LOGIN42GHOST IN THE PASTARIA'S POV At least that was the story.Now Luca Valentino was sitting across from my father as if he had just uncovered something buried far deeper.Inside Interview Room Two, my father’s voice turned dangerously calm.“My wife died seventeen years ago,” he said. “That has nothing to do with this.”Luca watched him carefully.“Are you certain about that?”My father’s jaw tightened.“Yes.”Luca leaned back slightly, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp.“That’s interesting,” he murmured.“What is?”“The fact that you sound so confident.”The air in the room felt heavier now.My father’s patience was thinning rapidly.“You asked to speak with me,” he said. “If you have something useful to say, say it. Otherwise this conversation is over.”Luca considered him for a moment.Then he nodded slowly.“Fair enough.”He leaned forward again, resting his forearms on the table.“Tell me,” he said, “how much do you actually know about your wife’s life before you met her?”
41TRUST ISSUES ARIA'S POV “I’m asking you to consider the possibility that someone else is playing a bigger game.”He studied my face carefully, perhaps searching for fear or doubt.What he probably saw instead was the quiet determination I had inherited from him.Finally, he nodded slightly.“Stay here,” he said. “I won’t be long.”Then he left.A few minutes later, Luca was brought into Interview Room Two.This time, I remained behind the observation glass alone.The room itself was almost identical to the first—same harsh lighting, same steel table, same uncomfortable chairs designed to make long conversations feel even longer.Luca sat down slowly, adjusting the cuffs of his suit as if he were settling into a business meeting rather than a police interview.A moment later, my father entered.He closed the door behind him and took the seat across the table.For several seconds, neither man spoke.Then my father said, “You asked to see me.”Luca nodded once.“Yes.”“Why?”“Becaus
40HE KNOWS TOO MUCH ARIA'S POV The movement was subtle, but it sent a strange chill through me.Then he returned his attention to his brother.“I think,” he said quietly,“that whoever is behind this already expected you to say that.”Nico’s eyes narrowed.“And?”“And that means they’re not afraid of you.”The words hung in the air like a dark omen.Nico leaned back slowly.For a moment, the fierce confidence in his expression faltered.Because in their world, there were very few people reckless enough to challenge the Valentino brothers directly.If someone had done it anyway…It meant they believed they could win.Behind the glass, my father finally spoke again.“Enough,” he said quietly.The officers inside the room moved immediately.The door opened.The meeting was over.But as Nico was led away and Luca remained seated at the table, one thought kept echoing through my mind like an unanswered question.If someone truly believed I was important enough to start a war over…Then
39THINGS WE DON'T KNOWARIA'S POV Luca didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he studied Nico’s face carefully, as though measuring how much truth he could reveal without losing control of the conversation.Behind the observation glass, I felt my own thoughts racing in uneasy circles.More important than either of us.The phrase kept echoing in my mind.I had spent my entire life believing I was exactly what I appeared to be—the daughter of a police chief, a medical student trying to build a future far removed from the violence and corruption that surrounded men like Nico and Luca.Nothing about my life suggested there was some hidden significance attached to my existence.Yet Luca spoke as though someone out there believed otherwise.Inside the room, Nico tapped his fingers once against the metal table.“You’re stalling,” he said.“No,” Luca replied calmly. “I’m thinking.”“That’s new.”Luca smiled faintly at the insult.“You always did mistake caution for weakness,” he said.“And yo
38THE NAME ARIA'S POV “And what question is that?”Luca held his gaze.“Why was she there?”Behind the glass, I felt a strange chill settle over me.Because that question had been quietly sitting in the back of my mind ever since the attack at the mansion.Why had I been there?It had seemed like coincidence at the time.But now…Nico frowned.“She was there because I invited her.”“Yes,” Luca said. “But the people who attacked didn’t know that.”Silence.Then Nico’s expression shifted slightly.“You’re saying they expected her to be there.”“I’m saying they were prepared for it.”My father’s posture beside me grew noticeably tenser.Inside the room, Nico’s fingers slowly curled into a fist on the table.“That’s a ridiculous theory,” he said.“Is it?”“Yes.”“Then explain something to me,” Luca said calmly.Nico didn’t answer.Luca continued anyway.“Three of the attackers ignored the security team and moved straight toward the east wing of the house.”Nico’s eyes narrowed.“That w
37GENUINELY AFRAID ARIA'S POV A cold silence settled over the room.Even from behind the glass, the weight of those words was unmistakable.Then Nico spoke again, his voice quieter now.“You’re saying the attack wasn’t about revenge.”“No.”“Then what was it about?”Luca leaned back slightly, studying his brother with a calculating look.“It was about destabilizing the city.”Nico’s eyebrows drew together.“That’s dramatic, even for you.”“Think about it,” Luca said patiently. “Two Valentino brothers controlling half the underground economy disappear overnight. What happens next?”Nico didn’t answer immediately.But the answer was obvious.Chaos.Territory wars.Violence spilling into every corner of the city.Someone could rise to power while everyone else was busy fighting.Finally, Nico exhaled slowly.“You think someone is trying to replace us.”“I know they are.”“Who?”Luca opened his mouth——and then stopped.Something had caught his attention.His gaze shifted past Nico, to
7LET ME STAYARIA"How long is that?" I asked, when I began to feel my heart beat slow. "Longer than any you have ever had," Nico said. I knew he was going to say something that would sound like a gloat. Men like him always wanted to prove to women that they couldn't get pleasure from any othe
14SUV MANARIAAnyone could feel the hard tension between them.Years of distrust compressed into one moment. And we were already in that moment. My father crouched slightly so they were eye level.“If you think this stunt buys you goodwill—”“It wasn’t for you,” Nico cut in smoothly.The words w
INTO THE DARKARIASilence.Then —A slow clap echoed from the top of the stairs.“Sharp,” Luca murmured. “Very sharp.”He took one step down.Every officer tensed.Nico shifted forward instantly.“Don’t,” Luca warned again.The word held more edge this time.“Or what?” Nico challenged.Luca’s smil
13WHERE THE LINES ARE DRAWNARIA “Don’t what?”“Don’t look at him like that.”“Like what?”“Like he’s the victim.”The accusation stung.“I was in that house,” I said sharply. “Men broke in with guns. He pushed me out of the way.”“And what were those men looking for?” my father shot back.“I don







