CHAPTER FIVE: THE HEIRS REVEAL
Aria was all set to go. She had her tactical black clothes on her boots were. Her hair was pulled back. She was ready for war. Dominic stood in front of the bedroom door blocking her way. "You are not going " he said.
Aria looked at him. "I do not take orders from you " she said. They had been married for six hours. That did not mean she had to listen to him.
Dominic said, "We have been married for six hours." Aria replied, "That does not mean I have to do what you say."
The room they were in was very beautiful. It was all marble and had big windows that looked out over the Azure Coast.. Aria and Dominic were not paying attention to that. They were too busy arguing.
Dominic said, "They want you to go to that building. That means they are planning something." Aria said, "Obviously they are planning something."
Dominic told her "You cannot go." Aria said, "I have to go and put an end to this."
Dominic said, "You will be walking into a trap." Aria replied, "I will call their bluff."
Dominic said, "It is not a bluff. They have pictures of our son taken from inside your apartment." Aria flinched when she heard that. She did not like that they were using her son to get to her.
Aria said, "That is why I have to go. They made this about Luca. I have to put a stop to it tonight."
Dominic said, "Not like this." Aria asked, "How do you want me to do it?"
Dominic did not have an answer. Aria said, "Do you want me to wait for them to make the move? Do you want me to hope they get bored? Do you want me to let them keep using my son to get to me while you try to protect me?"
Dominic said, "I am trying to protect you." Aria replied, "By locking me in a room?"
Dominic said, "If that is what it takes." Aria told him "Get out of my way."
Dominic said, "No." Aria moved towards him. He did not budge.
They were very close to each other. Aria could see the tension in his jaw and the way his hands were clenched.
Aria said, "You think I cannot get past you?" Dominic replied, "I think you can try."
Aria said, "Dominic -"
Dominic said, "You are not going alone. If you go out that door I am coming with you."
Aria stopped. She thought about what would happen to Luca if they both got hurt.
Aria said, "I have a team." Dominic replied, "I have a team too. My team is better."
Aria said, "Your team is not safe. Someone told them we would be at the gala. Someone told them about the escape route. Someone is giving them information."
Dominics face got darker. He said, "I am taking care of it."
Aria said, "Are you? Because from where I'm standing your security has a lot of holes."
Dominic said, "My security is the reason you and Luca are still alive."
Aria said, "And my company is the reason you are not in trouble with your board right now."
Dominic asked, "Is this a business deal to you?"
Aria said, "Is it not?"
Dominic said, "Not to me."
Aria looked away. She said, "I need to check on Luca."
Dominic said, "He is asleep. He is safe."
Aria said, "I need to see him."
Dominic stepped aside. Aria walked past him. Went to Lucas room.
She sat on the edge of the bed. Looked at her son. He was sleeping peacefully.
Aria said, "You cannot protect him from everything."
Dominic was standing in the doorway. He said, "Watch me."
Aria said, "I rebuilt my life to keep him safe. I changed my name, my face, my city. I built a company to give me power so no one could take him from me.. Now someone is threatening that."
Arias voice caught. She said, "So I am going to that building.. I am going to put an end to this. Because that is what I do."
Dominic said, "Not alone."
Aria said, "I work better alone."
Dominic said, "You do not have to anymore."
Aria looked at him. She said, "Do I not?"
Dominic said, "We are married."
Aria said, "On paper."
Dominic asked, "Is that all this is to you?"
Aria said, "What would it be?"
Dominic walked towards her. He said, "You tell me."
Aria said, "It is a contract. A business deal. A -"
Dominic said, "Lie." He stopped in front of her. "You are lying to me and to yourself. Because if this was business you would not have kissed me like that. You would not have signed those papers with your hand shaking."
Aria looked at him. She said, "Like what?"
Dominic said, "Like you are scared I might actually mean something to you."
Aria stood up. She said, "You do not."
Dominic asked, "Then why did you keep him?" His voice was quiet and serious. "If that night meant nothing if I meant nothing why did you not -"
Aria said, "Because he is mine."
Dominic said, "He is ours."
Aria said, "He was mine first."
Her words came out sharper than she meant them to.
Dominic went still. He said, "Is this about ownership?"
Aria said, "It is about the fact that I was the one who woke up pregnant and alone. I was the one who was scared for nine months. I was the one who held him when he was born and decided that no one would ever take him from me."
Dominic said, "I am not trying to take him from you."
Aria said, "What are you trying to do?"
Dominic said, "I want to be his father."
Aria said, "You do not know how."
Dominic said, "Then teach me."
Aria could not speak. She could not breathe. She could not understand the man in front of her.
Aria said, "I need some air."
She walked out of the room.
---
The balcony looked out over the ocean. It was very dark. It looked like the edge of the world.
Aria stood at the railing her arms wrapped around herself. She was trying to remember how to be the woman who did not need anyone.
The door opened behind her.
Dominic said, "If you think I am here to apologize -"
Aria said, "I do not think that."
Dominic walked to the railing beside her. He did not touch her. He just stood there.
Dominic said, "I am angry."
Aria said, "I know."
Dominic said, "I am not angry at you. I am angry at the situation. I am angry that I missed five years of his life."
Aria said, "I could have found you."
Dominic said, "Could you? With Julian looking for you and your face on every newspaper? You think it would have been safe to show up at my door?"
Aria said, "I do not know."
Dominic said, "I do. It would have been dangerous for you and for him."
Dominics hand came to hers on the railing.
Dominic said, "You did what you had to do. I am not angry about that. I am angry that I missed five years of his life."
Aria said, "We have a chance to do this right."
Dominic said, "All of it."
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. It was a touch but it made her feel things she did not want to feel.
Aria said, "I am scared."
Dominic asked, "Of what?"
Aria said, "That I will let you in and you will -"
Dominic said, "I will what?"
Aria said, "Leave. Like everyone "
Dominic said, "I am not everyone "
Aria asked, "How do I know that?"
Dominic said, "Because I spent five years looking for you. Because I signed a contract that ties my company to yours. Because I am standing here telling you that I am not going anywhere."
Aria looked up at him. She said, "What if this does not work?"
Dominic said, "Then we figure it out."
Aria said, "What if we hurt each other?"
Dominic said, "Then we fix it."
Aria said, "Dominic -"
Dominic kissed her. It was different from the time. It was slower and deeper. It was like he was trying to prove something to her.
Aria kissed him back. She let herself fall into it. Into him. Into the possibility that maybe this could be something
They went to the bedroom. The door. Locked. The world, outside disappeared.
What happened next was crazy and real. Nothing like the control they had been trying to keep for so long. His hands were in her hair. Her nails were digging into his back. You could hear fabric tearing. The taste of salt and want and five years of feelings they had not been able to bury were all mixed together.
After that they lay in bed all tangled up in sheets that cost a lot of money breathing hard and not saying a word.
"That was—"
"Don't " she said.
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to figure it out. Don't give it a name. Don't make it something we have to talk about."
"What should I do?"
"Just—" She turned to him. "Stay with me."
He pulled her close. "I am not going anywhere."
She fell asleep in his arms.
---
The sunlight woke her up.
Aria opened her eyes feeling confused. The bed was huge. The room was not familiar.. Dominic was—
Gone.
She sat up in bed.
His side of the bed was cold.
"Dominic?" she called out.
No answer.
She found his shirt on the floor. She put it on. Then she walked out into the living room.
He was standing in front of a screen on the wall not moving. He was dressed. His phone was in his hand.
"Whats wrong?" she asked him.
He did not turn around. "Check your email."
Her stomach felt funny. "Why?"
"Just do it " he said.
She got her phone from the nightstand. She opened her email.
There were fifty-three messages. All of them were from news people. All of them had the subject line:
**MORRISTON CEO'S SECRET SCANDAL**
She opened one of the emails.
The article was mean. There were photos. Documents. A timeline that went back five years. Julian and Elenas names were over it—people who did not want to be named words that were chosen carefully just enough truth mixed with lies to make it all sound real.
The headline was:
**Fashion Mogul Hid Billionaires Love Child to Secure Empire**
Below it there was a photo.
Luca was in the photo. He was at a park. He was laughing. He did not know what was going on.
Beside him his eyes were circled in red: grey eyes that looked just like Dominics.
Arias hands felt numb.
"They released everything " Dominic said. His voice was flat. "Your name. Our marriage. Lucas birth certificate—changed to include my name. They are calling you a liar. A person who manipulates others. A bad mom who—"
"Its not true " she said.
"Isn't it?" he asked.
She looked at him. "What do you mean?"
He turned to her. His face was like stone. "You kept Luca from me. For five years. You let me think I would never see you again. That night we had together was—"
"It was one night. That was our agreement."
"Agreements can change when there is a child " he said.
"I did not know you. I did not know if you would—"
"If I would what? Want him?" His voice got louder. "You think I am the kind of person who would not want my son?"
"I did not think you would not want him. I just did what I had to do to survive."
"By lying to me " he said.
"By protecting him " she said.
"From me?" he asked.
"From everyone " she said.
It was quiet for a moment.
Dominic looked at the screen. At Lucas photo. At his own grey eyes staring at him from a five-year-olds face.
"He looks like me " he said quietly.
"I know " she said.
"You saw that every day. And you still—"
"I did what I had to do " she said.
"You took five years from me " he said.
"I gave him a life " she said.
"A life without a father " he said.
"He had me " she said.
"That's not enough " he said. His voice cracked. "I had a right to know him. To—"
He stopped talking. He turned away.
"Get dressed " he said. "Security is checking the area around us. We are moving Luca to a place."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because the article has our address in it. Which means the person who leaked it knows where we are."
She felt cold.
"How—"
The alarms started screaming.
All the lights in the room turned red.
Dominics phone started ringing. He answered it. He listened. His face turned white.
"How many?" he asked. "Where is the breach?" He listened some more. "Lock it down. Now. Move the boy to—"
There was an explosion.
It was in the wing of the estate. It was close enough to shake the floor.
Dominic grabbed her arm. "Lets go. Now."
"Luca—" she said.
"My team has him. We need to—"
There were guns firing.
It was close. Too close.
Dominic pushed her toward the panic room. "Get inside."
"Not without—"
"He's already there. Go!"
She ran.
The hallway was crazy. There were security teams. People were shouting. There was another explosion.
She got to the panic room. The door was open.
Inside: two guards. Sarah.. Luca, awake scared, holding his dinosaur.
"Mommy?" he said.
She grabbed him. "It's okay. We're okay."
The door closed behind her.
Through the glass she saw Dominic in the hallway phone to his ear giving orders.
He looked at her. Their eyes met.
Then he. Walked toward the guns firing.
"Wait—" She pounded on the glass. "Dominic!"
He did not look back.
Sarahs hand came to her shoulder. "He knows what hes doing."
"Hes going to get hurt " she said.
"Hes protecting us " Sarah said.
The lights started to flicker.
The backup generator turned on.
Then—silence.
No guns firing. No alarms. Nothing.
Arias phone started ringing.
It was a number she did not know.
"Who is this?" she asked.
A voice was on the phone. It was changed to sound like a machine.
"The heir was not supposed to survive Mrs. Voss. Neither were you.. Someone changed the plan."
"What plan?" she asked.
"Check the bank account your new husband just opened. The one that is connected to Ashcrofts scandal. The one that paid for your destruction five years ago."
Her hands felt numb.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Dominic Voss did not just buy Julians debt, Mrs. Voss. He paid for the scandal that destroyed you. He's the reason you lost everything."
The phone call ended.
Aria stood still.
Luca pulled on her sleeve. "Mommy? Why are you crying?"
She was not crying.
She was falling apart.
The panic room door opened.
Dominic was standing there. He was hurt. He was alive.
"It's over " he said. "They're gone."
She looked at him.
"Aria? What's wrong?" he asked.
She pulled Luca close. "Did you do it?"
"Did I—what?" he asked.
"Five years ago. The scandal. Julians leverage. The press leak that destroyed my career." Her voice was shaking. "Did you pay for it?"
His face changed. Just a little. Just enough.
"Answer me " she said.
"Aria—"
"Did you destroy me?" she asked.
He did not say anything.
Luca looked at them confused. Scared.
Arias world was spinning.
"Get away from us " she said.
"Let me explain—" he started to say.
"Get away " she said again.
He took a step back.
She turned to Sarah. "Get him out of here."
"Aria, please—"
"Now!" she said.
The door closed between them.
Aria sat down on the floor Luca, in her arms staring at the glass that separated her from the man she had just married.
The man who had destroyed her once.
Might have just done it again.