Chapter 40 

Chapter 40 

Aria’s POV 

I couldn’t sleep that night. 

Dominic was nowhere to be found as I tossed and turned. 

All I could see whenever I closed my eyes was the bursting of that person’s brain. 

The blood. 

The lifeless look in his eyes. 

The way my hands had shaken when I pulled the trigger directed towards their head. 

I killed someone and at that moment I did not feel remorse. 

It had been self–defense. It had been necessary. 

But it didn’t stop the way my stomach twisted. Feeling disgusted with myself. Someone innocent died beside me, and I had killed the person. 

The blood everything. 

It just reminded me of the fact that I was in the mafia and it was a bloody mess. 

I threw the blanket off, sitting up, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. The hotel suite was silent, but my brain wasn’t. 

I could still hear the screams, the shout, the angst and the anger. There was no way I can continue staying in this room. 

My chest feels so tight. 

I needed air. 

I padded out of my bedroom, my bare feet silent against the floor. The suite was dimly lit, the glow from the city lights casting long shadows against the walls. 

And then- 

I saw him. 

Dominic stood by the window, his back turned to me, his shoulders tense. 

For a moment, I hesitated. 

He hadn’t come back after he had left me earlier 

I knew he had been dealing with whatever fallout came next, but there was something off about him. 

I took a slow step forward. “Dominic?” 

His head tilted slightly, but he didn’t turn around. 

I swallowed, stepping closer. “Are you okay?” 

Silence. 

Then- 

“Go back to bed, Aria.” 

My brows pulled together. He didn’t sound like himself. 

I ignored his command, stepping beside him. His gaze was fixed on the city skyline, but his jaw was tight, his knuckles white where they rested on the window ledge. 

And that’s when I saw it. 

The fabric of his shirt was undone near the shoulder, exposing a long, jagged scar trailing down his ribs. 

I inhaled sharply. “What happened to you?” 

He finally looked at me. 

His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes–something that almost looked like hesitation. 

Then, after a long moment, he exhaled. 

“I was fourteen.” His voice was quiet. “My fathe 

My stomach clenched. 

Successfully unlocked! 

as trying to teaching lesson about pain.” 

I had heard whispers about Dominic’s father, he was popular, everyone knew of Lucious how brutal he had been, how he had ruled with fear. 

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Chapter 40 

But hearing it from him? Knowing that his own father brought his own brutality home was something else entirely. It made my chest ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for. 

I did not have the best parents either but they never hurt me. 

I reached out instinctively, my fingers barely brushing against the scar. “Dominic-” 

A sharp buzz from his phone cut through the moment. 

His entire body stiffened. 

He straightened, pulling the device from his pocket, his eyes darkening as he read whatever message had just come through. 

Then, his jaw ticked. 

He turned abruptly, grabbing his suit jacket from the chair. “You’re staying here.” 

My pulse spiked. “What’s going on?” 

Dominic didn’t answer. 

He moved toward the door, his steps quick, controlled. 

I followed. “Dominic-” 

He turned sharply, his expression hard. “If you leave, I can’t guarantee your safety.” 

I swallowed, my breath catching. 

Then, the door slammed shut behind him. 

And I was left alone, wondering what more he wanted to say. He was a mystery. And I feel like it’s connected to why he is just so…cold. 

***** 

‘Dominic’s POV 

I moved swiftly through the hotel’s private corridors, my mind already calculating the next steps. 

The attack wasn’t random. 

Someone had planned this. Someone that knew where I was headed and had sent these people to me. 

And if they had the audacity to strike this close to me, it meant one thing- 

They were getting bolder. Meaning I was getting weaker. 

As soon as I stepped into the secured lounge, all eyes turned to me. 

I could feel the tension in the air the moment I stepped in, the scent of blood and gunpowder still lingering from earlier. 

My men had been waiting, their faces grim, weapons still strapped to their sides. 

Luca Valenti, my third in command, stood near the bar, arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning me as I entered. He was lean, ruthless, and one of the few men I trusted to handle business when I wasn’t around. 

Beside him, Matteo Rossi, head of my personal security, adjusted the strap of his bulletproof vest, his expression 

unreadable. A beast of a man tall, broad, and built like a wall, Matteo had been at my side for years, ensuring no one got close unless I wanted them to. 

“Talk,” I ordered, my voice cold, controlled. 

Luca was the first to speak. “The attack came from the docks. It wasn’t a full–scale assault, but they knew what they were doing. They moved organized as if they knew the island..” 

I clenched my jaw. “Casualties?” 

“Four dead, three wounded.” Matteo’s voice was even, but there was an edge to it. He hated losing men, and so did I. “We secured the area, but there’s something you need to see.” 

He handed me a small folded note, the edges stained with blood. 

“We found it on the body of one of their men.” 

I opened it. 

One word. 

“Soon.” 

A slow, dark fury built inside me. 

Luca let out a low curse. “They’re toying with you.” 

I crushed the paper in my fist. “Not for long.” 

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Chapter 40 

Matteo exhaled. “The question is–who? We have a list of possible enemies, but this was personal, Dominic. Whoever did this wanted to send a message and they knew you.” 

I hummed. Only one person knew of this island. Victoria. 

And she is married to My worse frenemy. 

Or now terrible enemy as he had stepped over his boundaries by attacking my personal space. 

Mikael Petrov. 

The Russian bastard had been making moves against me for months now, and he was getting desperate. I had cut off his supply chains, forced his men into hiding, taken his auction, and now? 

Now, he was lashing out. 

“This ends soon,” I murmured, my voice lethal. “I want every informant, every rat, every fucking contact in the city searching for Petrov. I want to know his home. His vacation home. I don’t care how deep we have to dig–find his location.” 

Matteo nodded. “Understood.” 

Luca tapped his fingers against the counter. “And what about Aria?” 

I stilled. 

Luca smirked slightly, tilting his head. “She’s involved now, whether you like it or not shouldn’t she be prepared for all these?. 

My grip tightened on the edge of the bar. 

He wasn’t wrong. 

But that didn’t mean I liked it. 

I had brought Aria into my world, but I hadn’t expected her to adapt so quickly. The way she shot that man–raw instinct, no hesitation. 

And yet, I saw the way her hands trembled after. 

The way she scrubbed at her skin like she was trying to erase the blood. 

She wasn’t ready for this life. 

And I wasn’t about to let it consume her. 

“She stays out of this,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. “She’s under my protection, and that’s where it ends.” 

Luca chuckled, shaking his head. “You can keep telling yourself that, Boss, but we both know she’s already deeper than you want her to be especially knowing where she comes from.” 

I ignored him, pushing off the counter. 

I had bigger problems to deal with. 

Like hunting down every last man responsible for tonight’s attack. 

And making sure they never made it out alive. 

I walked into the security room, where my tech guy, Enzo, was already working. Screens lined the walls, live feeds from our surveillance systems flickering between different locations across the city. 

The moment I stepped inside, Enzo smirked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for you to see this.” 

I didn’t respond, just folded my arms as I stepped closer, watching as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard. One of the screens zoomed in on a familiar face. 

Mikael Petrov. 

There he was, sitting comfortably in a private club just outside our territory, sipping whiskey like he hadn’t just ordered an attack on me. 

Arrogant bastard. 

Luca and Matteo stepped in behind me, watching the footage. 

“He’s sloppy,” Luca muttered. 

I nodded. “And predictable.” 

Enzo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Found him in under five minutes. That’s how much this idiot thinks he’s untouchable.” 

I smirked. “Perfect.” 

Matteo cracked his knuckles. “Do we kill him?” 

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Chapter 40 

I shook my head. “Not yet.” 

The room went quiet. 

Luca arched a brow. “What’s the plan, then?” 

I exhaled slowly, watching the screen. “Send a team. Not to kill–just to remind him that he fucked with the wrong people.” 

Matteo nodded, already pulling out his phone to make the call. 

“Beat him,” I continued. “Make sure he feels it. Make sure he remembers it.” 

Luca smirked. “And Victoria?” 

I clenched my jaw. That bitch had spoken about our operations, given away locations that should have never been exposed. She knew exactly what she was doing when she aligned herself with Mikael. 

“She gets a warning,” I said coldly. “A painful one.” 

Luca chuckled. “Music to my ears.” 

I turned to Matteo. “Make sure the house is destroyed. Burn whatever can be burned. I want him to lose everything except his life.” 

Matteo gave a curt nod. “I’ll send the right people.” 

Enzo grinned. “This is gonna be fun.” 

I glanced at the screen one last time, watching as Mikael laughed, completely unaware of what was coming. 

By morning, he wouldn’t be laughing anymore. 

口 

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