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11:15 A.M. – Still At Walter Group HeadquartersThe room fell silent.Aria looked at Lucas, her eyes fixed on the phone in Selene's hand.Her heart sank."Yo... you recorded our conversation?"Her voice trembled."How could you?"Lucas immediately shook his head."No."He pointed toward Selene."She did."Selene smiled proudly."Well, Aria...""You are not the only one who wants revenge."She let out a quiet laugh."I want revenge too."Aria stared at her."What are you talking about?"Selene stepped closer."I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."She folded her arms across her chest."And now...""I finally have something that can destroy you."Aria's expression changed."What do you want?"Selene smiled."Simple.""You do exactly what I tell you."Aria looked at Lucas."Is this your idea?"Lucas raised both hands."Don't look at me.""This is Selene's game."Selene laughed."Exactly."She reached into her handbag.For a moment, Aria didn't understand what she was doing.
10:15 A.M. – Federal Investigation OfficeRichard Carter sat across from the investigators with his back straight and his expression carefully composed.He looked nothing like a man who had been arrested the night before.His shirt was perfectly pressed.His silver watch rested neatly against his wrist.Even his hair was carefully combed.He looked calm.Untouchable.As though the room belonged to him.Across the table, two federal investigators sat with a thick file between them.One of them slowly opened it."Mr. Carter, let's begin with something simple."Richard leaned back."Go ahead.""How did Carter Group come into existence?"Richard didn't hesitate."I built it."The investigator raised an eyebrow."Built it?""Yes.""From what?""Capital. Business connections. Investments.""And where did that capital come from?"Richard's expression hardened slightly."My personal investments.""Your personal investments?""Yes."The investigator flipped through several documents."That's i
9:10 A.M. – Cross MansionAria barely slept.The events of the past few days had become a blur of betrayal, fear, and regret.Richard had been arrested.Sophia was dead.Ethan had disappeared.And Lucas...Lucas was becoming someone she no longer recognized.She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her phone.For several minutes, she hesitated.Then she opened her messages.Her fingers moved across the screen.Aria: I need to see you.She stared at the message before pressing send.The reply came less than a minute later.Lucas: Come to my office.Aria's eyes narrowed.No questions.No hesitation.Almost as if he'd been expecting her.She locked her phone."Fine.""If you want to play this game...""I'll play."---10:00 A.M. – Walter Group HeadquartersThe elevator doors opened.Aria stepped into the executive floor.Her expression was calm, but beneath it, anger burned fiercely.Lucas's personal assistant immediately stood."Good morning, Miss Carter.""He's expecting me.""Yes, m
Two days later8:10 P.M. – Carter MansionRichard Carter was lying comfortably in his bedroom, one hand resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.For the first time that day, the house was quiet.Too quiet.He had spent the entire evening thinking about Aria.Her words kept replaying in his mind.I was never home to begin with.Richard's jaw tightened.That ungrateful girl.After everything he had done for her...He closed his eyes.Then—Bang!A loud sound echoed from downstairs.Richard's eyes snapped open.Another voice followed.Deep.Authoritative."Nobody leaves the premises."Richard immediately sat up."What the hell?"He heard hurried footsteps approaching his bedroom.The door flew open.Elizabeth stood there, breathing heavily."Richard!"He frowned."What happened?"Her face was pale."The police are here."Richard stared at her."What?""They're downstairs."She swallowed."Richard... there are several officers."His expression hardened."The police?"He slowly
8:45 A.M. – Cross MansionAria remained seated on the edge of the bed long after Damian's footsteps disappeared down the hallway.Her eyes were swollen.Her face was pale.And her heart felt impossibly heavy.She looked at her phone again.The unknown number was still displayed on the screen.Sophia was dead.There was no undoing that.No amount of money could change it.No revenge could bring her back.Aria slowly stood and walked toward the bathroom.She turned on the tap and splashed cold water over her face.Once.Twice.Again.She stared at herself in the mirror."You have to get yourself together."Her voice was barely audible."You can't let Damian know."But the moment she said it...She hated herself.Because Damian had always told her the truth mattered.And she was still lying to him.Aria grabbed a towel and dried her face.She adjusted her hair.Then she forced herself to smile.It looked fake.Terribly fake.But it would have to do.She opened the bedroom door.---Dinin
8:15 A.M. – Cross MansionMorning sunlight filtered through the curtains of Aria's bedroom, but she barely noticed it.She sat on the edge of the bed, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.She had been trying to reach Ethan for almost an hour.Again.And again.Nothing.She dialed his number one more time.The call didn't even ring.The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.Aria frowned.She lowered the phone and stared at the screen."No..."She tried again.Same message.Her heart began to beat faster."Ethan..."She whispered."Where are you?"After everything that had happened yesterday, she needed answers.She needed to see him.She needed to know whether the documents he had given her were enough to prove the truth about Clara.And more importantly...She needed someone who understood what was happening inside her head.She dialed again.Unavailable.Aria threw the phone onto the bed."Why aren't you answering?"Before she could pick it up again...Her phone suddenl
The television was muted, but the captions kept scrolling.LEAKED VIDEO ROCKS CARTER FAMILYCORPORATE HEIRESS AT CENTER OF SCANDALMr. Carter stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the city like it had personally betrayed him.Aria stood a few steps behind him, her arm
9:00 AM. Carter Group Headquarters.Vivienne stepped out of the elevator and onto the executive floor. Usually, this was her runway the place where she walked with her head high, the rhythmic click-clack of her heels signaling productivity and power.Today, the hallway felt like a gauntlet.Every h
9:00 PM. The Vault, Victoria Island.Simon Levi was on top of the world.Or at least, he felt like it. He was seated in the most exclusive VIP section of The Vault, a bottle of Ace of Spades chilling in a gold bucket before him, surrounded by a haze of expensive cigar smoke and the thumping bass of
The Next MorningSoft sunlight slipped through the curtains, pale and unhurried.Aria was half-awake when she smelled coffee.Real coffee. Not the rushed kind. The kind that lingered.She turned slightly and froze.Damian was standing by the bed, dressed casually for once, sleeves rolled, a tray ba







