed across the screen–the eighth call today.

My hand hovered over the decline button. Then I thought of my mother, of the afternoons she’d spent teaching me about brand strategy

and market positioning, her elegant fingers pointing at spreadsheets while sunlight caught the diamonds on her wedding band

“Harper Group is yours,” she’d said. “Never let anyone take what’s yours.”

I answered. “Yes?”

“Aria.” My father’s voice carried none of its usual warmth–not that there’d been much lately. “The board met this morning. We need to

discuss your position.”

I pressed the phone tighter to my ear, my pulse quickening. “My position?“

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19:45 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 383

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-You’ve been absent for three weeks. No work handoff. No leave request. No communication with your team.” He paused, and I could picture him in his office, that disapproving furrow between his brows. “The board considers this a serious dereliction of duty”

“I was in an accident! The words came out sharper than I intended. “I nearly died. I’m still recovering-”

“Then you should have submitted medical documentation. Filed for medical leave. Followed protocol.” His tone remained flat, businesslike. As if I were a stranger instead of his daughter. “You didn’t. You simply… vanished.”

I moved to the window, looking out at Manhattan’s skyline. Below, people rushed to work, to meetings, to lives that hadn’t been hijacked by circumstances beyond their control.

“Is this what you want?” 1 asked quietly. “Or is this Victoria’s idea?”

The silence on the other end told me everything.

“This is a board decision, Aria. You can believe that or not–your choice. But the fact remains: Harper Group can’t stop functioning because of your personal life.” He drew a breath. “The board has given you a final opportunity. Be in the office by two PM today. Otherwise, tomorrow’s meeting will include a vote to remove you from your position as Vice President.”

My fingers curled against the glass, leaving faint prints on the pristine surface. “And let me guess–if I’m removed, Victoria will suggest Scarlett as my replacement?”

“What matters is that someone fills the role.” His voice softened, just slightly. This is your mother’s legacy, Aria. Are you really going to throw it away?

The words hit harder than any slap. I saw my mother’s face in my mind–her smile as she’d introduced me to the staff, her pride when Id closed my first major account, her hand squeezing mine the last time I’d visited her in the hospital.

“Don’t let them take this from you, she’d whispered, so weak I’d had to lean close to hear. “Promise me.”

“Two PM,” I said. “Ill be there.”

I hung up before he could respond, before he could hear the tremor in my voice.

My hands shook as I set the phone down. Two PM. That gave me less than three hours to figure out how to escape Devon’s fortress and reach Harper Group without triggering every alarms he’d Installed to keep me safe.

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19:45 Fri, Jan 16

The CEO’s Midnight Remedy