Aria's pov
I stood frozen in shock. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.
A wave of nausea hit me. It was violent and merciless.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up, and I doubled over as the metallic taste of blood and bile rose in my throat.
Before I could stop it, I vomited violently onto the polished floor.
Mr. Cruz wrinkled his nose in disgust, quickly covering it with one hand while making a sharp gesture with the other.
One of his black-suited men rushed forward immediately.
When my retching finally stopped, someone handed me a large bowl of water.
I didn't even consider whether it was clean.
I just took a sip to rinse my mouth, swallowed another, then tipped my head back and drained what remained in one desperate gulp.
The ice-cold water
