The man's words hung in the storm, heavy as chains.
Aria's heart pounded, her body trembling, but her hand did not lower from her gun. Luca's blood soaked her dress, warm against her skin, his head heavy in her lap. The fire cracked in the distance, and the black-coated soldiers closed in with mechanical precision, their faces unreadable, their rifles steady.
The man stood calm in the middle of it all. His eyes were sharp, his posture unshakable. His presence carried weight, the kind of weight that did not need to shout or threaten. He spoke her name like it had always belonged to him.
Aria's voice shook, but her words were hard. "I don't know you."
His smile was slight, calculated. "No. You wouldn't. Not yet." His gaze flicked to Luca, who lay bleeding in her arms. "But he does."
Aria's head turned. Luca's eyes were glassy, but there was something alive in them now, something fierce, something terrified. He tried to push himself up, but the pain dragged him back down. His lips trembled as he forced the words out.
"Adrian…"
The name fell heavy into the mud, cutting the night like a blade.
Aria froze. Adrian. She didn't know the name, but the way Luca said it...hoarse, broken, poisoned with fear, made her blood run cold.
The man tilted his head, almost amused. "It's been a long time since I've heard my name from a De Rossi's lips. You sound like your father, Luca. Weak at the end. But he had more dignity when he bled."
Luca's face twisted with fury. "Don't you dare speak about him."
Adrian stepped closer, the mud soft beneath his boots, the firelight dancing against his coat. "He trusted me. He made me his right hand, his ally, his friend. And what did your family do when he died? They forgot me. They cut me out. Cast me aside like I was nothing."
His eyes hardened, his calm tone slicing deeper than a shout ever could. "I built empires with your father. I held secrets that could have destroyed nations. And your family turned their back. Do you know what betrayal does to a man like me, Luca?"
Luca coughed, blood trailing from his lips. His voice was broken but sharp. "Turns him into a coward who hides in smoke."
Adrian's smile vanished. For a flicker of a second, his eyes burned with something dangerous. Then, just as quickly, the mask slid back in place. Cold. Composed. Deadly.
"You mistake patience for weakness," Adrian said softly. "I waited in the shadows because timing is everything. Romano thought he was the wolf at your door. He was a rat scavenging at the edges of the feast. I let him run wild because distraction is a useful weapon. While you chased him, I built this."
He lifted his hand, gesturing to the soldiers standing like statues behind him. "An army that does not break. An empire that does not forget. And now…" His gaze returned to Aria, sharp, calculating. "The key is finally mine."
Aria's breath caught. "Me?"
Adrian's lips curved. "Of course. You don't even realize it, do you? Your blood, your presence, your very existence is what shifts the balance. Romano knew it, though he never understood it. Luca knew it, though he tried to deny it. And me? I've always known."
Her throat tightened. "You're lying. You don't even know me."
"Oh, I know you." His voice lowered, deep, deliberate. "I've been waiting for you since before you were born."
The words struck like ice. Aria's chest ached, her breath sharp. For a moment, she thought the world around her disappeared, the fire, the rain, the soldiers, until all she could hear was his voice.
Luca forced himself upright, pushing against her despite his wounds. His arm shook, his body screaming with pain, but he managed to raise his gun with trembling hands. He pointed it at Adrian, his jaw tight.
"You'll never touch her," Luca growled.
Adrian's eyes flicked to him, amused. "Look at you. Bleeding out in the mud, clinging to pride. You're not your father, Luca. You're barely even his shadow."
Luca's hand shook, but he did not lower the gun. "If you want her, you go through me."
For the first time, Adrian's smile widened, though it carried no warmth. "Very well."
He snapped his fingers.
Two soldiers stepped forward instantly, rifles snapping into position. Before Aria could react, they kicked Luca's gun from his hand and shoved him back into the mud. He choked, groaning as his wound tore wider, blood spreading like ink into the earth.
"Stop!" Aria screamed, lunging forward, but a soldier blocked her with the barrel of his rifle.
Adrian's calm voice cut through the chaos. "You see, Aria, this is what separates me from Romano. He thought he needed to fight for control. He thought pain and fire would earn loyalty. But me?" He stepped closer, kneeling so his face was level with hers. His eyes were sharp, glinting like steel. "I don't fight for what I want. I take it. And no one... De Rossi or Romano... can stop me."
Aria's breaths came quick, her chest rising and falling. "What do you want from me?"
Adrian reached out, brushing his fingers against a lock of her wet hair, tucking it behind her ear with a chilling gentleness. "Everything."
Her skin crawled, her blood rushing cold. She slapped his hand away, her voice breaking with fury. "You'll never have me."
Adrian straightened slowly, unbothered by her defiance. He turned to his men and gave a single order, his voice as calm as the storm was violent.
"Take her."
Aria's heart stopped.
Two soldiers surged forward, their hands gripping her arms in iron holds. She thrashed, screamed, kicked, but their strength was impossible to fight. She could feel Luca struggling in the mud, hear Enzo shouting her name in the distance, but it was useless.
"Let me go!" she screamed, her voice raw. "Luca!"
Luca dragged himself up on one elbow, his face pale, his eyes wild. "Aria!" His hand stretched toward her, desperate, clawing at the empty air between them. "Don't touch her! Don't you...!"
His words broke in a choked cry as blood filled his throat.
Adrian looked down at him one last time, his expression sharp with quiet triumph. "Bleed, Luca. Bleed and watch what real power looks like."
Then he turned his back, his soldiers dragging Aria into the smoke.
Her last sight of Luca was his broken body collapsing into the mud, his hand still reaching for her as his voice cracked through the storm.
"Aria!"