Dante's POV
The phone call hadn't gone as planned.
I hung up and stared at my phone, my heart pounding harder than it had in years. She'd answered. Aria had actually answered.
"Boss?" Marcus appeared in my office doorway. "Did you call her?"
"Yes." I stood, grabbing my jacket. "She's coming. With her friend Sophie."
"Tonight? Now?" Marcus's eyebrows shot up. "That was fast. What did you say to her?"
"The truth. That her life is about to change." I headed for the elevator. "Get the car ready. We're meeting them at the warehouse on Fifth Street."
"The warehouse?" Marcus followed me. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
I shot him a look that made him back up a step. "A woman just lost everything in one day. Dramatic is appropriate."
The drive took fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes where I couldn't stop thinking about her voice on the phone—broken, confused, but still strong underneath. Still fighting.
Just like five years ago.
I'd been sleeping in my car that night, parked behind a coffee shop. My company had been stolen by my business partner. My parents were dead. My bank account was empty. I had nothing left.
I was planning to end it all.
Then she appeared.
A girl with kind eyes and a gentle smile, holding two cups of coffee. She'd seen me through the car window and knocked softly.
"Hey," she'd said. "I bought too much coffee. Want one?"
A lie. A beautiful, kind lie.
We'd talked for an hour. She never asked why I was sleeping in my car. Never judged. Just listened while I talked about losing everything.
"Things get better," she'd said before leaving. "I promise. You just have to survive long enough to see it."
Those words saved my life.
I'd rebuilt everything after that night. Built an empire. Became powerful enough that no one could ever destroy me again.
And I'd been watching over her ever since. Making sure she was safe. Waiting for the right moment.
Tonight was that moment.
The warehouse appeared ahead—empty, private, safe. Marcus pulled up and cut the engine.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly. "Taking on Julian Cross and the Montgomery family? That's a war, Dante."
"I've been preparing for this war for five years." I checked my watch. "They should be here any minute."
"And if she says no? If she doesn't want your help?"
I looked at my cousin. "Then I'll help her anyway. From the shadows. Like I always have."
Marcus shook his head but smiled slightly. "You're obsessed."
"Completely."
Headlights appeared. A car pulled up—Sophie's vehicle. My chest tightened.
Two women got out. Sophie I recognized from my research. The other one...
Aria.
Even in the dim light, even wearing borrowed clothes and no makeup, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. But she looked different from her photos. Smaller. Fragile. Like someone had broken something precious inside her.
Rage burned through my chest. Julian Cross would pay for that.
They approached slowly. Sophie positioned herself slightly in front of Aria—protective, ready to fight if needed. Smart woman.
"You must be Dante Blackwood," Sophie called out.
I stepped forward into the light. "I am. Thank you for coming."
Aria's eyes met mine. Even broken, they were still stunning. Still full of the kindness that had saved me once.
"You called me," she said. Her voice shook slightly. "You said you've been waiting five years. Why? Who are you?"
"Someone who owes you a debt." I kept my distance, not wanting to scare her. "Five years ago, you saved my life. You didn't know it, but you did."
Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I don't understand. I've never met you before."
"You bought coffee for a homeless man behind a coffee shop. December fifteenth. You talked to him for an hour about hope and second chances." I watched her face carefully. "That man was me."
Her eyes went wide. Recognition flickered. "The man in the car? That was you?"
"That was me. Before I rebuilt my company. Before I became this." I gestured at myself. "You gave me hope when I had none, Aria. Now I want to return the favor."
"By calling me in the middle of the night?" Sophie stepped forward, voice sharp. "By dragging her to some empty warehouse? This is insane."
"Sophie, it's okay—" Aria started.
"No, it's not okay!" Sophie's voice rose. "Your ex-fiancé just destroyed you. Your family threw you out. And now some billionaire stalker wants to—what? Save you? Why? What do you really want from her?"
The accusation in her voice should have made me angry. Instead, I respected it. Sophie was protecting her friend. Exactly what Aria needed.
"I want to give her power," I said simply. "Resources. Protection. Revenge against everyone who hurt her."
"In exchange for what?" Aria asked quietly.
Here it was. The moment that would change everything.
"Marriage."
Both women froze.
"You're insane," Sophie breathed.
But Aria just stared at me. "You want to marry me? Why?"
"Because I need a wife for business reasons. And you need someone powerful on your side." I took one step closer. "I know what happened today, Aria. I know about Julian and Celeste. I know about the wedding tomorrow. And I know one more thing."
Her face went pale. "What?"
"I know you're pregnant."
Sophie gasped. Aria swayed on her feet.
"How—" Aria's voice broke. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Sophie called me tonight. After you took the test. She asked me to move up our meeting." I looked at Sophie. "Isn't that right?"
Sophie's jaw clenched. "I called because Aria needs help. Real help. Not some creepy marriage contract."
"Sophie, you called him?" Aria turned to her friend, betrayed. "You told him about the baby?"
"Because I'm scared!" Sophie grabbed Aria's hands. "You're pregnant with Julian's baby and he's marrying Celeste tomorrow and I don't know how to protect you from what's coming!"
"So you told a stranger?"
"He's not a stranger." Sophie's voice dropped. "He's the best chance you have."
Aria pulled her hands away. She looked lost. Broken. Alone.
I couldn't stand it anymore.
"Julian will find out eventually," I said quietly. "About the baby. And when he does, what do you think will happen?"
Aria's face crumbled. "I don't know."
"I do. He'll use it against you. He'll take the child. Or he'll ignore it completely and let everyone think you got pregnant by someone else. Either way, you lose."
"And you're better?" Aria's voice shook with anger. "A man who's been watching me for five years without telling me? That's not protection. That's obsession!"
"You're right." The admission seemed to shock her. "I am obsessed with you. But I'm also the only person offering you a way out. A way to fight back."
"By marrying you? A stranger?"
"By becoming powerful enough that they can never hurt you again." I pulled out my phone, showing her a photo. "This is Julian. Tonight. At a restaurant with Celeste. Planning your wedding."
Aria took the phone with shaking hands. Her face went white as she looked at the photo—Julian kissing Celeste's hand across a candlelit table.
"He looks happy," she whispered.
"He is. Because he thinks he won." I took the phone back gently. "Prove him wrong, Aria. Marry me. Let me help you destroy them all."
She looked up at me. Tears streamed down her face. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because you saved me when no one else would. Because you deserve better than being thrown away like garbage. And because—"
My phone buzzed. A text from my assistant.
Emergency. Julian Cross just posted engagement announcement. Photo of him and Celeste. Caption: "Found my true love at last."
I showed Aria the screen.
She read it. Her whole body started shaking.
Then she did something I didn't expect.
She laughed.
It was a broken, terrible sound. But there was rage underneath it. Beautiful, powerful rage.
"Okay," she said.
"Okay what?" I asked carefully.
Aria looked up at me. Her eyes weren't broken anymore. They were burning.
"Okay, I'll marry you. I'll let you help me. And together, we're going to make them wish they'd never been born."
Sophie sucked in a breath. "Aria, are you sure—"
"I'm sure." Aria's voice was steel. "Julian just announced his engagement to my sister while I'm standing here pregnant with his baby. I'm done being the victim. It's time to be the villain."
Pride surged through my chest. There she was. The warrior I knew she could be.
"Then we have a deal." I extended my hand. "Partners?"
She took it. Her hand was small in mine but her grip was strong.
"Partners," she agreed.
Then her phone rang.
We all looked at it. The screen lit up with a name that made my blood run cold.
Julian Cross
"He's calling you?" Sophie's voice was incredulous. "Now? After posting that announcement?"
Aria stared at the ringing phone. "Should I answer?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "Answer it. Let him hear how little he affects you now."
Her finger hovered over the accept button.
"But Aria," I added, my voice dropping to something dangerous. "When you answer, I want you to remember something. You're not his anymore. You're mine now. And I protect what's mine."
She looked up at me. Something flickered in her eyes—fear, attraction, hope, I couldn't tell.
The phone kept ringing.
"Answer it," I said again.
Aria pressed accept and lifted the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Julian."