Morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Dante's penthouse, cold and silver. Aria stood by the glass, watching the city wake up beneath her feet. From this height, everything looked small. Harmless.
She knew better now.
"Coffee."
Dante's voice came from behind her. She didn't turn.
"I didn't agree to live here," she said.
"You agreed to stay close," he replied calmly. "This is the safest place."
Aria finally faced him. "Safe for who?"
Something flickered across his eyes—gone too fast to name.
Before he could answer, his phone buzzed. Once. Twice. He glanced at the screen and swore under his breath.
"We have a problem."
He moved to the television, turning it on. The news anchor's voice filled the room.
—breaking story this morning. Authorities are investigating alleged financial crimes linked to the Armand Foundation…
Aria's blood ran cold.
The screen flashed her father's name. Old photos. Headlines twisting half-truths into weapons.
"That's impossible," she whispered. "Those files were sealed."
Dante went very still.
"Someone leaked them," he said. "And they did it knowing it would destroy you."
She turned on him. "You said no secrets."
"I didn't do this."
"But you knew it could happen."
Silence stretched between them, sharp as glass.
Then another alert buzzed—this time on Aria's phone.
Unknown: Ask Dante who really paid to erase the original evidence.
Her breath caught.
She lifted the phone so he could see.
Dante's jaw tightened.
"Tell me the truth," she said, voice shaking. "Right now."
He looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing something dangerous.
"I didn't erase it," he said finally. "I redirected it."
"To where?"
"To someone who owed me."
Rage and fear tangled in her chest. "You used my family as leverage."
"I saved your brother." His voice dropped. "And I'm still protecting you."
"At what cost?"
Sirens wailed faintly below.
Dante stepped closer. "If you walk away now, they will eat you alive."
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
"Then stop lying to me," she said. "Or this deal is over."
For the first time since they met, Dante looked uncertain.
And that frightened her more than any enemy.