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00:00The night my life split in two began with the sound of my brother screaming my name.
00:05We'd been running, him ahead, me behind, through the narrow streets behind the club where he'd
00:10lost a card game he couldn't afford. My heels cracked against wet pavement, my lungs tore with
00:16every breath, and the only light came from a single flickering streetlamp. Then headlights
00:21carved through the darkness and froze us both in their glare. The car stopped, doors opened,
00:27silence dropped heavy and absolute. I remember the smell before I saw him. Expensive leather,
00:34cold air, something metallic that didn't belong in this world. The men who stepped out first were
00:39silent shadows in black coats. Then he emerged, tall, precise, the kind of stillness that made
00:46everyone else fade. I didn't know his name then, only the way he looked at my brother,
00:52like deciding whether to crush or forgive. Please, my brother gasped, dropping to his knees.
01:00I'll get the money, I swear. Liam, his voice was deep, deliberate. He said my brother's name like
01:08it already belonged to him. You had your chance. I stepped forward without thinking. He's just a kid,
01:15it's my fault. I made him go. Those eyes, gray, unreadable, shifted to me. For a heartbeat,
01:25everything else stopped. He looked at me as if measuring the shape of my defiance,
01:30the tremor in my throat, the way my dress clung to rain-soaked skin. Then he smiled. Small, quiet,
01:38terrifying. You made him go? My lips barely moved. Yes. He came closer, his coat brushing my arm,
01:47and the air around him felt charged, too intimate for a stranger. Then the dead isn't his anymore,
01:52he said. I didn't understand what he meant until one of his men pulled Liam to his feet and dragged
01:57him backward. I lunged, screaming, but the man, the boss, lifted a hand. Enough, he said softly.
02:03And everything stopped. Even the rain seemed to hesitate. He looked at my face, then lower,
02:11tracing the tremor that ran through me. What's your name? Aria. Aria. He said it like tasting it.
02:20You'll come with me. No, I whispered, but he was already turning away, issuing orders I couldn't
02:26process. My brother was pleading, begging, promising anything. Please don't hurt her,
02:32I'll do anything. The boss's head tilted slightly. You already did. Two of his men held me still while
02:40he stepped close again. His hand rose, not rough, not gentle, and brushed the wet hair from my cheek.
02:48His thumb paused at my jawline, a touch that wasn't quite kind. You think you can bargain with me?
02:54He asked. I shook my head, trembling. Just let him go. Something dark flashed behind his eyes.
03:04Then, a single word. Fine. Liam collapsed, sobbing in relief. I turned toward him, but the man caught my
03:12chin, forcing me to look up. You don't understand what fine means yet. He leaned closer, his breath warm
03:19against my ear. Your brother's life is mine to take or spare. I'll spare it. A pause, then, on one
03:28condition. My heart slammed against my ribs. What, what condition? He smiled again, and the quiet around
03:36us deepened. You'll find out soon. He walked away, leaving me standing in the rain, every nerve alive
03:43with dread and something I couldn't name. One of his men pressed a small black card into my hand,
03:50a name embossed in silver. Cassian Moretti. That was how I learned the man who held my brother's
03:56life between his fingers was the head of the Moretti Syndicate. That night didn't end when I got home.
04:02I sat on my bed until dawn, the card beside me, the scent of him still on my skin. Every sound outside
04:09made me flinch. Every flicker of shadow felt like him watching. At noon, a knock. When I opened the
04:17door, there were two men in dark suits. No words, just an envelope. Inside, my brother's medical report.
04:25He'd been found in a hospital alley, alive, shaken, with a note. Paid in full. But underneath that paper,
04:32another slip of ivory stationery, written in elegant black ink. Tonight, 7 p.m., the Moretti Hotel.
04:41Wear black. Don't make me come find you. My hands went cold. I wanted to burn the letter. I wanted to
04:48run. But by evening, I was standing in front of a glass tower that shimmered like ice under city lights.
04:53The doorman greeted me by name before I said a word. Inside, marble floors gleamed under chandeliers.
04:59The air smelled like champagne in danger. I walked through a world that didn't belong to me.
05:05Women in silks, men with guns hidden beneath tuxedos. A guard opened a door at the end of a
05:11hallway. He was there. Cassian Moretti. No jacket, shirt sleeves rolled to his forearms,
05:18a glass of amber liquid in his hand. His gaze lifted, slow and deliberate, catching me the moment I
05:25entered. I was wondering if you'd come, he said. I didn't have a choice. He stepped closer.
05:34Everyone has a choice. Yours just happens to be very expensive.
05:39My voice shook. You said you spared my brother's life. What do you want from me?
05:46He stopped inches away, his scent drowning the air.
05:49I don't like owing anyone, he said. And I don't like leaving debts unsettled. His fingers reached
05:56for the chain around my neck, tracing it lightly. So we'll settle this one properly. He leaned in until
06:03his lips almost touched my ear. Marry me. The world tilted. What? He didn't smile this time.
06:12You heard me. I took a step back, but his hand caught mine, grip firm, possessive.
06:20You'll say yes, because you know what happens if you don't. My throat burned. You can't just...
06:27I can, he said, and I will. The silence stretched, thick and dangerous. He let go of my hand,
06:34but the touch lingered like a brand. You have until tomorrow. I turned to leave,
06:39but his voice followed me, low and final. Aria. I froze. His tone softened, almost intimate.
06:48You belong to me now, even if you don't know it yet. The elevator doors closed before I could
06:54breathe again. And as the city lights blurred below me, I knew the collision wasn't an accident.
07:00Cassian Moretti hadn't just spared my brother's life. He'd marked mine. I didn't sleep the night
07:05after Cassian Moretti's ultimatum. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw his face. Those gray eyes like
07:12winter steel. The faint scent of leather and smoke clinging to my hair. The sound of his voice replayed
07:18like a low-voltage current under my skin. Marry me. I kept telling myself it was impossible.
07:25That this was just a nightmare. That by morning, the whole thing would collapse under its own
07:29absurdity. But the next day, a black car appeared outside my apartment building before I even
07:34finished my coffee. No knock. No call. Just a driver leaning against the hood, reading my name
07:41from his phone as if he were waiting for a flight arrival. I almost didn't go down. Almost stayed
07:47inside, curled on the kitchen floor, my brother still asleep in his room, blissfully unaware of what
07:53I'd traded for him. But then the driver looked up, and something in his expression told me he wouldn't
07:58leave without me. The interior of the car smelled like new leather and some expensive cologne that
08:04felt like Cassian himself had been sitting there moments ago. The windows were tinted so dark the
08:09city became a shadow painting, shapes sliding past but never distinct. We didn't go to the Moretti
08:15Hotel this time. We drove out of the city, into the hills, where the skyline shrank and the air turned
08:21crisp. My stomach tightened with every turn of the road. When the gates appeared, black iron,
08:27carved with twisting roses and barbed wire. I knew this wasn't just a house. It was an estate.
08:34The kind of place built to keep people in as much as out. The car rolled to a stop in front of a
08:39mansion with cream stone walls and columns like something lifted from Rome. Balconies wrapped the
08:45upper floors, and somewhere in the distance, water splashed from a fountain. But even in daylight,
08:51it didn't feel open. The sky itself seemed quieter here. A maid led me inside. Marble again, but this
08:58time softer, honey-colored. Chandeliers hung like cages of crystal. Every surface was too perfect to
09:05touch. Cassian waited in the sunroom, seated on a low leather couch. Daylight didn't soften him.
09:12If anything, it made the edges sharper. He looked at me the way he had that first night, assessing,
09:19taking my measure. You came, he said. I didn't have a choice.
09:24He set his glass down and rose. No tie today. Shirt open at the throat. Dark trousers. The faintest
09:40scar running from his wrist to his elbow. It caught the sunlight for an instant before
09:45disappearing under the cuff. You're not a prisoner, Aria. He stepped closer. You're here to see what
09:51life with me would look like. Before you decide. I let out a sharp laugh. Decide? You told me to
10:00marry you. His eyes flickered with something I couldn't read. And you will. But I'm not without
10:06manners. You should know what you're stepping into. He gestured toward the windows. Outside,
10:13the gardens stretched like a private kingdom. Hedges carved into labyrinths, fountains spilling water
10:18into marble pools, a tennis court at the edge of a forest. It's beautiful, I admitted, then hated
10:25myself for saying it. He noticed. You don't have to like it. He tilted his head. But I think you do.
10:34I shook my head, but the scent of the place, roses and stone and his cologne, was seeping into me.
10:40My heart was beating too fast, and not just from fear. He took my hand, not roughly, but firmly.
10:47Come, I'll show you. He led me through corridors hung with old paintings of Venetian canals,
10:53past a library where men in suits murmured over ledgers, past a music room where a grand piano
10:58gleamed like a black mirror. Everything was opulent but muted, a world built for power, not comfort.
11:04At the back of the house, French doors opened to a terrace. Beyond it lay a swimming pool lit from
11:09below, water glowing like blue fire. A table was set for two under a white canopy, crystal glasses,
11:17silver cutlery, a bottle of champagne sweating in an ice bucket. I pulled my hand from his.
11:23Why are you doing this? He looked at me, expression unreadable.
11:27Because you intrigue me. That's not an answer. No, he said. It's not.
11:35We sat. Food appeared. Perfect plates of salmon, asparagus, wine poured without asking.
11:42I tried to eat, but my throat was tight.
11:57Yes, he interrupted. And now I'm the only one who can protect you.
12:20He reached into his jacket and set a small velvet box on the table. He didn't open it. Just left it
12:26there, dark and heavy. This, he said quietly, is your choice. Tonight, or I take it back.
12:35My hands trembled under the table. You're insane. Possibly. He leaned forward, voice low.
12:43But I'm also the man who spared your brother, and the man who can take him away again.
12:47The sound of the fountain seemed louder suddenly. He slid the box toward me.
12:53Open it. I didn't move.
12:57Open it, he repeated, softer this time, like a coaxing hand at my throat.
13:02I reached out. My fingers brushed the velvet. Heat rushed up my arm. I lifted the lid.
13:08Inside was a ring. Not just a ring, but a band of black diamond and platinum shaped like a coiled serpent.
13:14Its eyes glimmered faintly, red stones like embers. I couldn't breathe.
13:20He watched me, expression cool, but his hand curling slightly against the tablecloth.
13:25Wear it, and your brother stays alive. Don't, and...
13:29He didn't finish. My voice cracked.
13:32You're caging me.
13:34No.
13:35His eyes darkened.
13:36I'm claiming you.
13:38The air between us thickened.
13:40The terrace, the water, the sunlight.
13:43All of it blurred until only his face remained.
13:46I'll give you one day, he said.
13:48Then the choice becomes mine again.
13:51He stood, leaving me at the table, the ring still open before me, its serpent-shaped glinting.
13:57And as his footsteps faded into the house, I realized with a jolt of panic and something else,
14:03desire or doom or both, that I wanted to follow him.
14:07But the ring stared back at me like an open mouth.
14:10His world had already begun swallowing me whole, and I hadn't even said yes yet.
14:16The following night, I didn't wait for his car.
14:18I walked out of my apartment on my own, black dress clinging to my skin,
14:23my heart hammering like I'd already stepped into his world.
14:26My brother thought I was at a friend's.
14:28He still didn't know how deep I was sinking to keep him breathing.
14:31When the driver opened the door, Cassian was inside.
14:35For the first time, he wasn't dressed for business.
14:38No suit jacket, no tie.
14:40Just a black shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled to his elbows,
14:44veins traced up his forearms like faint blue rivers.
14:48The serpent ring, the one he'd made me take, glimmered on my finger.
14:52His eyes moved slowly from my face to my knees, then back.
14:57You wore it.
14:59You left me no choice.
15:02He gave a low hum, the sound vibrating in his chest more than the air.
15:07That's where you're wrong, Aria.
15:08You always have a choice.
15:10You just don't like where it leads.
15:12I pressed myself against the far door, but the scent of him filled the car.
15:16Cedarwood, smoke, clean linen.
15:18And my pulse spiked despite my resistance.
15:22We didn't go back to his mansion.
15:24We drove into the city's old quarter, where the buildings leaned like tired giants,
15:28and the street lamps flickered with amber light.
15:31The car stopped in front of an unmarked iron door.
15:34No guards, no sign, just him and me.
15:37He held out a hand.
15:39Come.
15:40Inside was a different kind of luxury.
15:43Dark wood walls, leather chairs,
15:45a chandelier of black crystal dripping light like oil.
15:49No windows.
15:50The air smelled faintly of wine and something older.
15:54Dust, stone, secrecy.
15:57Cassian guided me toward a private table in the center of the room.
16:00Only a single candle burned there, its flame trembling.
16:04Sit, he said.
16:05I'm not hungry.
16:07It isn't about food.
16:09He poured wine without asking.
16:11It was dark and heavy, tasting like velvet and smoke.
16:15This is my world, he said softly.
16:19You want to survive in it?
16:20You need to learn the rules.
16:23What rules?
16:24He leaned closer, voice a murmur that brushed my ear.
16:28Rule one.
16:29Nothing here is free.
16:31Rule two.
16:33Power is a language.
16:35Rule three.
16:36You either submit to it, or you learn to wield it.
16:38I swallowed, but the wine burned down my throat like truth.
16:44He reached out, tracing the rim of my glass with one finger.
16:49Tonight is a test, Aria.
16:51Not of obedience.
16:53Of desire.
16:55My breath caught.
16:57I don't...
16:58You do, he interrupted, gray eyes glinting.
17:02You just haven't said it yet.
17:04He stood, moving behind me, his presence a heat at my back.
17:10His hands didn't touch me at first.
17:12They hovered just above my shoulders, close enough for me to feel the charge of them.
17:17Rule four, he murmured.
17:19Never lie to yourself about what you want, even if it's dangerous.
17:23His hands descended, fingers sliding lightly along my shoulders, down my arms,
17:29until they reached my wrists, resting on the table.
17:32The serpent ring was between us, catching the candlelight.
17:36Say stop, and I stop, he said.
17:38Say nothing, and I'll keep going.
17:40My mouth opened, but no sound came.
17:43His breath touched the back of my neck as he spoke.
17:46Do you want to know what belonging to me feels like?
17:49I shivered.
17:50No.
17:52His fingers tightened.
17:53Not painful.
17:55Just enough to ground me.
17:56Then tell me to stop.
17:58I closed my eyes.
18:00Silence stretched.
18:02I didn't say stop.
18:05Cassian exhaled softly like a man who'd been waiting for a signal.
18:08His hands slid up my arms again, slower this time, mapping skin like territory.
18:14Good girl, he whispered.
18:16Now open your eyes.
18:19When I did, I saw us reflected in the black glass of the chandelier above,
18:23his shadow behind mine, his hands ghosting over my body without claiming it.
18:28Rule five, he murmured.
18:31Control is a gift.
18:32You'll learn to take it back from me if you're strong enough.
18:36His mouth brushed the curve of my neck.
18:38Not a kiss, but a question.
18:40My heart was a drum under my ribs.
18:42I wanted to hate him.
18:43I wanted to want him.
18:45Both felt like treason.
18:47Then his hands were gone.
18:49He stepped back, his breathing unsteady for the first time.
18:53Enough for tonight.
18:55I turned to face him.
18:56His pupils were blown wide, his composure cracked at the edges.
19:01You didn't fail, he said, his voice lower now.
19:04But you're not ready yet.
19:07I stood, dizzy from the wine, from his nearness, from everything unsaid.
19:12Ready for what?
19:14He gave a small, dark smile.
19:16For the rest of the house.
19:19What house?
19:20He gestured toward a heavy door at the far end of the room.
19:24I hadn't noticed it before.
19:27It's wood darker than the walls, carved with a symbol like two interlocked rings.
19:32It's locked, he said.
19:34Everything I am lives behind it.
19:37Secrets.
19:38Scars.
19:39Obsessions.
19:40My pulse quickened.
19:42What's inside?
19:44He stepped closer until the candle flickered between us.
19:48If you want to know, Aria.
19:50His thumb brushed the serpent on my finger.
19:53You'll have to earn it.
19:55He moved past me toward the door, keys glinting in his hand.
19:59But instead of opening it, he slipped them back into his pocket.
20:04Not tonight.
20:05His voice was soft but final.
20:08Tonight you just learn what it feels like to stand at the threshold.
20:11He left me there with the candle burning low, the locked door like a heartbeat in the dark,
20:17and my own reflection staring back at me with eyes I didn't recognize.
20:21Hungry.
20:22Terrified.
20:23Alive.
20:24The door stayed shut, but I'd already crossed into his hidden world,
20:28and I couldn't tell if I wanted it to open or stay closed forever.
20:32By the time I saw Cassian again, I'd memorized the shape of the locked door in my mind,
20:37the carved rings, the weight of the air around it.
20:39I dreamt of it every night, my hand on the handle, the click of a key that never turned.
20:45He summoned me back to the mansion at dusk, this time no driver,
20:49his voice on the phone instead, low and rougher than usual.
20:52Come now.
20:54Just that.
20:55No explanation.
20:56The house looked different when I arrived.
20:59Curtains drawn.
21:00Lights dim.
21:01A hush over the halls like the aftermath of an argument.
21:03One of the guards led me not to the terrace or the sunroom,
21:07but down a narrower corridor I hadn't seen before.
21:10The walls here weren't marble.
21:12They were old stone, lined with dark wooden panels.
21:16He was waiting in a study at the back of the house.
21:18Not standing.
21:20Sitting.
21:21One hand braced on his knee,
21:23the other curled into a fist against his mouth.
21:25A decanter of whiskey sat half-empty beside him.
21:29I paused at the threshold.
21:31Cassian?
21:32He looked up,
21:34and something inside me jolted.
21:36His face wasn't its usual mask of control.
21:39Shadows ringed his eyes,
21:40and a thin bruise cut across his jaw,
21:43half-hidden by stubble.
21:44His shirt was open at the collar,
21:47sleeves rolled unevenly,
21:48cufflinks missing.
21:50He looked...
21:51human.
21:51Close the door,
21:54he said.
21:55His voice had lost its edge.
21:57I obeyed before I could think.
21:59The study smelled of smoke and some faint metallic tang,
22:03like blood left too long in the air.
22:06What happened?
22:07I asked.
22:08Nothing you need to worry about.
22:10He poured another glass of whiskey,
22:11but didn't drink it.
22:13Sit.
22:14I didn't.
22:15You're hurt.
22:17His mouth tightened.
22:19I've been hurt before.
22:20He finally met my eyes,
22:23and the look there wasn't cold.
22:25It was raw.
22:26Something behind his gaze had cracked,
22:28and for the first time I saw the weight of what he carried.
22:32They tried to take you,
22:34he said quietly.
22:35I blinked.
22:37What?
22:38Last night.
22:39Rivals.
22:40The Costas.
22:42His knuckles whitened around the glass.
22:44They wanted leverage.
22:46I stepped closer,
22:47heartbeat stuttering.
22:48Cassian.
22:50They won't try again,
22:52he said,
22:52and the way he said it made my stomach twist.
22:55Not because I doubted him,
22:57but because I knew what won't meant in his world.
23:01He set the glass down with a soft clink.
23:04I don't lose people,
23:06he said.
23:07Not anymore.
23:08The last words were almost whispered.
23:10I reached out without meaning to.
23:13My fingers brushed his wrist
23:15where the faint scar disappeared under his sleeve.
23:18He didn't pull back.
23:20What happened to you?
23:21I asked.
23:22For a long time,
23:23he didn't answer.
23:25Then softly.
23:26I was seventeen.
23:28My father's enemies took my sister.
23:31I swore I'd never be powerless again.
23:32He looked at me like a confession was a wound being reopened.
23:37I didn't keep her safe.
23:39I can keep you safe.
23:40My throat tightened.
23:42That's not protection, Cassian.
23:45That's control.
23:47His eyes flickered,
23:49as if he'd never considered the difference.
23:50You think I don't know what I'm doing to you?
23:54He asked,
23:55voice low.
23:57Every time you walk into this house,
23:59every time you wear that ring,
24:00I wonder if I'm building a cage
24:02or saving you from one.
24:04For a heartbeat,
24:05he looked lost.
24:06I sat beside him,
24:07the leather couch cool against my legs.
24:10My fingers hovered near his,
24:12but didn't close.
24:13Then stop,
24:15I whispered.
24:16You don't have to do this.
24:18He laughed once,
24:19bitter and quiet.
24:21I don't know how.
24:23He leaned forward,
24:24elbows on his knees,
24:25and pressed his hands to his face.
24:27His shoulders shook once,
24:28a tremor he tried to hide.
24:30I stared at him,
24:32torn between anger and something softer,
24:34something more dangerous.
24:37This man who'd taken my freedom,
24:38who'd made my life a transaction,
24:40was also the boy who'd lost his sister
24:42and built a fortress around the hole she'd left.
24:46Without thinking,
24:47I touched his cheek.
24:49His skin was warm,
24:50rougher than I expected.
24:52He didn't flinch.
24:54His eyes closed for a second,
24:55like he was leaning into the contact.
24:58Aria,
24:59he said,
25:00voice breaking a little.
25:02Then he pulled back,
25:03mask slamming into place again,
25:05but not quite as seamless as before.
25:08I can't give you what you want,
25:10he said.
25:11I can only give you what I am.
25:13He stood,
25:14turning away from me,
25:15fists clenched.
25:16Go upstairs.
25:18Stay in the east wing tonight.
25:19I stayed seated.
25:22Cassian,
25:23go,
25:23he snapped,
25:25not looking at me.
25:26But as I rose,
25:28I caught his reflection in the window.
25:30His shoulders hunched,
25:31his hands trembling slightly.
25:33I walked the corridor to the east wing,
25:36the house silent around me.
25:38In the guest room,
25:39a suitcase waited on the bed
25:40with my clothes neatly folded inside.
25:42Beneath them,
25:43a note in his handwriting,
25:44I'm trying.
25:45But I don't know if I can stop what's coming.
25:48My hands shook as I held it.
25:50The scent of his cologne
25:51still clung to the paper.
25:53The next 48 hours
25:54dissolved into silence.
25:56No summons,
25:57no texts,
25:58no Cassian.
26:00The mansion still moved.
26:02Guards at their posts,
26:03maids whispering in corridors,
26:05cars arriving and leaving.
26:07But he vanished from his own kingdom
26:09like a ghost.
26:11I tried to tell myself it was relief.
26:14That this was my chance to leave.
26:16But each hour without his voice,
26:18his presence,
26:19carved something jagged inside me.
26:22On the third night,
26:23the silence broke.
26:24I was walking the terrace,
26:26the ring heavy on my finger,
26:28when two voices drifted
26:29from the courtyard below,
26:30low,
26:31sharp,
26:32urgent.
26:33One of them was Cassian's,
26:35the other I didn't recognize.
26:37I moved closer,
26:39pressing against the stone balustrade,
26:40hidden by shadows.
26:42Cassian stood near the fountain,
26:45shoulders taut,
26:46jaw set.
26:47Across from him,
26:48a man in a dark coat,
26:49hair slicked back,
26:51a silver chain glinting at his throat.
26:53His smile was the kind of smile
26:55meant for cameras,
26:56but his eyes were dead.
26:58I caught fragments of their words.
27:00Costas won't stop.
27:02Leverage.
27:03She's the weak link.
27:04My stomach turned to ice.
27:06The man in the coat tilted his head.
27:08You can't keep her locked up forever,
27:10Moretti.
27:11People talk.
27:12She's already a liability.
27:14Cassian's voice was low but lethal.
27:17Say her name again.
27:19The man smirked.
27:21Aria.
27:23Cassian moved so fast,
27:24I didn't see it until the man was against the wall,
27:27Cassian's forearm at his throat.
27:29She's mine,
27:30he hissed.
27:31And if you even breathe in her direction,
27:34then do it yourself,
27:35the man choked out.
27:37Marry her.
27:38Own her.
27:39That's the only way she survives this.
27:41The words hit me like a slap.
27:44This wasn't some twisted romance.
27:46This was strategy.
27:48A move in a war I didn't understand.
27:51Cassian shoved him away,
27:53face a mask of control again,
27:55but his hands shook as he lit a cigarette.
27:58I backed away from the balustrade,
28:00heart hammering.
28:02It wasn't a proposal.
28:04It was a shield.
28:05A tactic.
28:07A cage with my name on it.
28:09I turned,
28:10heading for the hallway,
28:11but a door opened ahead of me,
28:12one I'd never seen unlocked before.
28:15A narrow passage lit by a single bulb.
28:17I stepped inside without thinking.
28:19It led to a small study
28:21lined with old photographs and maps.
28:23On the desk lay a file folder
28:24with my name written on the tab.
28:27My blood ran cold.
28:29Inside.
28:30Images of me from months before.
28:32At work.
28:33At my apartment.
28:34On the train.
28:36Notes scrawled in Cassian's handwriting.
28:38Aria Leone.
28:39Age 24.
28:41Brother.
28:42Liam.
28:43Father deceased.
28:44Mother unknown.
28:45I flipped to the next page.
28:47Weakness.
28:48Leverage.
28:49Controlled via brother.
28:51The room tilted.
28:52My hands shook so hard the pages rattled.
28:54I didn't hear him enter
28:56until his voice cut the air behind me.
28:58Put it down.
29:00I spun.
29:01Cassian stood in the doorway.
29:03Eyes like iron.
29:04A vein pulsing at his temple.
29:06What is this?
29:07I demanded.
29:08What am I to you?
29:10He stepped inside,
29:11closing the door behind him.
29:13It's not what it looks like.
29:15It looks like a file on your property.
29:18Aria.
29:19Don't.
29:20My voice broke.
29:22Don't say my name like that.
29:24He came closer,
29:25but I backed away.
29:26The file still clutched to my chest.
29:29Was it all a game?
29:30I whispered.
29:32Saving Liam?
29:33Bringing me here?
29:34The ring?
29:35No.
29:36His voice cracked once,
29:38a sound I'd never heard from him before.
29:40It started as leverage.
29:42It didn't stay that way.
29:44I laughed.
29:45Harsh.
29:45Shaky.
29:47Do you even know the difference anymore?
29:50He reached for me,
29:51but I shoved him back.
29:53Don't touch me.
29:55For a moment,
29:56something like panic flickered in his eyes.
30:00Aria, listen to me.
30:02The Costas are moving.
30:03They're already inside my organization.
30:05If you walk out now,
30:06they'll take you before you reach the street.
30:09Then let them.
30:10My hands trembled.
30:11I can't live like this.
30:14Not in your cage.
30:15His jaw tightened.
30:17It's not a cage.
30:19It's a prison dressed as a palace.
30:21We stared at each other,
30:22breathing hard.
30:24Finally, he stepped back,
30:25hands open at his sides like surrender.
30:28Then go.
30:29His voice was flat now,
30:31brittle.
30:32I won't stop you.
30:34I hesitated.
30:35The door was open behind him.
30:37Freedom was ten feet away.
30:39But my brother.
30:40Cassian saw the war on my face.
30:43His expression turned unreadable again,
30:45but his voice dropped to a near whisper.
30:47If you leave,
30:49I can't protect Liam either.
30:51The words hit me like a blade.
30:53You promised.
30:54I promised to spare him as long as you stayed.
30:58I shook my head,
30:59tears burning.
31:01You're a monster.
31:02Maybe.
31:04His eyes didn't leave mine.
31:05But I'm the only monster who's kept you alive.
31:08Silence.
31:10Only the faint hum of the lightbulb above us.
31:13I moved past him,
31:14shoving the file into his chest.
31:16I don't care,
31:17I said,
31:18even though my voice trembled.
31:19I'm done.
31:21He didn't stop me.
31:23He didn't say another word.
31:25I walked out,
31:26down the corridor,
31:27through the mansion's doors,
31:28into the night air.
31:30My pulse roared in my ears.
31:32I didn't look back until I reached the gates.
31:35Cassian was still standing in the doorway of the house,
31:37a dark figure against the glow of chandeliers.
31:40He didn't move.
31:42The gates swung open silently.
31:44The world beyond them was colder,
31:46emptier,
31:47but mine.
31:48I didn't make it far.
31:50Two blocks from the Meretti estate,
31:52headlights split the dark.
31:54Tires screeched.
31:55A van skidded to a stop across the road.
31:58Before I could run,
31:59the side door slammed open
32:00and hands grabbed me.
32:02Rough,
32:03unfamiliar,
32:04gloved.
32:05A voice hissed,
32:06Got her!
32:07I fought,
32:08clawing,
32:09kicking,
32:10but a cloth pressed against my face.
32:12Chemical burn,
32:13sweet and dizzying.
32:14The world folded.
32:16When I woke,
32:17my wrists were bound to a chair.
32:18The air stank of oil
32:20and damp concrete.
32:21Warehouse,
32:22probably near the docks.
32:23Dim light filtered through slats above me.
32:26Cassian's name burned on my tongue,
32:28but I bit it back.
32:29I refused to call for him.
32:32A door creaked open.
32:34The man from the fountain,
32:35the one with the silver chain,
32:37stepped out of the shadows.
32:38You're not easy to catch,
32:40he said,
32:41smiling.
32:42Your fiancé has made you quite valuable.
32:45I'm not his anything,
32:46I rasped.
32:47Of course you are.
32:49He crouched in front of me,
32:50his perfume sour with cologne and blood.
32:53And soon,
32:54you'll be the reason he gives up everything.
32:56He showed me a phone.
32:58Video feed,
32:59grainy,
33:00from a camera somewhere nearby.
33:02Cassian's mansion,
33:03the gates,
33:04men in masks surrounding the guards.
33:06While we talk,
33:07my people are paying him a visit,
33:08he said.
33:09He'll come for you.
33:10He always does.
33:12And when he does,
33:13he smiled wider.
33:14We end it.
33:16I stared at the screen,
33:17numb.
33:18He'll kill you.
33:20He chuckled.
33:21Maybe.
33:22But he'll have to watch you die first.
33:25That was when fear shifted,
33:27became anger.
33:28Pure.
33:29Cold.
33:30Absolute.
33:32You have no idea what he'll do.
33:34He tilted his head.
33:36Oh, I do.
33:37That's why this works.
33:39He left.
33:41The door slammed.
33:42The lock clicked.
33:44I closed my eyes,
33:45inhaled through the panic,
33:46counted breaths.
33:48I remembered Cassian's voice.
33:50Rule three,
33:51power is a language.
33:52You either submit to it
33:54or you learn to wield it.
33:55Fine.
33:56I'd learned.
33:57The ropes were tight,
33:58but not expert.
34:00My fingers found slack.
34:02I twisted until the fibers cut skin.
34:05Blood slicked my wrists enough
34:06to slip one free.
34:07When the door opened again,
34:09I was ready.
34:10He stepped in,
34:12bored,
34:13checking his phone.
34:14I slammed the chair into him.
34:16It shattered.
34:17His head hit the floor with a crack.
34:20I ran.
34:21Barefoot.
34:22Lungs burning.
34:23Through corridors that smelled
34:25of salt and metal.
34:26A dock door at the far end.
34:29I shoved it open
34:29and froze.
34:32Cassian stood there.
34:33His face was bruised,
34:35shirt torn,
34:36blood at the corner of his mouth.
34:38Behind him,
34:39smoke rose from somewhere distant.
34:42His house, maybe.
34:43Or what was left of it.
34:45Aria,
34:46he said,
34:47voice hoarse.
34:48I didn't move.
34:50How did you?
34:51He stepped forward.
34:53You think I wouldn't find you?
34:55I wanted to scream,
34:56or hit him,
34:57or collapse into him.
34:58They said you'd trade me,
35:00he flinched.
35:01They wanted me to.
35:03I didn't.
35:04I shook my head.
35:06You were ready to,
35:07once.
35:08His eyes darkened.
35:10Not anymore.
35:12The silver-chained man's voice
35:13echoed behind me.
35:15Touching.
35:16He staggered out of the shadows,
35:18blood at his temple,
35:19gun in hand.
35:20You really do care for her.
35:23Cassian didn't turn.
35:25His tone dropped to steel.
35:27Put it down, Marco.
35:29Marco cocked the gun.
35:31No,
35:31you put down your empire,
35:33or she dies.
35:35Cassian's jaw flexed.
35:36His hand went to his coat.
35:38You won't shoot her.
35:40Marco smiled.
35:41You're right.
35:42You will.
35:43He tossed Cassian a second gun.
35:46Your choice.
35:47Kill her and walk away clean,
35:48or watch me burn what's left
35:49of your family's name.
35:51I froze.
35:53Cassian, don't.
35:55His eyes met mine,
35:56gray, wild, wrecked.
35:58Then, slow and deliberate,
35:59he turned the gun
36:00toward himself instead.
36:02Marco blinked.
36:03What?
36:04Cassian's voice was calm.
36:06You want my surrender?
36:07You can have it,
36:08but she walks.
36:10Marco hesitated.
36:11Put it down.
36:13Cassian fired.
36:14Not at himself.
36:15Not at Marco.
36:17The shot cracked the air.
36:19The bullet shattered
36:19the dock light
36:20above Marco's head.
36:21For half a heartbeat,
36:22everything went white.
36:24I dove aside.
36:25Cassian lunged.
36:27The gun clattered,
36:27then another shot,
36:28then silence.
36:30When the smoke cleared,
36:31Marco was on the floor.
36:33Cassian stood over him,
36:34chest heaving,
36:36blood spreading down his sleeve.
36:37He dropped the gun
36:39and looked at me.
36:40You shouldn't have come back.
36:43I didn't,
36:44I whispered.
36:45They took me.
36:47He laughed once,
36:49broken,
36:50breathless.
36:51Doesn't matter.
36:52You still ended up here.
36:54He stumbled,
36:55and I caught him.
36:57His blood was warm
36:58against my hands.
37:00Cassian.
37:01He gripped my wrist
37:02hard enough to hurt.
37:04Listen to me,
37:04if I don't make it.
37:06No,
37:07I snapped.
37:08Don't you dare.
37:09He exhaled shakily.
37:12You wanted power, Aria.
37:13Take it.
37:14Walk away.
37:15Don't ever let anyone
37:16own you again.
37:17Not even me.
37:19Sirens wailed
37:19in the distance.
37:20Police or rivals
37:22or both.
37:23The dock lights flickered.
37:25He looked at me
37:26one last time,
37:27something fierce
37:28and unguarded
37:29in his eyes.
37:30Go.
37:32I hesitated,
37:33then shook my head.
37:35Not without you.
37:37He smiled,
37:38faint and bleeding.
37:39Then we'll both burn.
37:41The door behind us
37:42exploded open,
37:43light,
37:44sound,
37:45shouting.
37:45I dragged him
37:46toward the water,
37:47half carrying him,
37:49our steps echoing.
37:50The sirens grew louder.
37:52We reached the edge
37:53of the dock,
37:54waves slapping
37:54against the pylons.
37:56His hand
37:57tightened on mine.
37:58You should hate me,
38:00he said.
38:01I do.
38:03My throat closed.
38:04And I still can't leave you.
38:06He looked at me,
38:08really looked,
38:09as if memorizing my face
38:10before the world
38:11crashed in.
38:12Then that's your mistake.
38:15The boat's engine
38:16coughed once,
38:17then caught.
38:18Diesel fumes
38:19clung to my skin
38:20as we lurched away
38:21from the dock,
38:22sirens fading behind us.
38:24Cassian was slumped
38:25on the floorboards,
38:26blood dripping between
38:27the slats
38:27into the black water.
38:29His gray eyes
38:30fluttered open,
38:31finding mine.
38:33You should have left,
38:34he rasped.
38:36I kept one hand
38:36on the wheel,
38:37the other pressed
38:38to his wound.
38:39I tried.
38:40I couldn't.
38:42The sea opened
38:43around us,
38:44endless,
38:45dark.
38:46Wind lashed my hair
38:47into my face.
38:49My palms were sticky
38:49with his blood,
38:50but I wouldn't let go.
38:52He closed his eyes.
38:54You don't know
38:54what I've done?
38:56Yes, I do,
38:57I whispered.
38:58I saw enough.
39:00You only saw the edges.
39:03His voice cracked.
39:04If you stay,
39:06you'll drown in it.
39:08Something inside me
39:09shifted,
39:10snapped.
39:11I wasn't the girl
39:12who spilled coffee
39:12on a stranger anymore.
39:14I wasn't the one
39:15who had to be rescued.
39:16I was the one steering.
39:18Then teach me to swim,
39:20I said.
39:21His eyes opened.
39:23The gray was darker now,
39:24like smoke.
39:26Aria!
39:27No more conditions,
39:28I cut in.
39:30No more rules.
39:31You want me?
39:32Then you give me everything,
39:33not control,
39:34not cages,
39:35you.
39:36He stared at me,
39:38silent,
39:39the boat groaning
39:39under the waves.
39:41His hand moved,
39:42weak but deliberate,
39:43gripping mine.
39:45You think you can hold me?
39:46He asked.
39:48I don't need to hold you.
39:50My throat burned.
39:51I need you to stop
39:52hiding behind power.
39:53For the first time
39:55since the alley,
39:56his expression cracked,
39:57pain,
39:58raw,
39:58and unshielded.
40:00They killed my father
40:01in front of me,
40:02he said quietly,
40:04made me watch.
40:05I swore I'd never be weak again,
40:07never kneel.
40:09I'm not asking you to kneel,
40:11I said.
40:11I'm asking you to stand next to me.
40:14He drew a shuddering breath.
40:16That's not how this world works.
40:18Then let's make a new one.
40:20The boat hit a wave
40:20and we both staggered.
40:22His forehead came to rest
40:23against mine.
40:25Salt,
40:25blood,
40:26and diesel.
40:27The smell of endings.
40:29I don't know how to be this man,
40:31he whispered.
40:32Neither do I.
40:34My eyes closed.
40:35But I know how to try.
40:38Something changed in his grip.
40:40Less steel,
40:41more tremor.
40:43His thumb brushed my knuckles,
40:44slow,
40:45uncertain.
40:46He exhaled,
40:48long and low,
40:49like a door finally opening.
40:51All right,
40:53he said.
40:53I didn't answer.
40:55I just kissed him.
40:57It wasn't soft.
40:58It was a collision of salt and teeth
41:00and everything we'd been hiding.
41:02He tasted like metal and rain,
41:04like survival.
41:06His hand slid to the back of my neck,
41:08not to claim me,
41:09but to hold himself steady.
41:11He broke first,
41:12breath ragged.
41:14If you stay,
41:15he said,
41:16I'll lose everything.
41:18Then lose it,
41:19I whispered.
41:20Lose it,
41:21and choose me.
41:22For a heartbeat,
41:23the boat seemed to stop moving.
41:24He looked at me,
41:26truly looked,
41:27as if seeing a shape
41:28he didn't know existed.
41:29I surrender,
41:31he said.
41:32It was almost inaudible,
41:34but it vibrated against my mouth.
41:36Not to me.
41:37Not to anyone.
41:40Just...
41:40surrender.
41:41I pressed my forehead to his.
41:44And I take back what I gave up,
41:46I said.
41:47I'm not yours because you spared my brother.
41:50I'm yours because I choose to be.
41:52And only as long as I choose.
41:55A tremor passed through him.
41:57Then stillness.
41:59Then we're equals,
42:00he said.
42:01We always were,
42:02I answered.
42:04The horizon lightened,
42:05a thin line of gray-blue
42:07at the edge of the world.
42:08His breathing slowed under my hands.
42:11For the first time,
42:12he wasn't a weapon.
42:13He was a man,
42:15bruised,
42:15bleeding,
42:16and leaning against me.
42:18Aria.
42:19His voice was softer now,
42:20almost shy.
42:22Don't leave me in this.
42:24I tightened my grip on the wheel.
42:26Then don't leave me.
42:28His fingers slid over mine,
42:30interlacing.
42:31No claim.
42:32No cage.
42:33Behind us,
42:35smoke still rose from the docks.
42:37Ahead of us,
42:38open water.
42:40Between us,
42:41the quiet of a vow
42:42no one else would ever hear.
42:44We anchored just beyond the breakwater,
42:47where the sea calmed
42:47into a glassy black sheet.
42:49The city was a smear of orange
42:51on the horizon,
42:52distant and shrinking.
42:54Around us,
42:54nothing but dark water
42:55and a pale moon.
42:57Cassian sat against the side of the boat,
42:59shirt stripped away,
43:00his skin a map of bruises
43:01and stitched scars.
43:02I cleaned the last of the blood
43:05from his shoulder
43:05with trembling hands,
43:07each stroke of the damp cloth
43:08making him wince.
43:10You're supposed to hate me,
43:12he said,
43:13eyes fixed on the horizon.
43:15I do,
43:16I whispered.
43:17That's why I stayed.
43:18His head turned slowly.
43:21What?
43:22Hating you was easier
43:23than loving you,
43:24but it never stopped me
43:25from choosing you,
43:27even when it broke me.
43:29He exhaled,
43:30a sound like surrender.
43:32I don't know what to do with that.
43:35Try this.
43:37I pressed the cloth into his palm,
43:39curling his fingers around it.
43:41Hold on to me,
43:42just for tonight.
43:43Not because you own me,
43:45because you're bleeding
43:45and I'm here.
43:47He stared at our joined hands
43:49for a long time.
43:50Then he dropped the cloth,
43:52reached up,
43:53and cupped my face.
43:55His thumb traced the edge of my mouth,
43:57hesitant.
43:58As if relearning me.
44:00I'm sorry,
44:01he said,
44:02for every rule.
44:03For making you into a condition.
44:05My throat ached.
44:07I'm sorry, too.
44:09For pretending I didn't want you.
44:12The apology sat between us,
44:14heavy and raw.
44:15No grand gestures,
44:17no conditions,
44:18just words.
44:19He leaned in,
44:21forehead touching mine,
44:22and for the first time
44:23since the night we collided,
44:25his kiss wasn't a demand.
44:26It was a question.
44:27I answered with my own mouth,
44:29slow,
44:29deliberate,
44:30opening to him not because he took,
44:32but because I gave.
44:34The world outside the boat fell away.
44:36Sirens,
44:37power,
44:38the empire he'd built.
44:40Here there was only salt air and skin.
44:43His hands moved over me
44:44with a new reverence,
44:46a trembling need.
44:47I pressed against him,
44:49feeling his heart hammering
44:50like a trapped bird.
44:52I don't want to hurt you anymore,
44:53he breathed.
44:54Then don't,
44:55I said,
44:56pulling him closer.
44:57Choose me, Cassian,
44:59again and again,
45:00even when it's hard.
45:02He nodded,
45:03eyes closing.
45:04I will.
45:05Our bodies found a rhythm.
45:07Less conquest,
45:09more confession.
45:10The scrape of his stubble
45:11against my neck,
45:12the slide of his palm at my hip,
45:14my fingers in his hair.
45:16We moved until the space
45:17between us vanished,
45:19until the ache
45:20became a kind of safety.
45:22When it was over,
45:23we lay tangled on the deck,
45:25the moonlight washing us pale.
45:27His arm rested heavy
45:28across my waist.
45:29My face was pressed
45:30to the warm hollow
45:31of his throat.
45:33For the first time,
45:34I felt not taken,
45:35but anchored.
45:37He whispered,
45:38everything I built
45:39was to never feel weak again.
45:41And now,
45:42I asked,
45:43now I'd burn it all
45:44if you asked me to.
45:46I lifted my head,
45:48looked at him.
45:49I don't want ashes.
45:51I want a man
45:52who knows how to kneel
45:53and stand,
45:54who knows how to be held.
45:56He swallowed hard.
45:57That's not the man I've been.
45:59That's the man you're becoming.
46:02He shut his eyes,
46:03a single tear
46:04slipping into his hair.
46:06Stay,
46:07he murmured.
46:09Stay until the world
46:10forgets us.
46:11I kissed the tear away.
46:14I'll stay as long
46:15as we keep choosing this.
46:16Not because we're trapped,
46:18because we're free.
46:20The wind shifted.
46:22Somewhere in the distance,
46:23a phone buzzed again,
46:24ignored this time.
46:26His empire could wait.
46:28For this moment,
46:29he had only me.
46:31He drew me against his chest,
46:33our breath sinking
46:33with the slow slap
46:34of the tide
46:35against the hull.
46:37Aria,
46:38he said,
46:39voice unsteady.
46:40Say it again.
46:42That I choose you?
46:44Yes.
46:45I choose you.
46:47His grip tightened,
46:48not possessive,
46:49but trembling.
46:51Then I'm yours,
46:52not your captor,
46:54not your condition,
46:55yours.
46:56I rested my palm
46:58over his heart.
46:59It beat steady
47:00under my hand,
47:01no longer a weapon.
47:03Ending.
47:04We drifted there
47:05until dawn.
47:07The sky bruised,
47:08then softened to gold.
47:09His hand stayed in mine.
47:11We were not clean.
47:12We were not saved.
47:14But when the sun rose,
47:15its light caught
47:16the edge of his scar.
47:17And for the first time,
47:18I saw it not as a mark of power,
47:21but as proof of survival.
47:23I whispered the words
47:24against his skin,
47:25our vow,
47:26our warning,
47:27our promise.
47:28We're fire.
47:29We'll always burn.
47:31But now we burn together.
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