Chapter 2

Aria’s POV

The next hurdle was dealing with my fiancé. He had played a significant role in convincing me to go in Emily’s place.

I always thought, out of everyone, he should care more about me. But it turned out, my assumption was wrong.

I suggested we meet at a restaurant. I picked my best dress—not for him, but for myself. Tonight would be another battle, and I refused to let myself appear even the slightest bit weaker.

When I stepped through the door, I spotted Damian sitting at a table near the terrace.

He turned his head as I approached, rising to his feet. “You’re here already? I thought you’d be a bit later.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, keeping my tone even.

“Well, I heard you signed the hostage agreement,” he said, pulling out the chair for me. “I figured you’d want to spend more time with your family before you leave in five days.”

“Emily called and told you?” I asked, my voice colder now.

Damian’s face flickered with embarrassment. “She was worried that you weren’t happy. She blamed herself for causing you and Mr. Moretti all this stress.”

“Is that so…” I muttered, my gaze drifting toward the window. The sunset was breathtaking, but it felt distant, almost irrelevant.

“Really, Aria,” he said, his voice softening, almost gentle. “I understand her, you know? I was never my father’s favorite either. I spent years trying to prove myself. If Emily hadn’t helped me secure the partnership with your family’s casino, my father might never have approved of me. She knows she’s adopted, and she just wanted to contribute. She has a good heart—she just made a mistake.”

Emily helped him with the partnership? I almost laughed. I was the one who secured it. I even put up my own money as collateral just to bring Damian in.

So why was Emily suddenly the hero in his story? Another thing to add to the list of mysteries I needed to unravel.

But none of it touched my expression. Instead, I let my voice slip into something almost casual.

“And now I’m the one paying the price.”

Damian hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching mine. “Aria, you’re the strongest, smartest woman I’ve ever known. If anyone can get your family out of this, it’s you. Emily—despite her innocence—she’s still a newcomer to our world.”

“Yes, I know,” I said, my gaze sharpening. “If she were smarter, she wouldn’t have gotten us into such a mess.”

I shifted my focus back to Damian, “Don’t worry. I have already signed that hostage agreement. I’m going.”

At my words, Damian exhaled in relief. Then, almost hesitantly, he spoke again. “About our engagement…”

I didn’t let him finish. “About our engagement, I think it’s best if we call it off. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

Damian looked surprised, “But you know about your father. If we called off the engagement, then my family’s partnership with yours…”

“Well, since we’re calling it off,” I said, looking away, “I think you and Emily can get engaged instead.”

He sounded almost desperate. “I am so glad to hear you offer this. Actually Emily and I have talked about this. And she already agreed to pretend to be engaged to me until you come back. It’s just for show—to show your father that our families are still united.”

I chuckled dryly. “Exactly.”

I glanced around the restaurant, “Now that we’ve talked this through, I think I’ll skip this meal with you. I have plenty to do before I leave.”

With that, I stood up.

“Aria…”

I didn’t turn back for once.

Before coming here today, I’d actually considered warning Damian—that once the casino was handed to Emily, he might want to pull his money out while he still could.

But then I saw the eagerness in his eyes. He couldn’t waste a single second to be engaged to Emily, just to protect his precious investment. And the fact he didn’t show any concern about me leaving, still persuading me to step up as the hostage.

I changed my mind. I wouldn’t say a word about the casino. Better to watch and see—would it be Father or Damian who looked more desperate once the casino crumbled in Emily’s hands?

...

Once the casino was officially transferred to Emily, I had no more business to attend to. The following days passed in a blur. I met up with a few friends, and the rest of the time was spent packing—though I wasn’t sure if I’d even need half of what I was packing.

Then, unexpectedly, Father called again and wanted me back at the casino. When I walked in, some of the staff whispered as I passed, others quickly averted their gazes, clearly uncomfortable with meeting my eyes.

I knocked on the door to what used to be my office, now Emily’s.

“Come in,” Father’s voice rang out.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I pushed open the door.

Damian was there, standing next to Emily, while Father stood on her other side.

“Aria, you need to explain this,” Father said sharply. “When the casino was going through the transfer agreement, we noticed some discrepancies in the financial flows. The numbers don’t match up.” He shot me a look of warning. “Are you smuggling money from the casino?”

Smuggling money? How little he thought of me.