Chapter 25: Chapter XXV

Callum was pacing his office, sleeves rolled up, a glass of whiskey untouched on the side table, and his jaw tense as he stared out at the California skyline. He’d replayed the last conversation with Ariana at least ten times in his mind. Her silence since then gnawed at him more than any threat Milanna could dish out.

Then his phone rang.

Ariana.

His chest tightened, and for a moment, he just stared at the screen like it might disappear. But he swiped to answer, trying to sound casual and confident.

“Ariana.”

“Hey,” she said softly.

Her voice was quieter than he expected. No sharp edges, no fire, no excitement. Just soft… distant. It unnerved him more than shouting would have.

“I wasn’t sure if now was a good time to call,” she continued, “but I got the laptop. Thank you. It was very thoughtful and I appreciate it.”

“I figured it was something you would like. I know you mentioned having an interest in media.” he said, hoping to coax a smile through the phone.

A short pause.

“I appreciated it,” she said. “It… will help.”

He waited. Her voice sounded uncertain, like she was feeling her way through the dark.

“Is something wrong?”

Then she said it, carefully.

“I saw an article. One with you and Milanna, from three months ago.”

Silence fell like a guillotine.

Callum closed his eyes. “Ariana—”

“I’m not mad,” she interrupted gently. “I just… needed to say it out loud. To you. Without assuming the worst. I just want to understand what I’m walking into.”

Her calmness cut deeper than any accusation. It was the restraint of someone trying not to break again.

Callum sat down heavily in the leather chair behind his desk. “I should’ve told you about it before. That photo was from months ago. Milanna and I… it was over even before that night. But the media doesn’t care about timelines.”

Ariana was quiet again, and for a second, he wondered if she believed him. Then—

“I want to believe you, Callum. But it’s hard when I keep discovering your past through strangers.”

“I know,” he said, and this time his voice was rough with regret. “And I hate that I’ve put you in that position. But I’m trying.”

Another pause. A breath. And then—

A sharp knock on his door, followed by it bursting open. Julian stood there, phone in one hand, his face tight with urgency.

Callum frowned. “What?”

Julian motioned for him to mute his call. Callum said to Ariana. “Hang on one second, I need to speak to Julian.”

He pressed the phone to his chest.

“What’s going on?” he asked Julian under his breath.

“We found the leak,” Julian said quickly. “Security just got the feed. One of the new guys—planted. Milanna’s people, or someone worse. We need to go to the warehouse. Now.”

Callum’s blood went cold. Eyes seeing red.

He nodded once and brought the phone back to his ear.

“Ariana… I’m so sorry, but I have to go. Something’s come up with business. It’s urgent.”

“Of course,” she said quickly, too quickly.

“I’ll call you later tonight,” he promised. “I want to talk about this. About everything.”

“Okay,” she replied, but he could hear it—the guarded tone slipping back in. A wall slowly being built.

“Ariana,” he said, his voice softening. “I meant what I said. You deserve the truth. And I’ll give it to you.”

There was a beat of silence before she whispered, “Be safe.”

Then the call ended, and the quiet that followed was far heavier than anything he’d anticipated.

Callum stood up, heart pounding, already switching into crisis mode.

But a part of him, even as he raced toward another fire to put out, was still stuck on the way she’d said those two words.

Be safe.

Because now it wasn’t just about protecting his empire. It was about not losing her too.

...........................................................................

The black escalade screeched to a stop outside the rusted warehouse located deep in the industrial edges of Los Angeles. A nondescript building to the outside world, but Callum Guerrero knew every inch of it. This was one of their fortified outposts—used for shipping, storage, and, when necessary, confrontation.

Julian stepped out of the car first, his expression tight, hand brushing the inner lining of his jacket where he kept a weapon concealed. Callum followed, his expression unreadable, the earlier phone call with Ariana still lingering in his mind, hardening his mood.

“They are at the second floor,” Julian said shortly as they passed through a side entrance. “Richard and Dean are keeping him secure. He won’t get far if he tries anything.”

As they walked through the shadows and up the industrial stairwell, the air grew heavier. Callum wasn’t just here to question someone—he was here to make an example.

They entered the room.

The man tied to the chair was young—mid-twenties, jittery, and bruised. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. His name was Emilio, one of the most recent hires brought in through a temp security agency. Clean background, or so they’d thought. But he'd been smart enough to hide the tech bug that had transmitted conversations straight to someone else.

Callum stood in front of him and didn’t speak for a full minute. Silence was often more terrifying than violence.

“Do you know who I am?” Callum finally asked, his voice like frost on steel.

The man nodded, bloodied lip trembling.

“Then you know I don’t tolerate betrayal.”

“Please I’m sorry. I-I had no choice,” Emilio stammered. “They had my wife. They said—if I didn’t do what they asked, she’d never see me again.”

“Who are they?” Julian asked sharply, stepping forward.

Emilio swallowed. “I didn’t know at first. But then she came. A woman. Blonde. Expensive heels. I heard them call her Milanna. She said you—Callum—ruined her life. And she was going to ruin yours too. Slowly.”

Callum’s hands curled into fists. The venom in his eyes made Emilio flinch.

“She used you to get to me.” Callum said coldly. “But if she’s trying to get to me through pawns, she’s desperate.”

“I didn’t tell her much. Just when you were in or out of the penthouse. Some business meeting notes. But I recorded something I think you need to hear.”

Julian stepped forward. “You have it on you?”

Emilio nodded to a USB stick lying on a nearby table. “I couldn’t send it out. It was too risky. I think… I think she’s not working alone.”

Julian plugged the USB into a laptop they’d brought in, fingers moving fast. Audio loaded quickly. Voices crackled through—Milanna’s unmistakable cadence smooth and cold, talking to someone they didn’t recognize.

“He’s making moves. If we don’t stop him soon, Guerrero will take control of the East Coast. You know what that means.”

“Leave the new girl in Manhattan. We don’t need her—yet. But if he keeps playing the knight, she might be our best pressure point. A shiny leverage to make him budge.”

Julian’s face tightened. “This isn’t just personal vendetta. This is a coordinated play. She’s trying to pit alliances against each other.”

Callum stared at the screen, rage simmering beneath the surface. He turned slowly back to Emilio.

“You just bought yourself a small window of mercy,” he said.

“I—I’m sorry,” Emilio begged. “I didn’t mean to— I will do whatever you need me to do.”

But Callum didn’t care for apologies. He leaned in, his voice quiet but deadly. “You’re going to disappear. When I need you to carry out an operation for me, I will brief you. If I ever hear you so much as whisper my name again—” He pulled out his switchblade and stabbed it into the table, inches from Emilio’s trembling hand. “—there won’t be a place on this earth safe for you or those you love.”

Julian nodded grimly. “I’ll handle his relocation. We would need him to reinfiltrate their camp.”

As they walked out, Julian shook his head. “Milanna’s not just being petty anymore. She’s aligning herself with people who want you out of the game. She’s more dangerous than we anticipated”

Callum was already thinking five steps ahead. “Good. That gives me leverage.”

Julian raised an eyebrow. “You want to bait her?”

“No,” Callum said as he pulled out his phone. “I want to use her. If she’s careless enough to talk about alliances on tape, that means someone bigger is backing her. I’ll find out who. And I’ll make them wish they never knew her name.”

As they reached the SUV, Callum paused before getting in.

The mask he wore for the world was back on—cold, composed, deadly. But somewhere underneath the armor, Ariana’s voice echoed faintly in his memory.

“I want to understand what I’m walking into.”

She had no idea. But soon, she would.

And when the next strike came, he’d be ready.