Morning didn't come gently because she couldn't sleep. She sat up slowly, staring at the black dress that lay on the bed. Her fingers brushed over the fabric before she slipped into it, the material fitting close, shaping her into something sharper and mysterious. The last floor pulsed with life. Scorpion had planned it well. Music slid through the air and glasses clinked. Laughter rose and fell in waves, careless and loud. She watched them from the upper level.
Men who had built empires out of fear, killed and for their greed and who had once sat with her father and buried him. Ben stood among them, drink in hand with no guilt in his expression. Below, Scorpion commanded the room without trying.
"Gentlemen," Scorpion's voice cut through the room smoothly. "Tonight, we welcome our guest."
The room turned to her as she stepped down. The black dress followed her like a shadow, her heels marking her descent with quiet authority.
"I want to thank all of you for coming," she began, her voice clear, carrying across the room without effort. The room was quiet.
"I've learned quickly," she said, "How we build alliances and how we break them."
There was a slight shift in the air.
"I've learned that loyalty is something temporary." she added, "And I could eat with you this moment and kill you the next."
Her eyes landed on Ben. He let out a small laugh, stepping forward enough to soften the tension.
"Aria-"
Men began to glance down as their phones buzzed with messages and screens lightening up. The room shifted and low murmurs filled the air.
"What have you done?" Ben's voice cracked as his phone lit up to reveal the message.
"You documented everything," she said quietly. "I only shared it."
He stood but Fernando was already there. You're going nowhere, sir."
Around them, the room was breaking. The first shot sounded, cracking through the room sharply. Glass shattered as bodies lurched, ducked and shattered. Aria didn't see the exact moment when Ben pulled the trigger, ending his life. Lucien's hand was on her before her mind caught up, dragging her backward as an explosion rang out.
"Down!"
But she wasn't listening. She needed Ben to pay to the very end. Needed to look him in the eye as he gasped for breath.
Scorpion was gone. Already pulled out by his men, swallowed into the confusion before the second wave hit.
"No," she shoved against him. "I'm not done!"
He swore under his breath, turning sharply, one arm still half-guarding her as she resisted him.
"Get the cars now," he said turning to Fernando and his brother. Another shot tore closely through the space.
"Now, we have to go."
"No,"
His hand caught her waist, lifting her before she could brace, and was off the ground.
"Put me down!" she yelled, biting his shoulders. Gun fire cracked again, closer. He ducked, turning sharply, one hand steadying her against him while the other raised his gun to clear the way.
"I'm going to kill you, I swear."
"When we both get out of this alive," he said as his body jerked slightly beneath her.
"You're hit," she breathe, turning to look.
"Not enough,"
He kept moving fast, one hand keeping her in place, protecting her and ducking behind overturned tables. Fernando was already at the exit door, waiting.
"Cars are ready!"
He carried her into the afternoon air, the sound of gunfire dulling behind them but not gone, the chaos spilling outward from the building. The car doors swung open. She stumbled inside, cursing under her breath.
"You had no right!"
"And you had every intention of staying in there and getting yourself killed," he fired back, stepping toward her despite the blood beginning to stain through his shirt. Her eyes dropped to the wound.
"I had him,"
"He was gone, Aria." he snapped back. "There was no need to kiss him goodbye."
"It meant everything to me,"
"Madre mia...." Fernandez muttered under his breath.
Her chest rose sharply, her eyes locked on his. "You don't get to decide when I'm done."
"And you don't get to die proving a point."
Neither of them spoke anymore. And it made everything more suffocating than the bullets they had just escaped.
She walked in, her chest burned in anger, a fire she couldn't extinguish no matter how hard she tried. The evening was heavy, adding to the anger. Linda was waiting at the entrance, her expression a mixture of worry and confusion. Her eyes scanned the group, noting the blood and sweat. Lucien walked past, holding his waist, his shirt was soaked with blood, his lips drawn in tight pain. Aria walked past her without a word, her eyes cold and distant.
"What happened?" Linda's voice trembled as she looked at Fernando, who was steadying Lucien.
"We need a doctor," Fernandez muttered, his voice thick with frustration.
Aria paced back
and forth, her hand tightened into a fist. The door creaked open and Linda stepped inside.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Did it go as planned?"
"He lied, Linda." Aria snapped. "Lucien knew my father all along."
Linda's brow furrowed. "Of course, the Debt Collector would know everyone."
She pulled out her phone, shoved it to Linda's hands. "This is the agreement he made with my father. To buy me."
Linda's mouth opened in disbelief, her eyes scanned the documents on the screen. "I'm sorry, Aria but it may be a misunderstanding."
"You're defending him now?" she hissed, her anger bubbling over. "He might be behind all this. Planned it."
"What if he dies? Because the man I saw bleeding seconds ago is close to dying." Linda voice broke the silence, and the words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with the weight of the question. "What happens then?"
She stood there, the question echoing in her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.
"Aria, he might be dying," Linda repeated. "And you're here, fighting over something that may not matter if he dies."
The words hit harder than any blow could. Lucien had risked his life for her, protected her but at what cost?
Her breath quickened as she made her way towards Lucien's private wing. It was the first time she was entering this part of his world, and despite the fire in her chest, something rose in her throat. She couldn't explain it, but this space that felt so off-limits before, felt somehow intimate. When she reached the door, Fernandez and some men were waiting outside. She reached for the door and the men blocked her.
"You can't enter." One of them said, "the doctor's on his way."
"No." Aria's voice was firm. "I'll handle this."
Fernandez gave her a long look, signaled the men to withdraw and stepped aside. The room was larger than she expected, richly decorated in a traditional style. The bed, large and imposing was framed with designs but despite the beauty of the room, it felt strangely personal. As though he had pour pieces of himself into every corner.
She found him lying there, propped up in a mountain of pillows, his face was pale from blood loss, his usually sharp features was soften by pain. He looked vulnerable. He turned his head slowly when she entered.
"You've come for revenge?" his voice was rough, edged with exhaustion that seemed to consume him.
She walked to the table by his bed, her chest tight as she set down the first aid kit with a soft thud. The air between them crackled with unsaid words. She removed the medical supplies with care, but her mind was racing. He watched her, his gaze never leaving her face as she worked.
"I need to unbutton your...shirt." she said without looking at him. He exposed the wound, hissing when she began cleaning it slowly. Her stomach twisted as he hissed in pain.
"Is it bad?" he asked, his voice was strained, the pain obvious.
"You'll live," she replied, her words sharp, though there was hit of something softer beneath them as she closed the wound.
"You must be happy now." he let out a bitter laugh.
Aria paused, her fingers frozen as she met his gaze. "Get that pity out of your head," she said coldly. "It doesn't suit you."
Lucien raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk. "Why not? You must have seen the documents and know what I did."
She wrapped his wound, the quiet tension thickening. As she wrapped the bandage around his waist, her fingers hummed, signaling that she was getting closer than she intended, but her leg caught the edge of the bed, she stumbled forward, and her forehead met his with a soft thud.
"Oh!" she gasped, pulling back quickly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry!" Her voice trembled as she steadied herself.
He laughed as he caught her, his gaze lingered on her, and for a moment, his scent, the aura in the room made her senses on fire. Before she could move back, his lips found hers in a sudden, fierce kiss. His lips were warm, yet something in them betrayed the tenderness that lay beneath the anger. The longer she stayed in his arms, caught in the heat of the kiss, the more the walls around her seemed to crumble. It was a clash of emotions neither of them could control. His hands moved to her waist, steadying her but she climbed the bed instead. She let the kiss linger, if only to try to understand what it all meant, what he meant.
"Stop," she whispered, pulling away from him, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Her mind raced, trying to process what had just happened. The kiss had been a pull and it tore at her resolve. Her hands trembled as she reached for the first aid kit, desperate to do anything but to acknowledged the growing heat in her chest. A sharp tug on her arm stopped her as she turned to leave.
"Stay," his voice was hoarse and hot, tempting her to do things.
"I will not-' She opened her mouth to argue, but his tanned broad chest, the one she had laid on earlier, refused to let her go. The world stuck in her throat, choking her.
"No." She jerked her arm away, he winced, his hands falling weakly
rushed to him, her body betraying her, despite the storm of emotion still swirling inside.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm sorry, Aria." he said quietly. "About your father..."
"You knew him. Closely." she whispered.
'Yes," he was a friend.
"Why the agreement thing?" she asked, her voice small but desperate for answers. "You wanted him to pay in another way?"
He closed his eyes briefly, his face tightening. "He wanted me to protect you." he said, "but I was wrong to force him to make that agreement."
"You could have gotten what you wanted."
"It was wrong of me." Lucien said again. "You can leave, Aria. Go back to your life."
"I have to go," she said, without looking back.
He let her go, staring at her as she walked out.
to his side. She