Chapter 112
Aria pov
“I know.” Vivian sank into the chair. “I know. That’s why I’m here. Because Marcus—he showed me his plans yesterday. And I realized” Her voice broke. “I realized I’d gone too far. That revenge wasn’t worth” She looked up. “He’s going to blow up the engagement party. Kill everyone there including me p>
The room went silent. “What?” Damien’s voice was deadly quiet.
“The engagement party.” Vivian wiped her eyes. “He knows you’re planning one. He has someone on the inside feeding him details. And he’s going to” She pulled out her phone, showing us photos. “He has explosives. Military-grade. He’s going to turn your celebration into a massacre p>
I stared at the photos—devices, blueprints, timers. “Oh God.” I grabbed Damien’s arm. “We have to cancel”
“We can’t.” The detective was already on her phone. “This is our chance. We know what he’s planning. We can use it p>
“Use it?” Vivian stared at her. “People will die p>
“Not if we’re prepared.” She finished her call. “We have time to plan, to set our own trap. Marcus thinks he’s hunting you—but we’ll be hunting him p>
“That’s insane” I started.
“That’s strategic.” Damien’s voice was cold. “We go ahead with the party. But we control every element, every guest is vetted. Every entrance is monitored. And when Marcus makes his move”
“We end him.” She finished.
I looked at Vivian, still crying in the chair. At Damien, his face set with determination. At the detective, already planning our counterattack.
“What about Sophia?” I asked. “She gave me his address, said she was warning us p>
“Probably part of his plan.” She pulled up building schematics. “Send you chasing shadows while he prepares the real attack p>
“Or she’s telling the truth.” I thought back to the coffee shop. “She seemed genuinely scared p>
“Doesn’t matter.” Damien moved beside me. “What matters is we now know what Marcus is planning and we’re going to stop him p>
“And me?” Vivian’s voice was small. “What happens to me p>
“That depends.” I looked at my sister. “Are you really done helping him? Or is this another manipulation p>
“I’m done.” Her eyes met mine. “I swear, Aria. I’m done. I just” Her voice broke. “I just want to stop being the villain in your story p>
“Then help us.” Damien’s voice was hard. “Everything you know about Marcus. His plans, his resources and weaknesses p>
“I’ll tell you everything.” Vivian nodded desperately. “Just please—don’t let him kill anyone. Even me p>
“Especially you.” I moved to the window. “You’re going to testify. Against Marcus. Against everyone who helped him, you are going to fix this p>
“I will.” Vivian stood. “I promise. I’ll fix this p>
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to think my sister had finally found her conscience. But trust was earned. And Vivian had burned through mine years ago.
“The detective will take your statement.” Damien gestured to the door. “Every detail and conversation, every plan you know about p>
After Vivian left with the detective m, I turned to Damien. “Do you think she’s telling the truth p>
“I think she’s scared.” He pulled me close. “Whether that makes her truthful or just a better liar” He paused. “We’ll find out p>
“And the engagement party p>
“We’re doing it.” His arms tightened. “But on our terms with every possible precaution and Aria—” He pulled back to look at me. “When Marcus shows up, we end this once and for all p>
“What if people get hurt p>
“They won’t.” His voice was absolute. “Because we’re going to be smarter than him. He thinks he’s setting a trap for us—but we’re setting one for him p>
“And if it doesn’t work p>
“It will work.” He kissed my forehead. “It has to. Because I’m not losing you again and I’m sure as hell not losing Noah p>
I leaned into him, drawing strength from his certainty. “Okay,” I whispered. “We do this, I hope we end Marcus for real this time around p>
“We end him.” Damien echoed. “And then”
“Then we get married.” I smiled slightly. “For real this time. Without explosives or psychotic brothers-in-law p>
“Without explosives or psychotic brothers-in-law.” His smile matched mine. “I like the sound of that p>
Damien’s POV
I couldn’t sleep once again. Three AM found me in my office at the penthouse, nursing whiskey and staring at engagement party plans. Security protocols. Guest lists. Every detail meticulously planned to trap my brother.
My brother who wanted to murder my family. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
“You’re brooding again.” Aria’s voice came from the doorway.
I looked up. She wore one of my shirts—soft gray cotton that fell to her thighs—and her hair was messy from sleep. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked.
“Noah had a nightmare.” She moved into the room. “I got him settled and saw your light on p>
“Is he okay p>
“He dreamed about the man who took him.” Her voice was tight. “About Marcus, he woke up screaming p>
Guilt stabbed through me. “I’m sorry p>
“Why are you apologizing?” She sank onto the couch. “You didn’t give him nightmares p>
“My brother did.” I set down my glass. “Which makes it my fault p>
“That’s not how fault works.” She pulled her knees up. “But you clearly think it does p>
I was quiet for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about what Vivian said about Marcus’s plan, the explosives p>
“Me too.” Aria wrapped her arms around her knees. “Do you think she’s telling the truth p>
“I think she’s terrified.” I moved to sit beside her. “Whether that makes her honest or just more dangerous, I don’t know p>
“The detective team will verify the information.” Aria leaned her head back. “And if it’s true—if Marcus really is planning to blow up the party”
“We’ll stop him.” I touched her hand. “I promise you, Aria. We’ll stop him p>
“You keep making promises.” She turned to look at me. “How many more can you possibly make before one breaks p>
“As many as it takes.” I met her eyes. “Until you believe me p>
She studied me for a long moment. “Why do you love me p>
The question caught me off guard. “What p>
“Why do you love me?” She repeated. “You say it constantly. But Damien—you treated me like garbage, you threw me out pregnant. You believed Vivian’s lies without even asking my side.” Her voice cracked. “So why? Why now p>
“Because I was an idiot.” I turned to face her fully. “Because I was so damaged by my father that I couldn’t recognize love when it was right in front of me p>
“That’s not an answer”
“Let me finish.” I caught her hands. “When you walked into my life years ago, I was terrified. Not of you—of what you made me feel. You were kind. Genuine. Everything my world wasn’t. And I” I swallowed hard. “I wanted you so badly it scared me p>
“You had a funny way of showing it.” Her voice was bitter.
“I know.” I squeezed her hands. “I pushed you away. Kept you at arm’s length. Convinced myself you were just another gold-digger like Vivian said because the alternative”
“What alternative p>
“That you were real.” I looked down at our joined hands. “That you could actually care about me. Not my money or my name. Just—me. And if you were real, if those feelings were real” My voice broke. “Then I could lose you and losing you would destroy me p>
“So you destroyed me first.” She pulled her hands back. “How noble p>
“It wasn’t noble. It was cowardice.” I stood, pacing. “I listened to Vivian’s poison because it was easier than facing the truth. That I was falling in love with my contract wife. That I wanted it to be real p>
“And when I got pregnant p>
“I panicked.” I turned to face her. “Vivian had been feeding me lies for months, that you were with other men. That you were only after my money. That you were calculating and cold.” I laughed bitterly. “She even showed me a doctored audio recording of you supposedly planning to trap me with a pregnancy p>
Aria’s face went white. “Like seriously p>
“An audio file.” I pulled out my phone, scrolling through old messages. “Here. Listen p>
I played it. Her voice—or what sounded like her voice—saying horrible things. How she was only with me for money, how she’d make sure I could never leave her.
“That’s not me.” Aria stood, anger flashing in her eyes. “I never said any of that p>
“I know that now.” I closed the file. “But then—I was so convinced you were lying, so sure you were manipulating me—I believed it p>
“So when I told you I was pregnant”
“I thought you’d done exactly what Vivian said you would.” Shame flooded through me. “I thought you’d trapped me and I” My voice cracked. “I said unforgivable things p>
“You told me to get rid of it.” Aria’s voice was cold. “Our baby. You told me to get rid of him like he was trash p>
“I know.” I moved toward her. “And I’ve hated myself every day since p>
“Good.” She stepped back. “You should p>
“When did you realize Vivian was lying?” She asked after a moment.
“A few months after you left.” I sank onto the couch. “I was going through the security footage from the penthouse. Looking for—” I paused. “Looking for any trace of where you’d gone and I found footage from the night Vivian claimed you’d been with another man p>
“And p>
“You were in the library.” My voice was rough. “Reading. Alone. For hours while Vivian had told me you were out ’meeting someone.’” I looked up at her. “That’s when I started questioning everything p>