Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Dominic’s POV
She stood there like the world had I just tipped sideways.
Eyes glassy, shoulders tense. Her new phone that I got for her was still clutched in her hand, but I could see it the way her fingers trembled around it, like it had burned her.
I took a step toward her.
“Aria…”
She flinched, her shoulders shuddered as she gave me a spiteful look. It was enough to gut me.
“I can explain,” I said quickly. “I should’ve told you earlier. I just-”
“You knew,” she cut in, her voice low, calm… terrifyingly calm. “You’ve always known.”
My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“I know everything, Dominic,” she continued. “i didn’t confront you but I had it in mind. We just never had the chance to talk. So many issues at once and we can’t breathe. But I knew. Emilia told me. Before she disappeared. I know you know. Went to your office. It’s not new news for me. I didn’t want to continue knowing and wanted you to explain. Unfortunately you never did.”
“I didn’t hide it because I wanted to lie
“You were using me.”
to
“No,” I snapped. “That was never the plan.”
“Wasn’t it?”
you,” I said, stepping forward again. “I was trying to protect you. If the Syndicate knew a Fletcher survived-”
She dropped her phone on the couch and crossed her arms. That little movement–it was the wall going up.
“Your father helped wipe out my family, did you know that? I saw it on the filr,” she said. “And you… you tracked me down, kept me close, and what- decided to fall in love with me by accident?”
I didn’t answer that. I couldn’t.
But I stepped even closer. “Yes. At first, it was about leverage. That’s what the files were for. I did want to use you to get into the Fletchers. I purposely found your father. The loan and everything I did on purpose But I swear I don’t have that goal anymore. it changed, Aria. You changed it. I stayed because I wanted to.”
Her lips parted. I saw the flicker of pain–before she masked it.
“And Victoria?” she asked. “You let her in here.”
“She barged in,” I said through gritted teeth. “I was about to–”
“You let her in.”
Her voice shook now.
I turned to the hall, pressed a finger to name wiped from the guest logs.”
pause.
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my earpiece. “Security. Get that woman off my property. I want her car impounded, her phones scanned, and her
08:27 Fri, 6 Jun
Chapter 168
“Yes, now.”
I turned back. Aria hadn’t moved.
“She’s gone,” I said.
Aria looked away. “She shouldn’t have gotten in.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I said sharply. “I wasn’t expecting her to show up. But you? You’re the only one who matters right now.”
She finally looked at me again. Her brows knit.
“I know everything now,” she repeated. “About my family, About the vaults. About how I survived when they didn’t.”
My chest felt like it was caving in.
“I wasn’t going to keep it from you forever,” I said, quieter this time. “I just needed time. I needed to make sure no one could use it against you.”
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then finally she sighed.
“Too late for that,” she said.
She brushed past me, not harshly. But not gently either.
“Aria, wait… let’s talk.”
“Talk about what? My parents?” Her voice shook, but she forced herself steady, turning to face me. “Or about the fortune you’ve been holding over my head all this time?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” I said, stepping closer. “Yes, I knew who you were…I’ve always known…but I never meant…”
“Never meant what?” Her eyes narrowed, a flash of anger burning brighter. “To get caught?”
“Never meant for you to find out this way,” I said sharply. “I wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me?” She laughed bitterly. “You used me. You hid the truth, Dominic. I deserved to know who I was. Who my real family was.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself calm. “Knowing would’ve put you in danger.”
“Danger?” she echoed, disbelief ringing in her voice. “I’m already in danger. I’m always in danger because of you because of all the lies and secrets you keep. What difference would one more truth have made?”
“It wasn’t that simple,” I snapped. “Your family-
the Fletchers were powerful. Dangerous. The Syndicate betrayed them, wiped them out, and yes, my father was involved. But you survived, Aría. were the key to everything left behind. If anyone had discovered you were alive-”
“So you decided to hold the keys yourself?” She cut me off harshly. “How long did you plan to keep me in the dark? Until you drained every last cent from my family’s legacy?”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping. “It wasn’t just about the money.”
“Really?” she sneered. “Because from where I’m standing, money seems like the only thing that matters to you.”
“It matters,” I admitted sharply. “But not the way you think. The Fletchers had power connections that could rebuild everything. I saw it as an opportunity, yes, but everything changed when I got to know you.”
Chapter 168
“Changed?” She folded her arms, anger making her tremble. “Or was it easier to control me if you pretended to care?”
“I wasn’t pretending,” I growled, frustration building. “I never pretended with you.”
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“How can I trust anything you say?” She shook her head, eyes glistening now. “All this time I thought you protected me because you felt something- anything–but now I realize I was just another pawn in your game. You never cared about me, not really”
“That’s not true,” I said, stepping forward, reaching for her. “You know me better than that.”
She jerked away. “I don’t know you at all, Dominic.”
Silence hung between us, thick and cold.
“You can’t mean that,” I finally said, my voice quiet but raw. “Not after everything we’ve been through.”
“Everything?” she scoffed, bitter tears spilling now. “You mean after all the lies and manipulations? After all the deaths that keep piling up around us?”
“It was the only way to keep you safe,” I insisted, anger and desperation mixing. “You know how this world works, Aria. Weakness gets people killes
“And what about honesty?” she whispered harshly. “Does that get people killed too? Or was that just too inconvenient for your plans?”
“I told you, I changed,” I said again, my voice tight. “Yes, in the beginning, intended to use your family’s inheritance. I knew about the vaults, the offshore accounts, all of it. But then-”
“Then what?” she challenged, voice cracking. “You fell for your own lie? Accidentally developed feelings while plotting to drain my family’s fortune?”
“I fell for you,” I snapped, meeting her gaze head on. “Not your money. Not your name. You. You speak as if I don’t have money on my phone. The only thing your family would help me with is information”
She stood frozen, her eyes searching mine for something, anything genuine. Finally, she shook her head slowly.
“I don’t know what else to say.”
The words pierced deeper than any bullet ever could.
“I’m not lying,” I said quietly.
“You’ve lied so many times,” she whispered bitterly, “I don’t think even you know the truth anymore.”
I took another step closer, my voice heavy with barely controlled anger. “Everything I’ve done–every decision, every lie—was because I couldn’t lose you. Because if anyone knew who you really were, they’d kill you to gain control of what your parents left behind.”
“So you decided to control it instead,” she accused, voice shaking. “You kept it all hidden, locked away from me. Even Emilia tried to warn me-
The mention of Emilia snapped something in me. My fists clenched, knuckles white.
“Emilia betrayed you,” I said coldly.
Her eyes widened, confused and hurt. “What are you talking about?”
“She wasn’t innocent,” I continued harshly. “She gave information to Victoria and Mikael. She was playing both sides. She would’ve sold you out for the right price.”
“No,” Aria whispered, shaking her head. “I know…but she wanted to help me.”
“She did betray you,” I said, my voice icy, relentless. “And I took care of it.”
Aria stepped back as if struck. “What does that mean, Dominic?”
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Chapter 168
“It means,” I said slowly, deliberately, not looking away, “that I killed Emilia too. For the betrayal.”
She stared at me, shock and betrayal mingling, horror dawning slowly across her face.
“You…” She barely got the word out, disbelief choking her. “You killed Emilia?”
the price.” “She left me no choice,” I said flatly, feeling no remorse. “Anyone who threatens your safety pays
“She was my friend,” Aria whispered, shaking her head. “She was just trying to help me…”
“She was going to destroy you,” I said firmly, stepping forward. “And I won’t apologize for protecting you.”
Aria stumbled back another step, disgust clear on her face. “Is that your answer to everything, Dominic? Kill first, justify later?”
“I do what’s necessary,” I said. “It’s how I’ve survived. How we’ve survived.”
She stared at me, breath shallow, eyes filled with an agony that cut through my chest.
“I trusted you,” she whispered, voice breaking completely. “With everything I had left.”
“Aria-”
“No,” she interrupted, backing away. “Don’t say another word. There’s nothing left to say. You betrayed me used me. And now Emilia…?”
I watched as something inside her broke completely, her trust shattering like glass at my feet.
“I’ll never forgive you for this, if only you have listened, that’s your problem, you never say and you never listen” she whispered, her voice barely audible but cutting me deeper than any wound ever could.
AD
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