The night was already burning when I made the call.
No names. No details. Just coordinates and a calm voice saying, "There's something underground you should see."
It took less than ten minutes for the sirens to start.
The Croix Club lit up like a war zone, shouts, running feet, the clang of metal doors. The underground vault where they'd kept the gun and drug shipments was crawling with officers before my uncle even realized what was happening.
That was the only reason I got the chance to take Aria out. Everyone else was too busy hiding evidence and burning documents to notice that the heir had disappeared with a girl they'd planned to kill quietly.
But I knew the cost.
No one betrays the Croix and walks out breathing.
Still, knowing i sent her far away from their reach, I knew I'd done something right for once.
Aria deserved peace. A life beyond fire and lies.
The kind Kairo had written about in his journal.
She deserves peace. A world where her heart doesn't have to break to feel alive.
He was right.
I walked away from the airport, the cold air stinging my face. My phone vibrated,dozens of missed calls from my uncle, from his men, from the devil himself. I ignored them all.
By the time I got back to the estate, the place was chaos.
Smoke rose from where they'd burned files too sensitive for the cops to find. Men shouted orders. Someone cursed that the last deal they struck led straight back to them.
The moment they saw me, silence rippled through the room.
David stood in the centre, face red with rage, hand gripping a glass of whiskey so tightly it might shatter.
"You did this," he hissed. "Did you really think you could fool me?"
I didn't answer. I just stared at him, calm. Empty.
"You called the cops on your own family. On your father's name."
"On murderers," I corrected.
He slammed the glass against the wall, shards flying. "You Ungrateful wretch!"
"I'm just making it clear. i want not part of this,"
That made him pause. His jaw tightened. "You think I don't know about that journal? About your pathetic attempts to rewrite what happened?"
"You killed him," I said quietly.
He smiled. A slow, cruel smile that made my stomach turn. "You were the reason he died, Zayden. Don't you remember? It all started when you ended your family, including Kayden."
For a moment, I almost lunged at him. My fists clenched until my nails dug into my palms. But I didn't move.
"That's your problem," I said through my teeth. "You think death cleans things up."
His laughter echoed off the walls. "i would think you know."
Something inside me snapped.
Before he could react, I grabbed the gun from the table and aimed it at his chest, my hand shook, I don't know how it works, but I wanted to do nothing but pull the trigger.
"Go on kid, i won't be your first kill," he said smirking like he was daring me, like he knew i don't have it in me to pull the trigger
My hand trembled. I wanted to end him. God, I did. But I remembered Aria's face when she whispered, "Don't be reckless and make it worse."
And I lowered the gun.
"Good boy," he sneered. "Now hand it." He commanded and I did just that.
The city lights blurred as I wandered through empty streets. My phone buzzed again, Andrew's name flashed on the screen.
I answered weakly. "She's safe?"
"She is," Andrew replied. His voice was calm, reassuring. "New Zealand. She's settling in."
A faint smile tugged at my lips. "Good. Keep her away from the news. Don't tell her anything until it's over."
"You know it won't end well for you," he said quietly.
"I know."
"Then why?"
"Because this was always the ending," I said, voice breaking. " This is the only way I could make it right."
Silence stretched between us. Then, softly, Andrew said, "You sound like your true self."
That nearly brought me to my knees.
"Take care of her," I whispered.
"I will."
The line went dead.
Dawn crept in slowly, pale and cold. I found myself by the lake.
I thought about all the things I'd ruined, my family, my name, Aria's peace and all the things I'd tried to fix too late.
Maybe redemption wasn't a clean thing. Maybe it was supposed to hurt.
I pulled Kairo's journal from my pocket, the pages worn and stained. His handwriting smiled up at me through the pain.
"If i can, i want to take her far away and give her a life she deserves."
"I tried," I whispered. "I sent her where the air still smells like hope."
A noise behind me made me tense.
David's voice, faint but venomous: "You really thought you could run from me?"
I didn't bother turning around.
"I'm not running," I said softly.
He laughed, steps crunching closer. "You've cost the company a lot, it's redeemable, few calls here, few strings there and things will clean out"
His footsteps stopped. Metal clicked. The cold press of a barrel to the back of my head made every nerve sing.
I closed my eyes. The sound of waves swallowed the world.
"Go ahead," I said. "But don't expect me to beg."
Silence. Then, the faintest exhale.
"It's a game of how long can you keep her alive, zayden," he muttered mockingly.
I smiled faintly. "As long as i live." The metal left my head.
"You signed a deal, boy." he sat next to me.
"The deal is off," I replied sharply, and he laughed.
"New Zealand, huh?" He asked, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
"I give you 2 months, show me just how willing you're to keep her away from me, from them" he chuckled and I felt lump form in my throat, I felt back to square one again.
"What....
"The Croix doesn't forgive, and you have to pay for what you did tonight." I swallowed hard.