Aria's POV
"Gun?" I whispered. "My stepmother has a gun?"
Dante moved so fast I barely saw him. One second he was standing by the window. The next, he had me behind his desk, his body blocking mine like a shield.
"Marcus, lock it down," Dante commanded into his phone. His voice was deadly calm. "Nobody gets to this floor."
Sophie grabbed my hand, her face pale. "Why would Victoria bring a gun?"
I knew why. My brain was finally working again.
"The trust fund," I said slowly. "If I'm dead, it goes back to my father. And Victoria controls him."
Dante's jaw clenched. "She's not touching you."
The elevator dinged.
My heart stopped.
But it wasn't Victoria. It was Marcus, slightly out of breath.
"Security stopped her downstairs," he said quickly. "She's screaming about seeing her daughter. Claims she has rights."
"She doesn't have a daughter up here," Dante said coldly. "Call the police. Attempted trespassing with a weapon."
"Already done." Marcus looked at me with concern. "Are you okay?"
I wasn't okay. I was shaking. My stepmother tried to kill me.
"She knew," I whispered. "About the money. She's known this whole time."
Dante knelt in front of me, his hands gentle on my face. "Look at me, Aria. You're safe. I promise you're safe."
"For how long?" My voice cracked. "Julian's getting married right now. My family wants me dead. I'm pregnant and alone and—"
"You're not alone." His eyes burned into mine. "Not anymore. But I need you to decide right now. Do you trust me?"
It was insane. I'd known him for less than twenty-four hours.
But he'd saved me twice already.
"Yes," I breathed. "I trust you."
"Then marry me. Right now. Before they can hurt you again."
Sophie made a small sound. "Dante, she needs time to think—"
"She doesn't have time." Dante stood, pulling out his phone. "Victoria knows about the inheritance. Julian's family probably knows too. The second that wedding ends, they'll come after Aria for real."
My hands went to my stomach. The baby. They'd hurt my baby.
"What happens if I marry you?" I asked.
"Everything changes." Dante sat beside me. "I'm Dante Blackwood. I built my company from nothing, and I'm richer than everyone who hurt you combined. If you're my wife, you're untouchable."
"But why?" I searched his face. "Why would you do this for a stranger?"
Something flickered in his eyes. Pain, maybe. Or memory.
"Five years ago, I lost everything," he said quietly. "My family's company was stolen. My parents died in a car accident that wasn't an accident. I had nothing. No money, no home, no hope."
He paused, his voice softening.
"I was sleeping in my car outside a coffee shop, trying to figure out how to survive. Then this girl came out. She had kind eyes and a gentle smile. She bought me breakfast, sat with me, and told me things would get better. She gave me fifty dollars—probably all she had—and walked away before I could thank her."
My breath caught. I remembered.
"That was you?" I whispered. "Outside Java House? Five years ago?"
"You saved my life that day, Aria." His hand covered mine. "I've been watching over you ever since. Waiting for the moment you needed me back."
Tears filled my eyes. "You've been watching me?"
"Protecting you," he corrected. "Making sure you were safe. And when I heard what Julian did, I knew. This was my chance to give you what you gave me. Hope."
"That's crazy," Sophie said, but she was crying too.
"Maybe." Dante smiled slightly. "But here's what's not crazy—I have a judge waiting downstairs. I have a contract that protects both of us. And I have the power to make sure nobody ever hurts you again."
"What about the baby?" I had to ask. "When Julian finds out—"
"Julian never finds out." Dante's voice turned hard. "You're eight weeks pregnant now. We get married today. In one month, we announce you're expecting. Everyone will think it's mine."
"You'd claim another man's child?"
"I'd claim YOUR child." His eyes softened. "Biology doesn't make a father, Aria. Being there does. I'll be there for every midnight feeding, every first step, every scraped knee. That baby will be mine in every way that matters."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
This man was offering me everything.
"What do you get?" I asked. "What's in this for you?"
"You." Simple. Direct. Honest. "I've wanted you for five years. Now I'm asking you to let me protect you. Let me stand beside you while you become who you're meant to be."
My phone buzzed again.
Another text from Julian: Aria, where are you? I'm getting worried. We need to talk before the reception tonight.
The audacity made me sick.
"He's texting you on his wedding day?" Sophie grabbed my phone. "That's disgusting!"
"He's scared," Dante said knowingly. "Someone told him about your grandfather. About the money. Now he's panicking."
"How do you know?"
"Because I told him." Dante's smile was dangerous. "Through my lawyers. An hour ago. Right before he said his vows."
I stared at him. "You did what?"
"I made sure Julian Cross knows exactly what he lost. That the woman he threw away is worth five billion dollars. That she has family who loves her. That she's about to marry someone who will burn down the world for her."
"You're insane," I whispered.
"Probably." He stood, offering his hand. "But I'm your kind of insane. So what's it gonna be, Aria Montgomery? Do you stay the victim? Or do you become the queen?"
I looked at Sophie. She nodded slowly, tears streaming.
I looked at Marcus. He smiled gently.
I looked at Dante. This intense, dangerous, protective man who'd been watching over me for five years.
I took his hand.
"Let's burn it all down," I said.
Dante's smile was beautiful and terrifying.
Then his phone rang.
He answered, listened, and his face went deadly still.
"What?" I asked. "What is it?"
He looked at me, eyes full of fury and something else. Fear.
"That was my private investigator," he said slowly. "Aria, Celeste isn't just faking her illness." He paused, his next words crushing. "She's actually your half-sister. Your father had an affair with Victoria before your mother died. Celeste is his biological daughter. They've been planning to take your inheritance since you were sixteen."
The room spun.
Everything I thought I knew shattered.
Sophie gasped. "Oh my God."
"There's more," Dante continued, his voice gentle but firm. "Your mother didn't die in an accident, Aria. Victoria poisoned her. And your father knew."
I couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
My father. My own father.
Helped kill my mother.