She had barely taken three steps in the room when the knock came. "Open up!" Linda yelled. A quiet click came sounded from the other side.
"Why is it locked?" Linda asked. "Aria?"
"I need you to calm down," Aria said from her room.
"...Calm down?" Linda repeated. "There are men outside your door acting like I need permission to breathe near you."
"Follow any instruction given to you."
"He what?" Linda's voice dropped immediately. "What happened between you two?"
"Trust me," she yelled.
"I don't like this," Linda replied, letting out a breath on the other side. "If this boney-faced guard looks at me one more time, I'm starting war."
"Go, Linda."
Scorpion's phone lit up with a sound. An encrypted message opened clearly. The men shifted restlessly as his thumb slide across the screen.
He locked me in. Rescue me before he decides I'm no longer useful.
The words sat there, simple and direct. His gaze moved slowly over the rest of the message. Across the room, one of his men noticed the silence stretching too long.
"Sir?"
He needed to think. If he rescues her now, he could have her and use her. But he knew Lucien doesn't make careless moves. He is already in his blacklist. He leaned back slowly, one hand resting against his chin as his gaze turned to one of his men.
"She's changed her approach," he murmured. "What a cunning bitch."
"What do you command, sir?" the man asked.
"We visit again," Scorpion replied, "And this time, we go with gifts to know what she's planning."
The gates had open too easily as though the house had been expecting them long before they arrived. That was the first thing Scorpion noticed as the car rolled in. He stepped out, the night air coiled against his skin, his gaze shifting towards the house without hurry. Behind him, Ben Vale adjusted his suit, his usual smile returning like a well-practiced habit.
"Either he's very confident," he murmured, "or very foolish to think we came on our own without backup."
"Both," Scorpion responded and smiled.
The room was wide, almost indulgent in openness, Low couches curved around tables layered with bottles and untouched glasses. Soft lighting settled into every corner, erasing shadows. Lucien sat at the middle of the room, one hand resting loosely at his side while the other gestured forward.
"I was quite surprised," he said, his voice carrying easily without effort as he sipped his drink. "to see your heads appear on my gate cameras."
His eyes moved between them, unhurried. "Your debts are all paid for the year," he continued. "Did you come to gift me more?"
Ben sat, leaning back as though he belonged in the space. "How's my brother's daughter doing?" he asked, his tone carrying weight. "Have you used her enough in your bed?"
Lucien's gaze settled on him. "She is doing her duty because she belongs to me."
"I'm sure you told her about the agreement you made when her father was still alive?"
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "I've known you for digging," he said. "It wasn't a secret."
Ben laughed. "I'm sure," he nodded. "Does she know?"
Lucien clenched his teeth. "What do you both want?"
"I want her," Scorpion said and stood. "You will give her to me."
Across the city, the silence was different. Linda crouched low beside the security gate to Ben's home, her face lit by shifting screens as her fingers moved quickly over the tablet in her hands.
"OMG..." she muttered under her breath while tapping and disabling. "This man has cameras in places I didn't know existed. I swear there's one in the bathroom-"
"Linda," Aria warned quietly.
"Done." she said, stepping away.
"Stay alert," Aria said as she moved, slipping along the side of the building. Fernando climbed first quiet and efficient, pulling himself up the windows ledge and his brother followed. Aria came last. She stepped in, taking in the expensive floor designs and the furniture that looked untouched. Sculpture placed at every corners and paintings stretched across the walls in heavy frames.
"Ten minutes," Lucien's voice came through her earpiece.
"Distract them with sweet talk, Lucien." she whispered back, already stepping into the hallway.
"You've gotten bold, Aria." she barely heard him say as she searched for clues. Anything that could expose what happened. Frustration began to creep in because she feared she might end up with nothing. Her gaze shifted across the room and found a door.
"He clearly knows how to hide," Fernando whispered, "Fernandez, it's time to unleash one of your little tricks."
He was already beside her, eyes scanning the locks. "Si."
Pulling the lock, he attached a long rope to the side and twisted it. A soft click sounded and the door was wide open. The room was nothing like the rest of the house. Papers were scattered on the table, she saw faces she barely recognized. Her eyes scanned her face on one of the the pictures.
"He's been following everything," Fernandez said, walking around.
"Five minutes," Lucien's voice reminded.
She moved to the nearest laptop and opened files, scanning quickly until one caught her attention.
"Fernandez," she called
out. "It's trashed."
"Give me a second." His fingers flew across keys and opened the files. Aria clicked it and her breath left her in a broken exhale, her body going still as the moment replayed in the video, louder than the room around her. Fernandez steadied her before she could fall.
"We need to go." Fernando warned.
She downloaded the file and turned, but something caught her eye. A single sheet of paper placed too neatly among among everything else. She reached for it, her fingers hesitating a moment before lifting it. Her eyes moved slowly over the words, each line settling heavier than the last.
Upon reaching legal maturity, Aria Vale will be transferred under the custodial authority of The Debt Collector
Her father's handwriting, the one she knew too well, was there. Her fingers tightened around the paper, the edges biting into her skin.
She didn't remember the walk back because the images wouldn't leave her. Her father falling, the sound of gunshot and the signature that hurt the most. It all clung to her like something that refused to loosen its grip. She had came through the window as planned, her clothes torn to look pitiful. The door opened and she felt him, even though it had became an habit. For a moment, he said nothing.
"Aria." He said and she turned. Lucien's gaze narrowed slightly.
"Your plan is going well," he said stepping towards her like he needed her to breathe. "Now, it's time for them to pay for whatever you've seen."
She shifted back, her fingers rested at the edge of the table, her posture straight, but there was tension in her shoulders that he noticed.
"There's food," he added, glancing briefly at the tray beside the bed. "You need to eat now before they come."
"I'm not hungry," The words were meant to be simple but she made it sound painful.
He crossed the space between them, his hand caught her wrist before she could move away. "You were hurt?"
She stiffened. "No."
The door burst open and Scorpion stepped in. "It's time to go,"
"Before I go," she said, turning to Lucien. "I'd like invite the Debt Collector to my new home, personally."
"I'm sure he's not deaf." Scorpion added.