Malicious taste (Book 1 RUINS OF US)
23 parts Ongoing Mature♥︎𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔✦
Eight years ago, Aria Devlin and Ethan Kade were more than friends-they were a force. Until ambition, betrayal, and one devastating misunderstanding tore them apart. She swore she'd never speak to him again. He made sure she wouldn't have the chance.
Now, Aria Devlin walks into the biggest pitch of her career-only to find Ethan Kade, the boy she once trusted, sitting at the head of the table. No longer the reckless business student she knew, he's a ruthless CEO with a gaze as sharp as his suit.
Aria: "We're here for business, nothing else."
Ethan: "Then why are you still holding your breath?"
Every meeting becomes a battlefield, every word a calculated strike. She wants to win the deal. He wants to win against her. But between late-night strategy sessions and dangerously close arguments, the line between hate and something far more dangerous begins to blur.
Ethan: "I'm not here to win, Aria. I'm here to make sure you lose."
Aria: "Guess I'm harder to kill than your ego."
Some grudges never die. Some desires never fade. And this time, the stakes are more than just business-because losing might mean giving up the one thing they swore they'd never want again. And some second chances might cost more than either is willing to pay.