The atmosphere in Voss Manor had shifted.
It was no longer just tension between Aria and Damien it was something darker. Like smoke before fire.
Vanessa's arrival wasn't just unexpected.
It was dangerous.
She had walked into the manor like she belonged. Like the past hadn't burned everything down already.
Aria watched her from the staircase as Vanessa helped herself to a drink in the lounge, legs crossed, smirk in place.
Damien stood across from her, stiff, alert.
Every part of Aria's instinct screamed one thing:
She knows.
"What do you want, Vanessa?" Damien asked, voice cold.
Vanessa swirled her wine, lips curling. "Relax. This isn't a blackmail visit yet."
Damien didn't move. "You've got five minutes."
Vanessa raised a brow. "Still the charmer, I see."
Then she leaned forward. "I know who Aria really is. And I know why she married you."
Damien's jaw tensed. "Careful."
"I don't need to be." She sipped her wine. "It's all coming full circle, isn't it? The Lawrence sisters. First Elena, now Aria. Same blood. Same motive."
His voice was sharp. "Leave the past out of this."
Vanessa smiled. "Why? Because you buried it so well? Or because you don't want her to know what you really did to Elena?"
Damien stepped closer. "Say her name again, and I'll make sure you regret it."
Vanessa didn't flinch. "I'm not the villain here, Damien. You are. And soon, Aria will realize that."
Upstairs, Aria clenched her fists.
She couldn't hear the exact words but she could see the body language. The heat. The threat in Damien's eyes.
And the amusement in Vanessa's.
Something was unraveling. Something about Elena.
Something Damien hadn't told her.
Was Vanessa bluffing?
Or had Aria walked into a marriage with a man even more dangerous than she thought?
Later that evening, Aria found Vanessa alone in the garden.
The other woman was lighting a cigarette, her red nails gleaming in the moonlight.
"Smoking now?" Aria said, arms crossed.
Vanessa turned slowly. "Aria. You've grown teeth."
"I've always had them. You just didn't notice."
Vanessa chuckled. "I noticed. Just didn't think you'd use them on Damien Voss."
Aria stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"
"Just visiting an old friend."
"Cut the crap."
Vanessa shrugged. "Fine. I'm here because I wanted to see the girl who thought she could win by marrying the devil."
"You don't know anything about our marriage."
Vanessa's smile turned venomous. "Oh, I know more than you think. Including the fact that Damien Voss didn't just ruin Elena he used her. Just like he's using you."
Aria froze. "Used her how?"
Vanessa walked slowly to her. "Your sister didn't just fall. She was pushed. And the man who pushed her now shares your bed."
Aria's chest tightened. "You're lying."
"I'm offering you a deal," Vanessa said suddenly. "I'll give you the truth. Every detail. Every file. Every secret."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "What's the price?"
"Simple." Vanessa smiled. "Walk away from Damien. Leave him before the baby is born. And give me a copy of your prenup."
Aria's heart skipped. "Why would you want that?"
Vanessa stepped closer, her voice low and dangerous. "Because I want him ruined. Not just emotionally financially. Publicly. And that contract of yours holds the keys."
That night, Aria lay awake in bed.
Her thoughts were a storm.
Vanessa's words repeated like a curse.
Your sister didn't just fall. She was pushed.
What if it was true?
What if Damien really had something to do with Elena's downfall?
But what if Vanessa was just manipulating her?
And worse... what if the child growing inside her was now tied to a war she didn't fully understand?
She turned to the nightstand where the contract sat.
One copy. Her only real leverage.
She could give it to Vanessa. Walk away. Protect her baby.
But something deep inside her whispered a terrifying truth
She didn't want to leave Damien.
Not yet.
Not like this.
Meanwhile, Damien stood in his study, staring at an old photo.
Elena Lawrence.
The woman who once looked at him like he was a god.
And the woman whose sister was now carrying his child.
He had kept secrets.
Yes.
But he hadn't killed her.
Still... what he did do could destroy everything if Aria ever found out.
And now Vanessa was in the picture. Again.
He had to act fast.
Before the past finished what it started.