ARIA'S POV
The hospital smells like death and cleaning chemicals.
I sit in the emergency room waiting area, still shaking from what just happened at Pierce Industries. The check Logan gave me—five hundred thousand dollars to "disappear"—burns in my pocket like acid.
A nurse calls my name. "Aria Chen? Your father is in room 304. The doctor wants to speak with you first."
I follow her down hallways that all look the same. White walls. Bright lights. People crying in corners.
The doctor meets me outside Dad's room. She's young, tired-looking, and her expression tells me everything before she opens her mouth.
"Miss Chen, I'm Dr. Martinez. Your father suffered a massive heart attack. We did everything we could, but—"
"Is he alive?" My voice sounds like it belongs to someone else.
"Yes. But he's very weak. His heart is barely functioning." She touches my arm gently. "I need to be honest with you. The damage is extensive. Even if he survives the night, he'll need round-the-clock care. A transplant, possibly. The costs will be—"
"I understand." I don't understand anything. My brain stopped working an hour ago.
"He's asking for you. You can go in, but please don't upset him. Any stress could—" She doesn't finish the sentence.
Could kill him. That's what she means.
I push open the door to room 304.
Dad looks so small in that hospital bed. Tubes and wires connect him to machines that beep and hiss. His skin is gray. His eyes are closed.
"Dad?" I whisper.
His eyes open slowly. When he sees me, something like pain crosses his face.
"Aria." His voice is barely there. "You came."
"Of course I came." I sit in the chair next to his bed. "You're going to be okay. The doctors said—"
"Don't lie to me." He coughs, and the heart monitor goes crazy for a second. "I'm dying. We both know it."
Tears burn my eyes. "Don't say that."
"I need to tell you something. Before it's too late." He tries to sit up but can't. "Maya... Maya did this."
My whole body goes cold. "What?"
"She's been stealing from the company for months. Working with Robert Crane. When I found out, I confronted her this morning." His breathing gets harder. "She laughed at me. Said I was a fool. Said the company was already dead and I just didn't know it yet. Then she left. An hour later, my chest started hurting."
The machines beep faster. A nurse rushes in.
"Sir, you need to calm down," she says firmly. "Miss Chen, I'm sorry, but you need to leave."
"No, wait—" Dad grabs my hand with surprising strength. "Aria, listen. Everything I have left—the house, my savings, everything—it's all in Maya's name. I changed my will last year when she convinced me you weren't... weren't capable."
The words cut deeper than any knife.
"I was wrong." Tears slide down his face. "I was so wrong about you. About everything. Maya poisoned me against you for years, and I let her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Dad, please, you need to rest—"
"Forgive me." His grip on my hand loosens. "Please. Before I—"
The heart monitor screams.
Doctors and nurses flood into the room. Someone pulls me away. I watch them work on my father—chest compressions, medications, shouting medical terms I don't understand.
Then the monitor goes flat.
The sound it makes is the worst sound I've ever heard. One long, continuous beep that means everything just ended.
"Time of death, 3:47 PM," someone says.
My legs stop working. I slide down the wall outside the room and sit on the floor.
Dad is gone.
I'm alone.
Completely, totally alone.
A hand touches my shoulder. I look up and see Dr. Martinez crouching next to me.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," she says gently. "Is there someone I can call for you? Family? Friends?"
I almost laugh. Family? Maya killed Dad—maybe not with her own hands, but she did it. Friends? I haven't had friends in years. Everyone abandoned me when the Chen name became worthless.
"No," I whisper. "There's no one."
Dr. Martinez helps me to my feet. "You should go home. Get some rest. We'll handle the arrangements, and someone will call you tomorrow about—about everything else."
I nod because I don't know what else to do.
In the hospital bathroom, I splash cold water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror. I look like a ghost. Pale. Empty. Dead inside.
My hand moves to my stomach.
Not completely dead. There's a life growing inside me. A tiny person who didn't ask to be born into this nightmare.
Logan Pierce's baby.
The baby he called a mistake. The baby he offered me money to get rid of.
Fresh tears come, but I'm too tired to cry properly. They just slide down my face while I stand there like a broken doll.
My phone rings. Unknown number. Again.
I answer it because what else can they take from me?
"Aria Chen?" A man's voice. Professional. Cold.
"Yes."
"This is James Morrison from Morrison and Associates Law Firm. I represent the estate of Richard Chen. I'm calling to inform you that your father's will was read this afternoon. As his daughter, you're entitled to—"
"I know," I interrupt. "Everything goes to Maya. He told me."
Silence. Then: "I'm sorry, Miss Chen, but that's not correct. Your father changed his will again this morning. At 9 AM, two hours before his heart attack. He left everything to you."
The bathroom tilts.
"What?"
"The house, his savings, his life insurance—it all goes to you. There's also a note. Would you like me to read it?"
"Yes." The word comes out as a sob.
Papers rustle. Then the lawyer reads:
"'Aria, I know I failed you. I let Maya manipulate me into thinking you were weak when you were the strongest person in our family. This money isn't much, but it's yours. All of it. Use it to build the life you deserve. The life I should have helped you build. I'm sorry I can't be there to see it. Love, Dad.'"
I sink to the bathroom floor, crying so hard I can't breathe.
He knew. At the end, he knew the truth.
"Miss Chen? Are you alright?"
"How much?" I ask through tears. "How much money?"
"The total estate is approximately eight hundred thousand dollars. Not including the house, which is paid off and worth another million."
One point eight million dollars.
More money than I've ever seen. Enough to raise this baby. Enough to start over.
"There's one more thing," the lawyer says carefully. "Your father also left a sealed envelope addressed to you. He said to give it to you immediately. Can you come to our office?"
"I'll be there in an hour."
I hang up and just sit on that bathroom floor, my hand on my stomach.
"We're going to be okay," I whisper to the baby. "Your grandfather made sure of it. We're going to survive this."
The law office is in a fancy building downtown. Mr. Morrison is older, kind-eyed, and treats me gently like I might break.
He hands me a thick envelope with my name written in Dad's shaky handwriting.
"Take your time," he says, leaving me alone in his office.
I open the envelope with trembling fingers.
Inside is a letter and a USB drive.
The letter reads:
"Aria, if you're reading this, I'm gone. I'm sorry I wasn't a better father. I'm sorry I let Maya convince me you were worthless when you were worth more than the entire company.
The USB drive contains evidence. Video footage. Audio recordings. Emails. Everything that proves what Maya has been doing. She's been working with Robert Crane for over a year. She drugged you at that party—I found proof. She's stolen millions from Chen Enterprises. She's destroyed lives.
I was going to use this evidence to turn her in to the police. But I ran out of time.
You take it to the authorities. Make her pay for what she did. To you. To me. To everyone.
And Aria? That baby you're carrying? I overheard you talking to the pregnancy clinic on the phone yesterday. I know you're scared. I know Logan Pierce rejected you.
But you're going to be an amazing mother. Better than I was a father.
I love you. I'm sorry it took me dying to say it.
Dad"
My hands shake so badly I drop the letter.
Dad knew about the baby. Knew Logan rejected me. And he left me evidence to destroy Maya.
I plug the USB drive into Mr. Morrison's computer.
Files fill the screen. Hundreds of them.
I click on a video labeled "Party - Night of Drugging."
Security footage plays. I watch Maya at the bar, dropping something into a drink. My drink. Then handing it to me with a smile.
Another video: Maya meeting with Robert Crane in a parking garage. Money changing hands.
Audio files of Maya on the phone: "Yes, I drugged her. My idiot sister won't remember anything. Pierce will take care of her, and we can move forward with the Crane deal without her interfering."
Email after email of Maya selling company secrets. Stealing money. Planning the destruction of Chen Enterprises from the inside.
Everything Dad said is true. All of it.
Maya is a monster.
And I have proof.
Mr. Morrison comes back in. "Miss Chen? Are you—" He sees my face. "What did you find?"
"Evidence of multiple crimes." My voice sounds strange. Stronger than before. "I need you to make copies of everything on this drive. Then I need the name of the best criminal lawyer in the city."
He studies me for a moment. Then nods. "I'll make the calls."
While he's gone, I sit in that office and feel something shift inside me.
For two months, I've been scared. Broken. Weak.
But I'm done being weak.
Maya drugged me. Stole my father. Poisoned Logan against me. Took everything.
Well, now I have eight hundred thousand dollars, a house, and evidence that can put her in prison.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number:
"Heard about Daddy dying. Such a shame. By the way, Logan and I are official now. He proposed an hour ago. We're celebrating at Del Posto if you want to come watch me win. Oh wait—you can't afford restaurants anymore, can you? - M"
Below the text is a photo.
Logan Pierce kissing Maya Chen.
The image should hurt. Should destroy me.
Instead, I feel nothing but cold determination.
"Mr. Morrison," I call out. "Change of plans. I need two lawyers. One criminal attorney and one divorce lawyer."
He looks confused. "Divorce? But you're not married—"
"Not for me. I need someone who specializes in destroying prenuptial agreements and corporate partnerships." I smile, and it feels sharp. "Because Maya Chen just made her biggest mistake."
"What mistake is that?"
"She thought I'd stay broken." I stand up, one hand on my stomach where my baby is growing. "But I'm done being the weak Chen daughter. I'm going to take everything from her. Everything she stole from me, from Dad, from everyone."
Mr. Morrison's eyes widen. "Miss Chen, revenge can be—"
"This isn't revenge." I meet his eyes. "This is justice. And I have all the evidence I need to make sure Maya Chen regrets ever hurting my family."
My phone rings. Logan Pierce.
I stare at his name on the screen.
Then I answer.
"What do you want?" My voice is ice.
"Aria, please, I know the truth now. About Maya. About everything. I was wrong. I'm so sorry. Please let me explain—"
"There's nothing to explain, Mr. Pierce. You made yourself very clear this afternoon."
"I saw the security footage. Maya deleted my note. She's been lying to me for months. The baby—your baby—our baby—I know it's real now. Please, just let me—"
"Congratulations on your engagement," I say coldly. "I hear Maya said yes. You two deserve each other."
"I didn't propose! She's lying! Aria, please—"
"Goodbye, Logan. Don't call me again."
I hang up and block his number.
Mr. Morrison stares at me. "Was that—"
"Nobody important," I say. "Now, about those lawyers..."