Morning arrived quietly.
Too quietly.
Ariella woke to sunlight spilling across unfamiliar walls and the low hum of the city far below. For a brief, disorienting moment, she forgot where she was—then memory rushed back in sharp fragments.
Daniel's collapse.
Lucien's wrath.
The fragile calm that followed.
She sat up slowly, every sense alert.
Lucien Blackwood's penthouse felt different in daylight. Less like a fortress, more like a carefully controlled world—minimalist, immaculate, untouched by chaos. Everything had a place. Everything obeyed rules.
Just like him.
She dressed and stepped out into the open living space.
Lucien stood near the window, already in a tailored suit, phone pressed to his ear. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were cold—focused on something far away.
"No," he said quietly. "Trace it again. I want certainty, not guesses."
He ended the call and turned.
"You're awake," he said.
"Yes."
Silence settled between them—not awkward, but weighted.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"Please."
Lucien poured two cups without asking how she took it. When he handed one to her, their fingers brushed briefly. The contact sent a subtle jolt through her chest—annoying, unwelcome, undeniable.
She took a sip. "Daniel sent you something."
Lucien didn't react.
"You know," she added.
"Yes."
Ariella studied his face carefully. "What did he say?"
Lucien leaned against the counter. "That I can't protect you from the truth."
Her stomach tightened. "And?"
"And that means he's about to reveal something," Lucien said calmly. "Whether it's real or fabricated doesn't matter. What matters is timing."
Ariella's grip tightened on the mug. "About me?"
"No," Lucien said.
She looked up sharply.
"About me."
The word hung in the air.
Ariella set the cup down slowly. "What kind of truth?"
Lucien's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "The kind people don't forgive easily."
She waited.
Lucien rarely volunteered information. Whatever this was—it mattered.
"Years ago," he began, "Blackwood Group expanded too fast. We crushed competitors. Absorbed assets. People lost everything."
She frowned. "That's business."
"Yes," he agreed. "Until it wasn't."
Lucien's gaze drifted to the city below.
"One company refused acquisition. A family-owned firm. I applied pressure. Legal. Financial. Relentless." His voice was even, but something dark pulsed beneath it. "They folded."
Ariella's chest tightened. "What happened?"
"The founder jumped," Lucien said simply. "Left behind a wife. A daughter."
Silence slammed down.
Ariella felt the weight of it press against her ribs.
"I didn't push him," Lucien continued. "But I knew the outcome was possible. And I proceeded anyway."
She swallowed. "And Daniel knows this."
"Yes."
"And he plans to use it."
Lucien nodded once. "To paint me as a monster."
Ariella exhaled slowly. "Are you?"
Lucien met her gaze directly.
"I am not innocent," he said. "I don't pretend to be. The difference between me and Daniel is that I don't hide behind love or morality."
Her thoughts churned.
In her past life, Daniel had destroyed her using lies dressed up as concern. Lucien destroyed people using truth sharpened into a blade.
Both were dangerous.
But only one was honest.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked quietly.
Lucien's eyes darkened. "That the daughter works for Royce Holdings."
Her breath caught.
"And," he added, "Daniel plans to put her in front of you."
A knock interrupted them.
Security.
"Mr. Blackwood," the guard said. "Miss Mbeki's office just received an anonymous delivery."
Lucien stiffened. "Intercept it."
"Already did. It's… personal."
Lucien glanced at Ariella, then took the file.
Inside was a photograph.
A younger Lucien. Blood on his hands. Police lights flashing behind him.
Ariella's heart pounded.
Lucien closed the file.
"This is the beginning," he said.
Ariella straightened. "Then let it begin."
Lucien's gaze snapped to hers.
"You don't have to stay," he said. "If you walk away now, I won't stop you."
She studied him—the control, the power, the damage.
And saw herself reflected there.
"I didn't survive prison to run from shadows," she said. "Daniel wants to break me using you."
Lucien's voice dropped. "And if the truth breaks you instead?"
She stepped closer.
"Then I'll decide what it means," she replied. "Not him."
Something shifted in Lucien's eyes.
Respect.
"Very well," he said quietly. "But from this point on, everything gets darker."
Ariella nodded. "I've already lived in the dark once."
Across town, Daniel Royce watched the news feed roll silently across his screen.
"Prepare the witness," he said. "And send the girl."
He smiled thinly.
"Let's see how Ariella Mbeki reacts when she realizes the man protecting her once destroyed a family."
That night, Ariella stood alone on the balcony again.
The city glittered beneath her, unaware of the storm building above it.
Lucien was dangerous.
But danger, she knew now, wasn't always the enemy.
Sometimes—
It was the only thing strong enough to fight the truth.