LOGINARIA'S POVI lay sprawled across the bed, a box of cookies balanced on my stomach, and my phone pressed to my ear as I was talking to the one person who always made sense of the chaos in my head.“I swear to God, Aria, if I have to deal with one more passive-aggressive email from my boss, I'm going to lose it.” Zara's voice crackled through the speaker. “The man literally asked me to format a report in Comic Sans. Comic Sans. I wanted to quit on the spot.”I laughed, the sound muffled by the cookie I was chewing. “But you end up doing the job, don't you?”“I had to.” She groaned. “But I made sure to CC everyone in the company so they could see his questionable taste in fonts.”A smile tugged at my lips. “That's my girl.” I sighed sharply. “God, I wish we could gossip about this over a bowl of popcorn and some drinks?”“Speaking of which…” Her voice softened. “I miss you, bestie. But Italy is too far away. How are you holding up?”I stared at the ceiling, chewing slowly. “I'm coping,
IAN'S POVI heard it. The whiz of a bullet grazed past my ear.A crack split the elevator glass. Then another. And another.I grabbed Reed and yanked him to the floor. His body hit the ground hard, but I didn't give him time to react. I was already reaching for my gun.“What the hell is going on?” Reed's wide eyes met mine.“Stay down.” I pressed him flat against the floor. “And don't move.”The glass shattered around us. Employees scattered in every direction, screaming, running, trampling each other in their panic state. Some dove behind desks. Others rushed for the stairs. A few just stood frozen, hands over their heads.The chaos lasted barely a minute.Then the elevator doors opened behind us.Men in uniforms rushed out with guns in their hands. But a few of them stood out. They moved differently, like private and well trained guards would move. Their faces were covered with black masks, and they were heavily armed.One of them crouched down in front of me. His eyes were familiar
ARIA'S POV“Did I interrupt something?” Xavier glanced between me and Reed.“No.” Reed was quick to respond. “Not at all.”“Go wait for me in the car.” Xavier handed a bag to Reed. Then he blocked my path just as I turned toward the stairs.“Move, Xavier.” My voice was cold, flat.“I want to talk.” He pulled me in, so close I felt his breath fan my face. “Whatever it is, let's talk it out.”“Don't you have somewhere to be?”“I do.” His hand found my waist. “But if it means I can put a smile on my wife's face, I don't mind being late.”Always a smooth talker.“I don't want to talk to you, Xavier.” I pushed at his chest.“Then kiss me.”His lips pressed against mine before I could blink. I hit his chest, pushed against him, and tried to shove him away. But he didn't budge. His hands cupped my face, holding me in place as his tongue swept against my lower lip.My body betrayed me once again.My hands fisted in his shirt as I kissed him back, our tongues mingling, sliding against each oth
ARIA'S POV“Reed.”I found him bent forward over the sink, his palm flat against the wall, shoulders heaving. He was throwing up like his body was trying to expel something that wouldn't leave.I rushed down the stairs and rubbed his back gently. “Are you okay?”“I'm fine.” He wiped his mouth and dropped onto the nearest chair, his face pale and clammy.“Is it something you ate?” I pressed my hand to his forehead. “You're warm. I'm going to get Xavier to…”“No.” He shook his head, his voice weak. “No, it's fine. I just need to relax a bit.”I sighed and stared at him for a moment.“How about I cook you something light to eat for breakfast?” I crouched in front of him. “And probably get you some meds.”“I can't wait for that.” He rubbed his temples. “I have to head out with him in an hour.”“With Xavier?” I checked my phone. “What if I get it ready in fifteen minutes? Something easy on your stomach.”“You don't have to…” He started, but I was already washing my hands at the sink, pulli
IAN'S POV“Please, let us go.” The screams filled the room before we even stepped in.I pushed the door open, my mask firmly in place. Reed followed behind me, his face covered, steps hesitant. I could feel it…the fear radiating off them like heat from a fire. The silent wish to be killed even before it started. That was what my presence did to people. And I enjoyed every single second of it.I grabbed a knife from the table beside me and took slow steps toward them, trailing the sharp edge over the first girl's hand. She tried to pull away, but Kai grabbed her wrist and held it steady.“Which one is it?” My voice was barely a whisper. “Which hand touched her?”“I... I don't know what you're talking about.” Tears streamed down her face. “Just please…”“Fuck!” Her voice shattered the silence as my knife sliced through a finger.“Please!” She sobbed heavily. “Please, I knew nothing about it.”“You can either tell me.” I tilted my head. “Or lose both hands. Your choice.”“The left.” She
IAN'S POV“So that was the deal?” I leaned forward and clasped my hands on the desk. “Xavier, you have to let me know when you make deals like this with Victor.”“It's not like it could be avoided.” He filled his glass with more whiskey. “Besides, you were bound to find out sooner or later. That's if you don't know already.”I froze.“How did you know?” My voice dropped. “Jane told you, right?”“Told me what?” Xavier raised an eyebrow. “That my twin brother has spies all over New York City? I think I know that much about you, Ian.”This fucker always saw through me. Always.“The problem now is, how do we achieve that?” He continued, leaning back in his chair. “Aria loves kids, but I don't think it's the right time to tell her about the bet yet.” He downed his drink and slammed the cup down. “We are running out of time.”“There's no need to hurry.” I blew smoke from my cigarette, watching it curl toward the ceiling. “We just have to make sure Isa doesn't have a child before Aria does.
XAVIER'S POVEven while we owned a house in the same estate, going to my father's house had never been easy for me. The driveway was the same. The entrance was the same. The smell of polished wood and expensive candles never changed.But the problem is, walking through those doors always felt like
ARIA’S POV The hours blurred together until I completely lost track of time.At some point, the cold metal around my wrists stopped feeling uncomfortable and started feeling normal. That terrified me more than anything else.I sat quietly in the hard chair while officers walked past the room every
XAVIER’S POV“Pick up. Ian, please… pick up.”I paced across my office, my phone pressed tightly to my ear as the call rang endlessly.He had to know.He had to know that child wasn’t Dean’s before he did something reckless. Before he turned this entire situation into something bloody and irreversi
ARIA’S POV The loud crash from outside my door woke me from a deep sleep, making my heart leap into my throat.I groaned, blinking against the early morning light filtering through the curtains.“Isn’t it too early to piss people off?” I muttered under my breath.Dragging myself out of bed, I shuf







