Sweet Hatred Chapter 265: Permission

There was a pause.

And then, shallow breaths.

"...Aria?"

Her voice was a whisper. A trembling, unfamiliar sound. Not the Olivia I rembered. Not the gentle storm, the sister who could cut with words sharp when she wanted to.

No, this voice was shaking.

And suddenly, my blood ran cold.

"...Olivia, what’s wrong?"

Olivia?" I breathed, fingers white-knuckled around the phone.

There was only trembling silence at first... until her voice cracked through, so small I almost didn’t hear it.

"I—I’m sorry."

My entire body went cold. "Olivia, what... what do you an? What’s going on?"

"You were right," she whispered, voice breaking. "You were right about him. I should’ve listened to you."

My knees buckled slightly, and I had to grip the edge of my desk.

"Olivia, stop, what’s going on? What happened?!"

And then she said it. Her voice shaking, cracking, choked in sobs.

"He.. he said if I don’t bring two million dollars in the next two hours, he’s going to kill Kaleb and Lily."

I couldn’t breathe.

"He’s going to kill them, Aria." She was sobbing now, guilt laced into every broken syllable. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have trusted him again, please, I’m sorry-"

The line went dead.

My mind shattered.

I stood there like a hollow shell, the phone sliding from my hand and hitting the desk with a thud.

"Aria?" Sylas’s voice sounded like it ca from under water. "Hey... what was that? Who was on the phone?"

I couldn’t answer. My body moved on instinct, snatching up my bag with shaking hands. I needed to do sothing. I needed to move.

"Aria—talk to !" Sylas stepped in front of , hands on my shoulders, eyes scanning my face. "What happened?"

"I—" My breath stuttered. "I need to go."

"You’re scaring . What’s going on?"

I tried to push past him, but he grabbed again. "Tell what the hell is happening."

I snapped. "My father has Olivia. And the kids. He’s asking for ranso or he’ll kill them."

Sylas froze. And in that mont, I saw sothing shift in him.

"You can’t go there alone," he said imdiately, firm and low.

"I have to!" I shouted. "There’s no ti!"

He grabbed my wrist. "You’ll get yourself killed."

"I don’t care!" I wrenched away, eyes burning. "If anything happens to those kids, I’ll never forgive myself!"

"How much?" he barked, already reaching for his phone.

I hissed, "Two million."

I didn’t wait for his reaction. I turned on my heels and dialed Sarah on the way to the elevator. "et downstairs. It’s urgent," I told her and hung up before she could speak.

Sylas was already calling soone... Ash, I assud, as he chased after .

"She needs contacts. Pull in favors from Dad’s list. Anyone with authority in that sector, now," he barked into the phone, his voice like steel. "I don’t care if it’s illegal, do it."

We hit the lobby.

Sarah was already rushing over, her face twisted with worry. "Aria, what’s going on?"

"I need money," I told her breathlessly, "now. It’s for Olivia. Please."

Without a single question, Sarah dug into her purse and handed a card. "Use this. I’ll call my parents and ask for more if you need it."

"Thank you," I choked, clutching it like a lifeline.

Sylas was still behind , trying to calm down. "Aria listen to , I’ll get you the money. Just wait two minutes and—"

"No." I waved him off, hailing a taxi at the curb. "There’s no ti."

I jumped in.

"Take to the bank," I told the driver, voice ice cold.

The door slamd shut behind . Through the window, I saw Sylas arguing with soone over the phone, his jaw tight, his body thrumming with urgency.

But my mind was far gone.

I could still hear Olivia sobbing in my ear.

....

The cold tile of the bank floor beneath my heels felt like ice, even though sweat clung to the back of my neck.

500,000 dollars.

That’s all I had... All I could pull.

Stacks of notes were being counted by the bank’s operations manager, a man too calm, too slow, too ticulous for a crisis like mine. His gloved fingers glided over the bills like he was caressing fine silk while I stood on the edge of a goddamn breakdown.

My fingers dug into the hem of my blazer, and my knee bounced uncontrollably. My heart was hamring so hard it hurt.

How the fuck was I going to get the rest?

One point five million dollars. One point five Million.

I pulled my phone out, hands trembling.

Kael.

I tapped his na and held the phone to my ear.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable—"

"No, no, no—" I redialed. Again. Again.

Voicemail.

Again.

Again.

I gritted my teeth and cursed under my breath, almost throwing the phone, but it vibrated in my hand before I could.

Sylas.

I picked up imdiately. "Where are you?!"

"Where are you?" he shot back, breathless. "Tell . Right now."

"I’m at Sterling First Bank, downtown. I’ve got five hundred thousand in cash but—" I inhaled shakily, "I need more. One point five more."

There was a beat of silence on his end before he replied, "I’m pulling it together. But you need to stay where you are. Do not move. I’m coming to you."

"I can’t." My voice cracked. "I have to go. I can’t show up empty-handed, he’ll think I’m not taking him seriously."

"Aria, wait. Don’t go there alone, damn it, just wait for —"

But the line cut.

My phone vibrated again.

Olivia.

My breath caught.

I answered on instinct. "Olivia?!"

But it wasn’t Olivia.

It was him.

....

"Hello, Aria."

The voice alone made my stomach clench and my pulse crawl.

I froze.

Trembling fingers curled around my phone tighter.

Not because it sounded cold.

No.

Because it didn’t.

Because it wavered, like sothing cracked behind the forced calm of it.

"Don’t waste ti," he added quietly. asured. As if he was holding sothing back.

But I didn’t.

I didn’t hesitate.

"If you lay a finger on Olivia," I snapped, "or even breathe wrong around Kaleb or Lily—" My voice trembled, rage leaking into every syllable, "—I will make sure they never find your fucking body."