The Price of Loyalty

The weight of the past clashed with the present as Aria stood in Damien’s office, her fingers curled into fists. The offer was no longer just words—it was reality. She was officially part of his world now, whether she liked it or not.

Damien leaned against his desk, watching her with sharp eyes. “Your first mission,” he said, sliding a folder toward her. “This will prove where your loyalties lie.”

She picked it up, flipping it open. Inside were photographs, addresses, and names—people marked for elimination. Her stomach twisted. A test of skill? No. This was about proving she could kill for him.

Aria’s First Mission

The target was a former arms dealer who had betrayed Damien’s syndicate. He had fled into hiding, but not well enough. Aria studied the details, committing them to memory. It wasn’t the first time she had taken a life, but something about this felt different.

She met Damien’s gaze. “When do I leave?”

“Tonight,” he said. “I’ll have Luca accompany you.”

Aria smirked. “You don’t trust me yet?”

Damien exhaled slowly, stepping closer until there was barely any space between them. “Trust has to be earned, Aria.”

Their eyes locked, the tension palpable. This mission would decide everything.

A Deadly Warning

Hours before Aria left, an envelope arrived at the mansion. The butler handed it to Damien, who immediately noticed the lack of a sender’s name. He tore it open, his face hardening as he read the words inside:

You should’ve let her die that night. She doesn’t belong in your world.

A photo slipped out—one of Aria, taken just days ago, with a red X slashed over her face.

Damien’s blood ran cold. Someone knew who she was. Someone wanted her gone.

He stormed toward Aria’s quarters, kicking the door open without knocking. She spun around, startled, hand already on her knife.

He held up the note. “Who the hell is after you?”

Aria’s expression darkened as she snatched the paper from him. A ghost from her past was watching.

“I don’t know,” she lied.

But Damien wasn’t stupid. He saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes. “You do.”

She looked away. “It doesn’t matter. I can handle it.”

Damien’s jaw clenched. “No, Aria. If someone’s coming for you, that means they’re coming for me, too.”

Their world wasn’t built on kindness—it was built on power. And this? This was a declaration of war.

Leo’s Growing Attachment

While the adults played their dangerous games, little Leo remained blissfully unaware. To him, Aria wasn’t a fighter, a spy, or a killer. She was simply his nanny—the one who tucked him in at night, the one who protected him when things got scary.

That night, as Aria prepared to leave, Leo ran to her, his small hands gripping hers tightly. “You’re leaving again?” he asked, his voice laced with sadness.

Aria crouched, brushing his dark hair back. “Just for a little while.”

Leo pouted. “You always say that.”

Her heart ached. She had survived in the darkness for so long, but this little boy was her only glimpse of something pure.

Damien stood in the doorway, watching them. His gaze softened, but only slightly. He had noticed how much Leo had grown attached to her—and it both intrigued and unsettled him.

Could Aria ever truly belong in his world, or was she just a temporary storm passing through?

A Storm Brewing

Meanwhile, Luca had been busy.

He had dug deep into Aria’s past, following breadcrumbs that led to a chilling realization. He slammed a file onto Damien’s desk.

“You need to see this,” he said, his voice grim.

Damien opened it, his sharp eyes scanning the contents. With every page he turned, his expression darkened.

Someone close to him wasn’t who they claimed to be.

Luca leaned in. “We have a rat, Damien. And they’ve been playing us for a long time.”

The room fell into a tense silence.

Damien exhaled slowly, his grip tightening on the file. “Find them.”

Because in his world, betrayal wasn’t forgiven. It was punished in blood.

The Ambush

Aria moved through the dimly lit corridors of an abandoned warehouse where her target was last seen. The silence was unsettling. Every instinct in her body screamed that something was wrong.

Then—

The first shot rang out. She barely had time to duck behind a stack of crates as bullets ripped through the air. It wasn’t just one shooter. It was an ambush.

Her blood ran hot, adrenaline kicking in. They weren’t here to protect the target—they were here for her.

Aria rolled across the ground, pulling her pistol from its holster. She took out the nearest threat with a clean shot to the head, then moved swiftly, eliminating another. But they kept coming, shadows moving in sync, trained to kill.

Then a familiar voice echoed through the chaos.

“Well, well,” a man chuckled. “The infamous Aria finally caught in a trap.”

Her stomach dropped. She recognized that voice.

Stepping out of the shadows was a figure from her past. One she thought she had left behind.

“Did you miss me?” he sneered, pointing a gun at her.

Aria’s grip tightened on her weapon. This was no ordinary mission anymore. This was personal.

Damien’s Wrath

Back at the mansion, Damien’s patience was wearing thin. Aria should have checked in by now.

Something was wrong.

His gut twisted, and without hesitation, he grabbed his gun and headed for the door. Luca was already there, armed and ready.

“We’re going after her,” Damien said.

Luca nodded. “I thought you’d say that.”