Chapter 52
Aria’s POV
The change happened almost immediately.
The moment Dominic stepped out of that bedroom, something in him switched.
Gone was the man who had let me hold him. The man who had stayed in bed with me long after the sun rose. The man who, for a fleeting moment, felt… human.
Now?
Now he was The Mafia King again.
And he was pissed.
By midday, my entire world had shifted.
Guards. Everywhere.
I could barely step outside without a set of dark, unblinking eyes trailing my every move.
It was suffocating.
“You’re being dramatic,” Dominic had said when I confronted him.
How am I being dramatic when I am being followed everywhere?
I scowled at the memory, my arms crossed as I sat by the massive windows in the main lounge.
Dramatic?
No.
Being watched twenty–four–seven like some prisoner wasn’t dramatic. It was insane.
A shadow loomed over me, snapping me from my thoughts.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the beautiful Aria.”
I turned my head just as Nico slid into the seat beside his usual cocky smirk firmly in place.
I groaned. “What do you want?”
His smirk widened. “Can’t a man enjoy a conversation with a stunning woman?”
I arched an eyebrow. “You don’t enjoy conversations, Nico. You enjoy causing trouble.”
He placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. “I’m wounded.”
I rolled my eyes. “And I’m busy.”
He glanced pointedly at my untouched drink. “Oh, yes. You look so busy.”
I sighed, looking back out the window.
I didn’t have the energy for him today.
Unfortunately, Nico wasn’t the type to take a hint.
“Word around the house is Dominic’s lost his damn mind.” He leaned back, stretching out his legs. “Guards at every corner. Eyes on you at all times. What’s next? A tracking device?”
I clenched my jaw. “He’s just being careful.”
Nico chuckled. “Careful? Or possessive?”
I said nothing.
Because deep down, I knew the answer.
Dominic wasn’t just being careful.
He was claiming me.
Nico’s smirk didn’t falter. “It’s interesting, really.”
I frowned. “What is?”
“The way you get under his skin,” he mused. “I haven’t seen Dominic this on hinged in years.”
I stiffened.
Unhinged?
Successfully unlocked!
That wasn’t the word I wanted associated with me.
Nico noticed my reaction, his grin widening. “Relax, sweetheart. It’s a compliment.”
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Chapter 52
“It doesn’t feel like one.”
He chuckled. “That’s because you don’t know what you’re doing to him.”
I swallowed. “And you do?”
His gaze darkened slightly. “Better than anyone.”
Something in the way he said it made my skin prickle.
I wasn’t stupid.
I knew there was tension between Dominic and Nico. Knew their past had cracks in it, fractures neither of them liked to acknowledge.
But this?
This felt like something else.
“Careful,” I warned, my voice lower now. “Dominic doesn’t like when people pry.”
Nico smirked. “Dominic doesn’t like a lot of things.”
I shook my head. “You’re playing with fire.”
He leaned in slightly, his lips dangerously close to my ear. “Maybe I like the burn.”
My breath hitched.
He was taunting me.
And, more importantly, he was taunting Dominic.
I could feel it.
And so could everyone else.
The second Nico leaned in, the room went still.
The guards. The staff. The men.
Everyone.
Because no one–no one–touched what belonged to Dominic De Luca.
And Nico knew that.
Which meant he was doing this on purpose.
A slow, lazy grin spread across his lips. “You know,” he murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear. “If Dominic wasn’t so territorial, I might’ve stolen you for myself.”
I opened my mouth to respond-
But I didn’t get the chance.
Because the second those words left his lips-
Dominic was there.
The air in the room shifted instantly.
A storm.
A predator stepping into its domain.
Nico barely had time to react before Dominic’s hand wrapped around his throat, shoving him back against the couch.
Hard.
I gasped.
Nico didn’t.
Because Nico was laughing.
The bastard was laughing.
Dominic’s grip tightened. His jaw clenched, his knuckles turning white.
But it wasn’t the violence that had me holding my breath.
It was his eyes.
Cold. Sharp. A storm of fury simmering just beneath the surface.
I had never seen Dominic look like this.
Not even when he was killing someone.
This?
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This was personal.
“You think this is funny?” Dominic’s voice was deadly quiet.
Nico grinned. “A little.”
Dominic’s fingers flexed around his throat, his muscles coiled, his body vibrating with tension.
“If you ever touch her again…” He leaned in, his voice dangerously low. “I’ll kill you.”
Silence.
Thick. Unyielding.
Then, after a long moment, Nico’s smirk softened.
Not cocky. Not amused.
Just… something else.
Something that looked almost knowing.
Almost accepting.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
Dominic held his glare a second longer before releasing him abruptly, stepping back.
I didn’t breathe.
Not when Nico rubbed his throat, a small chuckle escaping him.
Not when Dominic’s chest rose and fell with measured control.
Not when the entire room remained frozen, waiting for the next move.
And then-
Nico did something I wasn’t expecting.
He stood.
Rolled his shoulders.
Smirked.
And, in a voice as casual as ever, he muttered, “Damn, Dom. You really do love her, huh?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
His entire body went still.
But he said nothing.
He just looked at him.
Like he wanted to kill him.
Like he could kill him.
Like he would, if Nico pushed just a little further.
And for the first time-
Nico didn’t.
Instead, he let out a quiet chuckle, running a hand through his hair.
Then, as if nothing had happened at all, he walked past Dominic, giving me a final glance before slipping out of the room.
I let out a shaky breath, my pulse still racing.
I turned to Dominic.
His shoulders were tense, his fists clenched, his breathing controlled but forced.
I swallowed. “Dominic-”
His voice was sharp. “Not now, Aria.”
I flinched.
Not at his words.
But at the way he said them.
Low. Dangerous.
Like he wasn’t sure if he could control himself right now.
Like I needed to leave.
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Chapter 52
So, for once, I listened.
I didn’t argue,
I didn’t push.
I just turned and walked out.
But the second I stepped into the hallway, my chest tightened.
Fuck you. I said to myself.
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Chapter 53
Chapter 53
