Chapter 28: Chapter XXVIII
The click of the front door echoed through the penthouse like a gunshot, quick and unexpected. Ariana stiffened on the couch, heart in her mouth, unsure whether to run toward the sound or away from it. Her chest tightened. She knew that walk. Knew that rhythm. Callum was home.
She stood as he rounded the corner. His jaw seemed tensed, and his eyes—always dark, always piercing—looked heavier than she remembered, burdened by the weight of too many decisions.
He stopped when he saw her. For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Ariana’s voice was quiet. “Hi, you actually came back.”
Callum’s throat bobbed with the effort it took to speak. “Of course I came back. I told you that I would.”
He moved first, closing the distance between them. She didn’t pull away when he reached for her hand—she let him take it, just to confirm that this still felt real and he was present.
“I should’ve never let you leave like that,” he said, voice rough. “That morning...I couldn’t face you. It wasn’t strength. I was just being a coward. It’s very unlike me and for that I apologize.”
She blinked back the sting in her eyes. “I thought maybe you regretted everything.”
His hand tightened around hers. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Ariana. But not you. Never you. I don’t think there’s any other person I would have rather picked to do this with.”
Her breath hitched, and she finally allowed herself to fall against him, her forehead resting against his chest. For a beat, they just breathed together, their shadows melting into one on the marble floor.
“I really like the laptop,” she said softly after a long pause. “I used it.”
A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “That was kind of the point.”
“I looked you up.” Her voice faltered. “Everything about you...your business, the press coverage, personal life, your history with Milanna. I needed to understand.”
He pulled back just enough to see her face, his expression guarded. “And did it help?”
“No,” she admitted. “But it made me realize how much of you I don’t know. And how much I want to.”
A moment passed between them, heavy with possibility. But before either could reach for it, Ariana shifted.
“The doctors called,” she said. “Charlie’s surgery is set for tomorrow. The doctors believe that there’s...a chance. A real one.”
A smile broke over her face, small but bright, like morning light through storm clouds.
“That’s wonderful news. She’s in the best hands in Dallas so I’m sure everything would go well.” he said, brushing her hair away from her face. “You’ve been so strong through all this. I’m so proud of you.”
She let out a shaky breath. “I’m terrified.”
“I’ll be there,” he said simply. “We’ll get through it together.”
The words, though quiet, landed with the weight of a promise.
Just then, Callum’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and frowned.
“What is it?” Ariana asked.
He answered the call, turning slightly away. “Yeah, Julian?”
Julian’s voice crackled through. “Hi Cal, I have new information on the tape recording. We traced it. But there’s more—something bigger. You need to see this for yourself.”
Callum stiffened. “Where?”
“I’m sending you the address now. You’ll want to come alone.”
Callum ended the call and met Ariana’s gaze.
“I have to go.”
Ariana stepped back slightly. “So soon?”
“Julian found something. A new lead on a case we’re working on.”
She nodded, even as something uncertain flickered in her expression. “Of course. Go.”
But as he reached the door, her voice called after him.
“Callum.”
He turned.
“Don’t keep me out of the loop again this time.”
His eyes softened. “I won’t. Not this time.”
Then he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him
................................................................................................
Three hours later, Callum stood inside a dimly lit warehouse studio tucked behind an abandoned lot. Julian stood by an old reel-to-reel setup, tension coiled in his stance.
Callum crossed his arms. “What did you find?”
Julian hit play on the recorder.
A distorted voice crackled over the speakers. At first, it was muffled background noise, then laughter—most likely Milanna’s, unmistakable and sharp. Then a second voice—deeper, raspier, masculine.
“He doesn’t even know,” it sneered. “Keep leaking the information to the press, and he’ll burn from the inside.”
Milanna’s reply chilled him. “He’ll wish he’d stayed in bed with me when this is over. I can’t believe he’s risking everything for some random nameless girl.”
Click. The tape cut off.
Julian’s expression was grim. “That’s not the worst part.”
He handed Callum a photograph. It showed Milanna entering a building—one Callum recognized. It was the safe house. One of the few places only his inner circle should’ve known about.
“She’s been meeting with someone inside,” Julian said. “We think it’s Emilio. We need to question him again. He knows more than he’s letting on.”
Callum exhaled slowly, fury simmering beneath the surface. “She’s trying to control everything.”
Julian nodded. “We could flip this. Leak it strategically. Make her look like a crazy admirer that’s trying to use you for leverage. Public sympathy could swing hard your way.”
Callum stared at the photograph. “No. Not yet. Timing is everything.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We return to Manhattan, quietly. I want Milanna to think she’s winning.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “And Ariana?”
Callum’s voice was flat. “She’s the reason I’m back here. I will protect her at all cost”
Julian didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. He understood.