The chandelier in the grand dining hall flickered as a storm gathered outside the estate. But inside, something far more dangerous was brewing.
Aria sat at the head of the long mahogany table, a seat no one had ever offered her—but one she now took without asking.
Luciano entered late, Talon at his side.
She watched Talon closely.
Every movement. Every breath.
He was too calm.
Too measured.
She sipped from her wine glass and let the silence stretch long enough to make them uncomfortable.
"I know everything," she said finally, placing a flash drive on the table. "Luca. My father. The betrayal."
Luciano's jaw tightened.
Talon didn't flinch.
"I assume you've both seen the footage," she added. "Or will deny it?"
Luciano gave a slow nod. "We've seen it."
Talon crossed his arms. "Footage can be doctored."
Aria smiled coldly. "So can loyalty."
⸻
After dinner, she found herself standing alone on the terrace again, the wind snapping her silk robe against her legs.
Luciano joined her, two glasses in hand. He passed her one without speaking.
"You believe me now?" she asked, staring into the glass.
"I always did," he replied.
"Then why keep Talon close?"
"Because it's better to keep the knife where I can see it."
She looked at him, brow raised. "So what now? You let him plot while we sip wine?"
"No," Luciano said, leaning in. "Now we draw him out."
⸻
The plan was simple: expose Talon by turning his own ambition against him.
Luciano would pretend to be leaving the city for a sudden meeting in Miami—an important deal with the Romano cartel.
Aria would stay behind, alone. Vulnerable.
A perfect target.
A perfect trap.
⸻
By nightfall, the stage was set.
Luciano left with his entourage, cameras capturing every moment of his departure. Aria played her part to perfection—distracted, alone, visibly shaken. Vulnerable.
But inside, she was electric.
Enzo had rewired the server room to her advantage. Every hallway, every shadow, every blind spot was hers now.
She waited in the master suite, draped in midnight silk, a glass of wine in her hand, pretending not to notice the faint footsteps approaching her door.
She didn't flinch when the door opened.
Talon stood there, gun in hand.
"So it's true," he said quietly. "You and Luciano planned this together."
Aria didn't answer. She simply set her wine down and stood.
"I liked you," Talon murmured. "Smart. Calculated. Wasted on him."
"Then why betray him?" she asked. "Why betray Luca?"
"Because Luca was a fool," Talon snapped. "He wanted peace in a world that only respects blood."
He took a step forward.
Aria didn't move.
"You think Luciano will win this war?" Talon continued. "He's losing grip every day. The Russians are circling. The Castellanis want him dead."
"And what do you want?" she asked.
Talon smirked. "Everything."
⸻
She stepped closer, slow and deliberate. "You think killing me will get you there?"
"No," Talon said. "But making you disappear—that's power. Luciano will burn the world looking for you."
"Then burn," Aria whispered.
Before Talon could react, a sharp click echoed through the room.
The lights flickered on.
Luciano stood in the doorway, gun pointed at Talon's head.
"You disappoint me," he said flatly.
Talon didn't flinch. "Of course I do. I'm not Luca. I'm not weak."
"You're worse," Luciano said. "You're desperate."
Behind him, two guards entered and seized Talon, disarming him.
He struggled, wild now, the calm gone.
"You'll regret this!" he screamed. "You think you've won, but it's already begun!"
Luciano stepped forward, eyes dark. "And so it ends—with you."
Talon was dragged out screaming.
Silence followed.
Aria finally exhaled.
⸻
Later that night, in the quiet of the empty suite, Aria sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection.
She had drawn blood without lifting a single weapon.
But the war wasn't over.
It had just shifted.
Luciano entered, loosening his tie. "You did well."
She looked at him. "He wasn't the only one who knew."
"No," he said softly. "But he was the first."
"And the rest?"
"One at a time."
A pause.
Then she said, "You lied to me."
Luciano tensed. "About what?"
"You told me you married me to protect me."
"I did."
She stood. "But you also did it to control me."
Silence.
He didn't deny it.
She stepped close, their breath almost touching.
"I'm not yours to control."
Luciano's eyes didn't waver. "No. But you're mine to fear."
She kissed him then—hard, unrelenting, like a war declaration.
And he kissed her back like a man drowning in fire.
⸻
Far below the estate, in the dungeon Aria didn't know existed, Talon sat in chains.
A shadow entered the room.
Not Luciano.
Not a guard.
But her father.
"You did well," he said.
Talon smiled bitterly through bloodied lips.
"And now?"
"Now," her father said, "we begin phase three."