Chapter 49: Tangles of Truth

The night felt colder than usual, as though the world itself was pressing in on me, suffocating under the weight of the truths I had yet to fully confront. The ballroom, once a place of celebration, now seemed to echo with a strange heaviness. People moved around me in a haze, their voices a distant murmur, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart, every beat reminding me of the delicate web I was caught in.

Dominic stood a few steps away, his expression unreadable, yet there was something in the way his eyes lingered on me that sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn’t hatred. No, it was something else—something much more complicated. And despite every ounce of willpower in my body telling me to stay away, I found myself drawn to him, as if the gravity of the situation was pulling us together once more.

He looked different tonight. The dark suit he wore clung to his broad shoulders, and his hair was swept back, his jawline sharp, the definition of controlled power. But behind the armor of his ruthless exterior, I caught the faintest flicker of something vulnerable—a crack in the façade. And it unsettled me.

He took a step toward me, closing the distance just enough to feel the heat of his presence. The air between us crackled, thick with unspoken words. For a long moment, we just stood there, neither of us speaking, as if waiting for the other to make the first move.

Finally, he broke the silence, his voice low, almost a whisper. “You look beautiful tonight, Elena.”

The words, though simple, sent a rush of warmth flooding through me. I opened my mouth to respond, but the words lodged themselves in my throat. What could I say? A part of me wanted to snap back, to remind him of everything he had done to me, to my family. But another part of me, the part I refused to acknowledge, wanted to hear more, wanted to savor the softness in his voice, the way he said my name as if it meant something more than just a label.

Before I could answer, he took another step closer. The subtle shift in his posture, the way he reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, felt like an intimate gesture, a far cry from the cold, calculating man he usually was. His fingers lingered near my skin, a touch that felt like a spark, igniting something inside me that I thought I’d buried long ago.

“Elena…” His voice was soft, but the intensity in his gaze told a different story. “I know things have been… complicated. But there’s something between us that we can’t deny. Not anymore.”

I wanted to look away, to shake off the feeling that had begun to stir in my chest, but I couldn’t. His presence was magnetic, the pull between us undeniable. And despite everything—despite the betrayal, the lies, the tangled web of our families’ dirty games—I felt a flicker of hope. A hope that maybe, just maybe, there was more to this than I realized.

“Dominic…” My voice was barely above a whisper, but it held all the hesitation and frustration I couldn’t quite put into words. I had so many questions, so many things I wanted to ask him. But something else was clawing at me, drowning out all rational thought.

He caught my gaze, his eyes searching mine, as if trying to read the emotions that swirled beneath the surface. “What is it, Elena? What are you afraid of?”

The question hit me harder than I expected. I wasn’t sure how to answer, how to articulate the storm of emotions that raged inside me. Fear? Yes, there was fear. Fear of losing myself in him, of losing my grip on the truth. But there was something else—something more terrifying.

“I’m afraid of what’s happening between us,” I admitted quietly, my voice faltering. “I don’t know how to handle it, Dominic. I don’t know how to handle you.”

His expression softened, his gaze never leaving mine. “I know I’ve hurt you. I know you don’t trust me. But there’s more at play here than just us, Elena. There’s something bigger. Something that we both need to face.”

I couldn’t help but feel the truth in his words. As much as I hated him for everything he had done, as much as I wanted to destroy him and take everything from him, there was a part of me that knew he was right. Our families’ history, their entanglement in corruption and betrayal—it wasn’t just about me and Dominic anymore. We were players in a game that neither of us had chosen, and the stakes were higher than either of us realized.

But before I could respond, something caught my eye—a glimmer of movement in the crowd.

Liam.

He was standing by the balcony, his posture stiff, his eyes locked on me. And for a split second, I could see the tension in his face, the way his jaw clenched. There was something in his expression, something almost possessive. It was as if he was watching, waiting for something to happen between Dominic and me, as if he didn’t want to lose his place in the game.

“Liam…” I whispered, but Dominic’s voice cut through the moment.

“Don’t,” he said, his hand gently gripping my wrist, his touch sending a jolt through me. “You’re not here for him anymore, Elena. Don’t let him distract you.”

I tore my gaze away from Liam, finding Dominic’s eyes once more. There was a fire in them now, something determined. “You don’t get it, Dominic. I can’t just forget about the past. My father’s involvement in all of this—it’s not just about you and me. It’s about everything that’s been built on lies.”

The mention of my father seemed to freeze the air around us. Dominic’s expression faltered for a brief moment before he spoke, his voice tinged with an edge I couldn’t quite place. “Your father is tangled in this more than you think. There are things I’ve uncovered, Elena. Things that point to him being one of the key players in this entire mess.”

I felt the blood drain from my face as his words sank in. “What are you talking about?”

Dominic leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “I found evidence. Your father’s name is linked to several off-the-books transactions. He’s been using his political power to fuel this corruption for years. And if I’m right, he’s one of the ones responsible for your mother’s downfall.”

The world tilted beneath my feet. I felt the room close in on me, the faces of the people around me blurring into nothing. The very man I had trusted, the one who had raised me, who had always been the pillar of my life—he was part of the dirty game. He was the one pulling strings behind the scenes.

I took a step back, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I tried to make sense of what Dominic was saying. My father? Involved in this?

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head as disbelief settled like a weight on my shoulders. “It can’t be true. My father would never—”

“Do you really think your father is the saint he pretends to be?” Dominic’s voice was colder now, sharper. “I wish it weren’t true, Elena. But the evidence is right here. Your father has been manipulating the game from behind the scenes, using your family’s reputation to further his own goals. And we’ve both been pawns in his game.”

I stumbled back, feeling as though the ground had shifted beneath me. Everything I thought I knew about my father was shattered in an instant. The anger, the betrayal, it all collided within me. I had to confront him. I had to face the man who had orchestrated so much of the pain I had endured.

Dominic reached for me, his hand brushing against mine. “Elena, don’t do this alone. We’re in this together now.”

But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I had answers.