The next morning in the Volkov Milan estate was calm on the surface but beneath it, the air pulsed with danger.
Two identical women lived under one roof now.
Only one of them belonged there.
And both knew the truth could destroy them.
Breakfast Hall — 8:00 a.m.
The sunlight streamed through the glass walls, painting gold over marble. Aria sat gracefully at the table, sipping coffee like she hadn't disappeared for months.
Alexander entered, crisp in his suit, his presence commanding as ever.
Ariana stood at the far end of the table, quiet, dressed simply in a cream dress nothing like her sister's designer sharpness.
"Good morning," Aria purred. "I wasn't sure if you'd join us, darling. You've been distant."
Alexander's gaze didn't flinch. "You left without a word. You don't get to play the victim now."
She smiled faintly, swirling her coffee. "Still angry? Or is it guilt?"
Her eyes flicked toward Ariana. "Maybe both."
The silence that followed was knife-sharp.
Ariana looked down, her heart twisting. She couldn't stand the way Aria's words slithered through the air, planting poison everywhere.
When breakfast ended, Aria trailed Alexander into his study.
Ariana lingered in the hall, anxiety curling inside her. She could hear them voices raised, low and intense.
"Do you even know what they did to me?" Aria hissed. "I was running for my life while you paraded around with my replacement!"
Alexander's voice came back like ice. "You lied, Aria. You set this in motion."
"And yet," she whispered, "you looked at her the way you used to look at me."
Silence. Then Aria laughed softly a sound full of heartbreak and threat.
"You're changing, Alex. You used to be impossible to touch. She made you weak."
That night, Ariana sat by her window, sketching again to keep her hands from shaking.
Outside, Milan glittered with nightlife. Inside, her heart felt like glass.
She didn't hear the knock until the door creaked open.
It was Sophia Romano Alexander's former lover, now head of his European fashion branch.
Sophia leaned on the doorframe, smirking. "You must be the famous twin. Word travels fast."
Ariana stood. "What do you want?"
"Nothing much," Sophia said, stepping inside. "Just a warning. Aria's playing a dangerous game but she's not the only one."
"What are you talking about?"
Sophia's smile faded. "Do you really think your sister came back for love? She's in deep with the White Circle. She owes them. And they don't forgive debts."
Ariana's blood ran cold.
The same name Alexander had whispered days ago.
Sophia continued, her tone low. "If she's here, they're watching. And that means you are too."
Moments after Sophia left, Ariana's phone buzzed with a blocked message.
We warned you once.
You took her place. Now you'll take her punishment.
Her hand shook.
At that exact moment, downstairs, Alexander was meeting with his security chief.
"The footage from last night," he said. "Someone accessed the gate logs."
The chief nodded grimly. "Yes, sir. From an internal account Mrs. Volkov's ID."
Alexander's expression hardened. "Which one?"
"That's the problem," the man said. "We can't tell."
Later that night, Aria entered Ariana's room uninvited.
"You shouldn't have come back," Ariana said, voice trembling.
Aria smirked, leaning against the door. "You shouldn't have taken my life."
"I saved it!" Ariana snapped. "You begged me to pretend, remember?"
Aria's eyes glinted dangerously. "I begged you to protect me, not fall in love with him."
Ariana froze, words dying in her throat.
Aria stepped closer, whispering near her ear. "The moment he finds out everything the real reason I vanished you'll wish you never met him."
Ariana swallowed. "What are you hiding, Aria?"
Her sister's smile turned cold. "Something that can destroy him."
Meanwhile, in his office, Alexander stared at the two files laid before him
one for Aria Volkov, the woman he married,
and one for Ariana Cruz, the woman who made him feel alive again.
Two names.
Two truths.
And one lie waiting to unravel them all.