Chapter 29 — The Weight of a Name
She was summoned after breakfast,not by a servant,not by Francesca but by Dante himself.A sharp knock at her guest room door, and one of the Moretti guards simply said, "Mr. Moretti would like a word."It wasn't a request but a command and she followed.
The hallways of the Moretti estate were colder today, as if every echo was aware of where she was going and who waited at the end.
Dante Moretti sat behind a dark oak desk in a room that felt more like a war chamber than an office,heavy books lined the shelves, but none seemed touched in years. The windows were tall but covered in thick curtains and a single shaft of light fell across the floor like a spotlight.
Aria stepped inside.
"Close the door," Dante said without looking up and she did.
He gestured to the seat across from him without standing. "Sit."
She obeyed and then waited and waited until finally, he lifted his gaze that were cold, black eyes that mirrored Lucien's but without the warmth behind them.
He leaned back in his chair. "Do you know how many families begged to tie their daughters to mine? To offer pretty things in white dresses with bloodlines and land?"
"I'm sure it was a long list."Aria added.
"Yeah,longer than you can imagine."
He let the words hang, then added, "And yet, somehow, I end up with a Monroe bastard who wasn't even part of the deal."
Aria inhaled slowly.This wasn't going to be a conversation but a test.She straightened her shoulders. "I didn't ask for this marriage."
"And yet you stayed."Dante said.
"Because I wasn't going to let my father sell me and keep his lies."
Dante's brows lifted slightly."So you admit you played along."
"I admit I survived."Aria replied and paused
Then Dante chuckled a sharp, amused sound like metal striking marble.
"Francesca said you had teeth. I'm glad she wasn't wrong."
He stood then, walking toward a sideboard to pour himself a drink containing a crystal decanter,one cube of ice and nowasted movement.
"Let me be clear, Aria," he said without turning around. "Lucien may tolerate softness. I do not. This family is a kingdom,a dynasty and it will not fall because my son lets a woman weaken him."
"I'm not here to weaken him."Aria replied sharply.
"No?" Dante turned, sipping slowly. "Then tell me ,what exactly are you here for?"
Aria looked him in the eye."I'm here because your son asked me to stay."
"And if he hadn't?"She didn't blink. "I would've found a way to stay anyway."
Dante's expression didn't change, but his silence sharpened,He moved closer.
"Power, Miss Monroe, isn't in the name,It's in how others fear that name."
"I'm starting to understand that."
He smiled thinly."But here's what you don't understand yet: Lucien may think he's in control, but his heart is still young. It hasn't been broken the right way. Yet."
"Then maybe it's time someone didn't try to break it," she said quietly. "Maybe it's time someone tried to protect it."
And then, there was a pause,then Dante returned to his chair and sat slowly folding his arms.
"Tell me something, Aria,not as a Monroe or as a wife,just as a woman."
She waited."Do you love him?"Aria didn't hesitate."I don't know yet," she said. "But I want to."
Dante watched her,then, slowly and almost reluctantly, nodded once.
"Then you might survive this family after all."
Outside the Office — Minutes Later
The door closed behind her with a heavy thud,her knees felt weak,her heart thundered but she didn't falter and when Lucien appeared at the end of the hall, eyes scanning her for any sign of bruising physical or emotional ,she gave him the smallest, fiercest smile she could manage.
"I think," she said softly, "your father just decided not to kill me."Lucien exhaled."That's the closest thing to approval he's ever given."