Semua Bab THE PRICE OF A BILLIONAIRE’S LOVE: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Maria’s body hit the ground with a dull, devastating thud. For a heartbeat, the world went silent. The fire from the burning car crackled softly. Leaves rustled in the wind. The knife clattered beside her motionless hand. Then— “NO!” Aria’s scream tore through the air like something breaking. She dropped to Maria’s side, knees hitting the gravel, hands trembling as she lifted the older woman’s shoulders. “Maria—Maria, look at me!” Aria begged, voice shaking. “Stay with me, please—stay with me!” Maria’s breathing was shallow. Her eyes fluttered. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Damon froze where he stood. His chest rising and falling rapidly. Blood dripping from his knuckles. He didn’t move toward Aria. He didn’t move toward Vincent. He didn’t even breathe. He just stared at Maria. The woman who had served him since childhood. Watched him grow. Protected him when no one else did. The woman who had stepped in front of a blade meant for him. Something inside h

The gunshot ripped through the night with a violence that felt unreal— too loud, too fast, too cruel. Aria didn’t feel the impact. She only felt Damon shove her to the ground. Her breath left her lungs in a gasp as she hit the dirt. For a second, everything went silent. Then— A heavy body collapsed beside her. Not hers. “Damon?” Aria whispered, scrambling up to her elbows. Her heart froze. It wasn’t Damon. It was Ethan. He lay on his side, blood already staining his shirt, his face twisted in pain. “ETHAN!” Aria cried, reaching for him. He inhaled sharply, trying to speak. “T—Too slow,” he rasped. “I saw him aim… had to move…” Damon’s expression turned into something inhuman. He snapped his head toward Vincent, fury returning like an earthquake. Vincent rose shakily, gun trembling in his hand, but the smile on his face was triumphant and terrifying. “You can’t protect everyone,” he taunted. “You never could.” Damon moved. A blur. A force of rage and instinct a

The hospital smelled like antiseptic and exhaustion — a strange silence after the chaos of the night. Nurses moved quickly through the bright hallway, the sound of their shoes echoing off the tiles. Aria sat in a hard plastic chair, Damon beside her, his hand wrapped around hers so tightly her fingers tingled. But she didn’t pull away. Not when it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Ethan had been rushed into surgery the moment they arrived. Sable was in police custody. Vincent was under heavy guard. Maria’s body… Aria forced herself not to think about that. Not yet. Damon hadn’t spoken since they entered the hospital. Not one word. He just sat there — shoulders stiff, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the floor. Aria watched him quietly, studying every unreadable shift in his expression. He didn’t look like a billionaire right now. He didn’t look like a man used to control. He looked… lost. “Damon,” Aria whispered. He didn’t answer. She slid her hand up his arm gently.

The hallway outside Ethan’s room was too bright, too loud, too busy. Nurses hurried past, monitors beeped, and the hum of whispered conversations felt like static in Aria’s head. But nothing was louder than what she saw waiting for them: Two detectives. One tall, stern, hands clasped behind his back. One shorter, sharp-eyed, flipping open a notebook. Damon stiffened instantly—his entire body tightening like a wire pulled too hard. Aria stepped slightly in front of him before she even realized she was doing it. The taller detective flashed a badge. “Mr. Reed? Miss Aria Moore?” Aria raised her chin. “I’m Aria. Damon is—recovering.” The detective glanced past her at Damon anyway. “Good,” he said. “We have questions.” Aria narrowed her eyes. “Then you can ask me. I’m his legal representative.” Damon blinked. “You are?” She didn’t look back at him. “Of course I am.” The shorter detective lifted a brow. “A public attorney?” “A licensed lawyer,” she corrected, voice cool

Ethan’s room was dim again, but this time he wasn’t asleep. He was sitting upright, breathing hard, gripping the edges of the bed like he’d just woken from a nightmare. “Ethan?” Aria rushed to his side. “What’s wrong?” His eyes darted to her—then to Damon, who stood frozen in the doorway. “Close the door,” Ethan said, voice low, urgent. Damon closed it without question. The second it clicked shut, Ethan exhaled shakily. “Okay,” he whispered. “We need to talk.” Damon moved closer. “Tell me.” Ethan swallowed hard. “I remembered something,” he said. “Not from tonight—from years ago. Something Vincent did. Something he hid.” Aria’s stomach twisted. “What is it?” she whispered. Ethan looked directly at Damon. “It’s about your parents.” Damon’s entire body went still. Aria felt the room shift—like the air thickened around them. “What about them?” Damon asked, voice already cracking. “What did you remember?” Ethan took a breath like it hurt. “Damon… the night your parents