hapter 195 

Chapter 195 

Aria’s POV 

The warehouse was quiet now, too quiet. The distant sound of explosions and gunfire had stopped, leaving only the echo of my own breathing and the steady drip of blood from my wounded hand. Rodriguez’s body lay motionless in the corner. 

I’d been alone for what felt like hours when I heard footsteps approaching. Not Nico’s confident stride, but something different. Slower. More measured. The door creaked open, and a woman stepped into the dim light. 

I couldn’t see her face properly, but my mind already knew who it was. 

“We meet again Aria Montel,” she said, her voice carrying a slight accent I couldn’t place. “You’re smaller than I last saw you.” 

“Victoria…” 

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Victoria Romano. Though I suppose that name doesn’t mean much to you, does it? Only thing in your mind now is to fight death.” 

I tried to place the name, but my mind was still foggy from pain and blood loss. “Should it have mean something?” 

“Perhaps not. Dominic has always been good at burying inconvenient truths.” She walked closer, her heels clicking against the concrete. “But I have a feeling you and I are going to become very well acquainted now that you are here.” 

“If you’re working with Nico…” 

“Nico is a useful idiot,” Victoria interrupted. “Ambitious, yes, but ultimately disposable. Just like all men who think with their pride instead of their 

brains.” 

She pulled up a metal chair and sat down across from me, crossing her legs with elegant precision. “Tell me, what do you know about Dominic’s father?” 

The question caught me off guard. “What does that have to do with anything?” 

“Everything,” Victoria said softly. “Antonio De Luca was a great man. Powerful, respected, feared. He built an empire that stretched across three states and commanded the loyalty of thousands of men.” 

“And?” 

“And your precious Dominic murdered him.” 

The words hit me like a physical blow. “That’s not true. Dominic’s father died in his own pride. He told me…” 

“He told you what he wanted you to believe.” Victoria’s voice was patient, like she was explaining something simple to a child. “Antonio wasn’t killed by rival families or Russian gangsters or any of the convenient enemies Dominic probably mentioned. He was killed by his own son.” 

I shook my head, trying to process what she was saying. “Why would Dominic kill his own father?” 

“Because Antonio was getting old. Soft. He wanted to legitimize the family business, move away from the violence and bloodshed that had built their fortune. Dominic saw it as weakness.” 

Victoria stood up and began pacing, her movements graceful but predatory. “I was there that night, you know. Antonio had invited me for dinner. We were… close. Very close. Intimately close.” 

The way she said it made my stomach turn. “You were sleeping with Dominic’s father while dating Dominic. Oh my God, you are so sick Victoria.” 

She chuckled. “Sick? No. Love. Yes. Antonio was a widower. I was young, beautiful, and very ambitious. It was mutually beneficial.” She paused, looking directly at me. “Until his son decided that dear old dad had outlived his usefulness.” 

1/4 

Chapter 195 

“Even if that’s true, what does it have to do with me?” 

Victoria laughed, a sound like breaking glass. “Oh, sweet girl. You really don’t understand, do you? When Dominic killed Antonio, he didn’t just murder a man. He destroyed a dynasty. Scattered the old alliances, turned friends into enemies, created a power vacuum that took years to fill 

She moved closer, and I could smell her expensive perfume mixed with something else. Something metallic and sharp. 

“I lost everything that night,” Victoria continued. “My position, my security, my future. I’ve spent the last eight years building new alliances, new sources of power, all with one goal in mind.” 

“Revenge.” 

“Justice,” she corrected. “But call it what you want. The point is, I’ve been very patient. Very careful. And now, finally, I have the perfect weapon to destroy Dominic De Luca once and for all.” 

“Me.” 

“You.” Victoria smiled again, and this time it was genuinely pleased. “The great Dominic De Luca, brought low by a strip club dancer with cancer. It’s almost poetic.” 

The casual way she mentioned my illness made rage flare in my chest. “Fuck you.” 

The slap came so fast I didn’t see it coming. My head snapped to the side, fresh blood filling my mouth. Victoria’s manicured hand had left bright red marks across my cheek. 

“Language, darling. We’re having a civilized conversation.” 

I spat blood at her feet. “This is civilized?” 

“Compared to what Dominic did to the people who crossed him? Absolutely.” Victoria wiped her hand on a silk handkerchief. “But we’re getting ahead of. ourselves. Let me tell you about your inheritance.” 

“My what?” 

“Oh, you didn’t think Dominic told you everything about your little identity crisis, did you?” Victoria’s eyes gleamed with malicious pleasure. “The hotel empire, the family fortune, all of that is real. But there’s so much more you don’t know.” 

She began walking around my chair in slow circles, like a shark circling wounded prey. “Your real family, the Carusos, weren’t just wealthy. They were connected. Connected to people like me, like Dominic, like every major criminal organization on the East Coast.” 

“That’s impossible.” 

“Is it? Think about it, Aria. How does a legitimate hotel chain make that kind of money? How do they maintain their influence across multiple states without stepping on the wrong toes?” Victoria paused behind me, her voice dropping to a whisper. “They don’t. They make deals with devils like us.” 

My mind raced, trying to process the implications. “Even if that’s true, what does it matter? I’ve never been part of that world.” 

‘t you? Tied up in a warehouse, bleeding because of a war between crime “Haven’t you?” Victoria moved back into my line of sight. “You’re here, aren‘ families. You’re already part of this world, sweetheart. You just haven’t accepted it yet.” 

“I’m not like you people.” 

“No, you’re not. You’re something much more valuable.” Victoria knelt down so we were eye level. “You’re innocent. Pure. The kind of person who can walk into rooms I could never enter, speak to people who would shoot me on sight, access information and resources that have been locked away years.” 

“I would never help you.” 

“Oh, but you would. Because you see, when you inherit the Caruso fortune, you won’t just be getting money. You’ll be getting enemies. Lots of them.” 

2/4 

Chapter 195 

Victoria’s voice became matter of fact, like she was discussing the weather. “Every family they ever crossed, every deal they ever broke, every alliance they ever betrayed. All of those debts, all of that hatred, all of those people who want revenge? They’ll all be coming for you. 

The room felt like it was spinning. “You’re lying.” 

“Am I? Let me give you a taste of what’s waiting for you.” Victoria pulled out her phone and scrolled through what looked like a contact list. “The Torring family in Boston. Your real father cost them twelve million dollars in a weapons deal gone bad. They’ve been waiting twenty–four years for payback 

She kept scrolling. “The Kozlov Bratva in Atlantic City. The Carusos had their leader’s son killed over a territory dispute. They’ve sworn a blood oath against your bloodline.” 

“Stop.” 

“The Moretti clan in Chicago. Three of their captains died in a hotel fire that your family arranged to collect insurance money. They consider it a debt of 

honor.” 

“Stop it.” 

“And those are just the ones I know about.” Victoria put her phone away and looked at me with mock sympathy. “There are probably dozens more. Hundreds, maybe. All of them ready to tear you apart the moment they learn who you really are.” 

I felt sick. The weight of what she was saying, the implications for my future, for anyone who might care about me. “Why are you telling me this?” 

“Because I want you to understand something very important.” Victoria’s voice became gentle, almost motherly. “You’re not just inheriting money and property. You’re inheriting a target painted on your back in blood. Every day you live as Aria Caruso will be a day you’re running from people who want you dead.” 

“Then I won’t claim the inheritance. I’ll walk away.” 

Victoria laughed again, that same broken glass sound. “Oh, sweet child. You think it’s that simple? You think you can just say ‘no thank you” and disappear? These people don’t care about paperwork or legal documents. They care about blood. Your blood.” 

She stood up and smoothed down her skirt. “The moment your real identity became known, the moment Dominic started digging into your past, you became a target. There’s no taking that back.” 

“So what do you want from me?” 

“I want you to understand your situation. Truly understand it.” Victoria moved closer again, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “You’re going to die, Aria. Maybe today, maybe next week, maybe next year. But you’re going to die, and it’s going to be violent and painful and terrifying.” 

“Unless?” 

“Unless you’re very, very smart about who you trust and who you make your enemies.” Victoria’s smile was predatory. “I could protect you, you know. I have resources, connections, safe, houses in a dozen countries. I could keep you alive.” 

“In exchange for what?” 

“Dominic’s head on a platter.” 

The room fell silent except for the distant sound of sirens. Police, maybe, or fire trucks responding to whatever chaos had erupted at the other warehouse. Soon, this would all be over one way or another. 

“You want me to betray him.” 

“I want you to choose survival over a doomed love affair.” Victoria checked her expensive watch. “Your boyfriend is probably dead already, by the way. Nico’s explosive devices are quite effective.” 

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I forced myself not to react. “You don’t know Dominic.” 

08.JO INU, 20 Jun 

Chapter 195 

“I know him better than you do, darling. I watched him grow up, watched him become the monster he is today. He’s not some romantic hero come to save you. He’s a killer, just like his father, just like everyone in this business.” 

“He loves me.” 

“He owns you. There’s a difference.” Victoria tilted her head, studying my face. “But I suppose that distinction doesn’t matter much when you’re both going to be dead soon.” 

She walked toward the door, then paused and looked back at me. “You know what the really beautiful thing about all this is? Your death would solve so many problems.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Victoria’s smile was cold and satisfied. “With you gone, Dominic loses his weakness. The families hunting the Caruso bloodline get their revenge, Nico gets his empire. And I get the satisfaction of watching the De Luca dynasty burn to the ground.” 

She moved closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that made my skin crawl. 

“Your death would solve so many problems.”