The air between them was razor-sharp.
Dominic stood at the doorway of his office, the soft glow from the hall behind him casting half his face in shadow. Aria, seated at his desk, frozen in place, the flash drive still plugged into his laptop.
"You shouldn't have seen that," he repeated.
His tone wasn't angry. It was worse. It was disappointed.
And deadly calm.
Aria swallowed hard, forcing her voice to work. "So it's true. You were there. The night Daniel disappeared."
Dominic walked slowly into the room, closing the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sounded louder than it should have.
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he walked to the window, looking out at the city as if drawing strength from the skyline.
"Yes," he said finally. "I was there."
Aria's pulse roared in her ears. "You watched them take him."
Dominic turned to face her. "I didn't have a choice."
Her eyes narrowed. "You always have a choice."
"Not when they're holding everything over your head," he snapped, then immediately softened. "I was younger. Stupid. They threatened to bury me. My company. Everyone I cared about."
"You let them take your brother."
He sat on the edge of the desk, facing her.
"They told me it was just a scare. That Daniel would be fine. They said he was too loud, drawing too much attention. They promised he'd be safe. Just disappear for a while."
"But he didn't come back."
"No," Dominic said, his voice breaking. "He didn't."
Tears burned in Aria's eyes, but she blinked them away. "And you've been lying ever since."
"I've been hunting the people who did it. Every move I've made has been to take them down. Piece by piece. That's why I built Blackwood International the way I did. Why I became the man I am."
"And what am I?" she asked. "Another move on your board?"
Dominic flinched.
"No. You were never part of the plan."
"Then why pull me in?"
He stood, ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "Because you remind me of him. Of Daniel. You ask questions. You don't flinch. You see the rot others ignore."
"That's not trust, Dominic. That's projection."
"I trust you," he said firmly.
Aria stepped back. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to see that version of me."
"But it's the real you, isn't it?"
He didn't answer.
She reached for the flash drive, pulling it from the laptop.
"You kept this hidden for years. You made me a pawn in your revenge."
"You're not a pawn," he said. "You're the only one I've ever wanted on my side."
The vulnerability in his voice nearly broke her.
Nearly.
But then her phone buzzed.
Another message.
Unknown Number: "Now you know. Walk away before you become the next Daniel."
She looked up at Dominic, horror rising.
"They're watching us again."
He stepped closer. "Then we finish this. Together."
"You expect me to trust you after what I just saw?"
"No," he said. "I expect you to decide for yourself. But either way, I'm not letting them take you too."
Aria stared at him.
She wanted to believe him. God, she needed to.
But a lie once told becomes a fracture. And this one ran deep.
Later that night…
Aria couldn't sleep. She sat in the penthouse library, flash drive in hand, going over the footage again.
Every frame of Dominic's face. Every second of hesitation.
She paused it. Rewound.
Just before he stepped aside, there was a moment—barely half a second—where he looked straight at the camera.
Her breath caught.
It wasn't fear. It wasn't guilt.
It was a signal.
He knew the camera was there.
She opened another folder on the drive.
Hidden audio.
Click.
Voice 1 (Dominic): "Make sure it's recorded. If they touch him, I want proof."
Voice 2: "You sure this will work?"
Dominic: "I don't care. Just make sure it's the last mistake they ever make."
Aria's heart stopped.
He hadn't just let Daniel get taken.
He'd set a trap.