WebNovels

Chapter 17 - The First Crack

The silence stretched, taut as a bowstring. Darius's eyes stayed fixed on her, unreadable, his shadow long in the low light of the office. Aria gripped the envelope tighter, as if the truth might vanish if she let go.

Finally, he exhaled. Not anger — resignation.

"You think you want answers," he said, stepping closer. "But answers come with a price."

"I'm already paying it," she shot back. "Every time I walk into a room with you, someone looks at me like I'm next on their list."

Something dark flickered across his face. He reached past her, plucked the photographs from her hand, and spread them across the desk. "These aren't just faces. They're fault lines. Every one of them ties into the world I built and the enemies I made clawing my way here. Some of them want me ruined. Others want me buried."

"And the ones with circles?" she asked, voice steady despite the drumbeat in her chest.

"Assets. Allies. For now." He gave a mirthless laugh. "But loyalty in this game is as thin as smoke. A man will sell his soul for less than a drink if the hand offering it looks tempting enough."

Aria studied him. This wasn't the slick charmer, nor the cold strategist — it was something rawer, stripped down. "So where do I fall, Darius? Am I a circle or an X?"

He stilled, the question hanging heavy. His gaze softened, if only for a moment. "Neither. You're… the one line I don't want written down at all."

The admission stunned her more than any revelation could. She searched his face, but there was no performance there, no mask. Just a man who carried too many shadows and didn't know what to do with the light she brought.

"Then stop locking me out," she whispered.

For a long time, he said nothing. Then, with a reluctant nod, he slid a thick leather-bound ledger toward her. Its cover was scarred, its pages worn. "Read it. But once you do, there's no walking back. You'll see the lions' den for what it truly is."

Her hand hovered over it, trembling, then settled on the cover. The weight of it was heavier than stone, heavier than fate.

And in that moment, Aria knew: the world she'd been fearing wasn't just Darius's. It was about to become hers.

More Chapters