Chapter 7: Bloodlines and Betrayals

Aaravi woke to the harsh reality of her new life, though every part of her mind screamed to escape, to flee back to the safety of the familiar world she had known before Matteo. But that world no longer existed. Not for her.

The soft murmur of the city’s morning bustle filtered in through the window, but the sound felt muffled, distant, as if it no longer mattered. What mattered now was the weight on her chest, the quiet pressure of secrets too heavy to carry.

Matteo’s presence loomed in the room, though he wasn’t physically there. His absence felt like a wound, deep and painful, but she couldn’t bring herself to let it fester. After everything that had happened, after everything she had learned, there was no going back.

Her phone buzzed on the bedside table, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts.

Matteo: Meet me in the office. We need to talk.

She read the message, her fingers trembling slightly as she set the phone down. She could feel it now—the pull toward him, the same one that had haunted her since their first meeting. The pull that was both her salvation and her undoing.

She stood and moved to the bathroom, her mind racing. In the mirror, her reflection looked unfamiliar. The soft, carefree girl who once spent her days among books was gone, replaced by someone more hardened, more aware of the darkness lurking beneath the surface of everything she thought she knew.

When she arrived at Matteo’s office, the building was even more imposing than she remembered. The steel and glass of Moretti Holdings towered over the city, a monument to power and control.

She entered through the glass doors, and the receptionist directed her to the elevator. It took her up to the top floor, where the air seemed even colder, the silence even more pronounced. Matteo was waiting, standing by the large floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to her, as if he was watching the world he controlled.

“You came,” he said without turning, his voice as dark and calm as ever.

Aaravi swallowed the knot in her throat, stepping into the room. “I’m here.”

Matteo finally turned, his eyes locking with hers. There was something intense in the way he looked at her, something unreadable, but it was clear he had a plan—one that didn’t involve her running away.

“I’ve told you bits and pieces of my world,” Matteo began, his voice low. “But there are things you still don’t understand. Things that go far beyond your father’s debts.”

Aaravi’s heart skipped. “What do you mean?”

He walked toward her, closing the space between them until there was barely a breath’s distance between them. His presence was overwhelming, and Aaravi couldn’t help but feel small in front of him, despite the confidence she tried to maintain.

“There are people out there who would see everything you love burn to the ground just to get to me,” he continued, his voice rough with a bitterness she hadn’t heard before. “And your father... his debts weren’t just financial. They were personal.”

Aaravi felt her blood run cold. “Personal? What does that mean?”

“Your father made a deal with the devil,” Matteo said, his gaze unwavering. “And that devil is someone I’ve been fighting for years. The man who wants you, Aaravi. Who thinks you’re the key to everything.”

Aaravi took a step back, her head spinning. “No. I’m not a key. I’m not—”

“You are,” Matteo interjected, his voice harder now. “You’ve been tied to this for far longer than you realize. And the more you resist, the more dangerous it becomes for you.”

Her mind raced, the pieces falling into place in ways she hadn’t wanted. She thought back to her father’s past, to the things he’d never spoken of, the mysterious dealings that had always felt like something to be ignored. But now, all of it was catching up to her.

“Who is he?” Aaravi asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Who wants me?”

Matteo’s eyes darkened. “His name is Dominic Volkov. He’s a Russian mob boss, and he’s been looking for you ever since your father’s disappearance.”

Aaravi felt the ground shift beneath her. “The Russian mafia?” Her voice shook with disbelief.

“Yes,” Matteo confirmed. “And he’s not the only one. There are others, factions that want you for what you represent. The debt your father left isn’t just about money. It’s about power, about legacy. And now you’re in the middle of it.”

Aaravi’s breath caught in her throat. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any part of this.” Her hands clenched into fists. “How do I get out?”

Matteo stepped closer, his presence so overwhelming that it was almost suffocating. “You can’t. You’re already in. And you need to stay close. If you want to stay alive, if you want to protect everything you care about, you’ll stay with me.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. “I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”

Matteo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t pull away. “You don’t have to trust me. You just have to trust that I won’t let anyone take you from me. And I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Her heart pounded in her chest as she gazed up at him, her emotions a turbulent storm of anger, fear, and something deeper — a need, a longing she couldn’t escape, no matter how much she tried.

“I don’t want to be part of your world,” Aaravi said, her voice breaking. “I never asked for any of this.”

Matteo’s eyes softened, but the hardness in his voice remained. “I never wanted this for you either, Aaravi. But you’re here now. And the only way out is through.”

The weight of his words settled around her like chains. She knew he was right, but the thought of being so deep in his world, in the world of violence, lies, and bloodshed, terrified her.

But what was she supposed to do? Run away? Would it even be possible? The man who had captured her heart had also captured her fate.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself. “What do we do now?”

Matteo’s lips curled into a faint, grim smile. “Now we fight back.”

Aaravi didn’t have the words to respond, but she nodded, resigned to the fact that she had no choice but to follow him — even as the storm clouds gathered, threatening to tear them both apart.

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