LOGINAdrian’s expression shifted the moment Richard read the message.He had been tense all night, but now it sharpened. He straightened slightly, his focus turning cold and precise.He turned to Aria at once. “You’re not going home alone.” His tone was firm and matter-of-fact, a decision already made.Aria looked at him, but her thoughts were already elsewhere. “Caelum,” she said under her breath. “He could be at risk too.”Without another word, she pulled out her phone and called Nico.The line connected almost instantly. “Nico.”“Yes, Miss Montclair.”Aria stood straighter. “Check the mansion. Now.”Nico didn’t question it or hesitate. “Understood.”The call ended.The room remained tense as everyone waited.A minute later, Aria’s phone rang again. She answered immediately.“Miss Montclair,” Nico reported, calm and precise, “I contacted Milo. The mansion is secure. Perimeter is clear. Security systems are intact. Everyone inside has been accounted for.”Aria closed her eyes briefly and
The room stayed frozen after Aria’s question.“Who is he? My father.”No one moved. No one spoke. The silence didn’t feel empty, it felt controlled, like everyone was holding their breath at the same time, waiting for the moment something irreversible would finally be spoken aloud.Richard didn’t answer immediately. For the first time that night, he didn’t look like a man carefully guarding secrets. He looked like someone standing at the edge of a collapse he had helped build years ago.Aria didn’t blink. She simply waited.Alessia broke first. “Just tell us,” she said, voice tight. “No more half-truths.”Richard’s attention shifted brief
Aria’s last words landed harder than anyone expected. For a few seconds, no one spoke.Richard remained standing near the center of the room, but something in him had shifted. The calm control he had carried all evening was beginning to crack.For the first time, he didn’t look irritated. He looked cornered.Aria noticed it immediately. So did everyone else.“You think I owe you answers?” Richard finally asked, his voice low.Aria held his gaze. “Yes.”Then, almost casually, she walked to one of the sofas and sat down as if settling in for a conversation she had been waiting years to have. “I have time."That caught everyone sl
Inside the private elevator, silence pressed in from all sides. Not calm, but tense, each of them holding back words they weren’t ready to say.Richard stood at the back, arms folded, his attention fixed on Aria.Finally, he spoke.“Why are you here?” His voice was sharp, controlled. After a beat, it turned colder. “Did you come with him?”The question wasn’t simple curiosity. It carried clear judgment.Richard’s meaning was obvious. Adrian and Alessia’s marriage had barely ended, yet Adrian was already standing beside Aria, as if one chapter had closed only for another to begin immediately.Richard didn’t bother softening his tone.“So this is where we are now,” he added quietly. “Things move on quickly.”Aria didn’t look away.“Ever wondered,” she said evenly, “that all of this started because of you... not me?”The air inside the elevator tightened.Richard’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Not because he agreed, but because cameras watched from above. Even here, nothing was tru
Earlier that afternoon, the Grand Arcadia Hotel moved with its usual quiet elegance.Nolan Volkov had just finished a private meeting in one of the executive suites, long, precise, and draining in the way his work always was, profitable, calculated, strictly business.He was already heading back to his penthouse, eyes on his phone, when someone suddenly collided with him in the corridor.His phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.Nolan stopped. Silence fell for a brief moment.He didn’t look up right away. Irritation had already set in, his expression darkening. The air around him seemed to shift, colder, sharper. Anyone who knew Nolan Volkov knew better than to touch him, interrupt him, or waste his time.
Back inside the interrogation room, the air had gone quiet.The conversation had stopped going anywhere minutes ago. Across from Aria, Solen remained composed, calm, unreadable, distant.She looked exhausted, but not defeated or emotional. Just worn in a way that felt older than the room itself, as if what she was protecting mattered more than anything waiting outside.Aria watched her in silence, her frustration sharpening. This was no longer about forcing answers from Solen, but understanding why she refused to speak.Solen slowly lifted her gaze to the dark glass wall, the mirrored panel. Her voice was flat, detached. “I’m done talking to her.”A brief pause followed.“Take me back.”Aria leaned forward slightly. “You really won’t tell me?”That finally made Solen look at her, but only for a second.No answer.At that moment, the door opened. A detention officer stepped inside, followed by another guard.Aria kept her eyes on Solen. “You’re afraid of someone.”A tiny shift crossed







