Chapter 29: Chapter XXIX

Back at the penthouse, Ariana sat on the edge of her bed, scrolling through a few images she found of Callum and Milanna from a while ago. Their smiles looked so real. So sophisticated.

She set the phone down.

The tightness in her chest was evident again. Not from fear—but from the ache of wanting to believe in someone who came wrapped in so many unknown layers.

The front door clicked open.

She stood slowly and walked toward the hall, her breath catching when she saw Callum. Something in his face had changed. He looked...calmer.

“You’re back,” she said.

“I told you I would be.”

“Were you able to figure out what the issue was?”

He walked toward her, stopping just close enough that she could feel the heat of him.

“Yes. And it changes everything.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Callum looked at her like she was the one steady thing in his life.

“It means I’m going to burn everything down before I let them take down all my family and I have spent decades building.”

Before she could respond, his phone buzzed again. Another message.

Callum glanced at it, and his expression turned to stone.

“What is it?” Ariana asked.

He turned the screen toward her.

It was a still image from the security footage at her sister’s hospital.

The caption below read: “You didn’t think I wouldn't find out, did you?”

Milanna had found out the details of their arrangement and in turn, found out about her sister.

Ariana stared at the screen in stunned silence. She was terrified.

Milanna knew about Charlie and she knew where she was.

The image burrowed under her skin like a thorn—taunting, piercing. She wrapped her arms around herself instinctively, as if she could protect Charlie from this threat by sheer will.

“She knows about my sister,” she whispered. “Is she really—she’s trying to hurt her?”

Callum’s jaw clenched. “She’s trying to hurt me. All this is just the leverage.”

He paced the room, rage simmering just under the surface. “I underestimated her. That’s on me. But she just made it personal.”

Ariana’s fingers trembled as she reached for the photo again, enlarging it, searching the background. “How long ago was this taken?”

“Julian said last night. She’s baiting us.”

The air between them hung heavy with tension. Ariana turned to him, eyes glossy but hard. “Then what now? Do we go to the hospital? Do we tell someone?”

“I already have security watching Charlie’s floor. I’ll double it tonight. Nothing will happen to her.”

“Can we still call the doctors to be on high alert? Gosh I should be there with her and not locked up in here.” Ariana sobbed, voice cracking.

Callum looked up sharply. She wasn’t accusing—she was scared. “You’re staying here. With me. And I won’t leave your side.”

She moved to the windows, arms wrapped tightly around her. Her reflection trembled in the glass.

“She really wants me gone, doesn’t she?”

“No,” Callum said, stepping up behind her. “She hates me. But you—you’re someone I care about. That makes you a threat to her.”

Ariana let out a slow breath, fighting the swell of emotion in her throat. “This all feels like too much. Like I stepped into something I wasn’t prepared for.”

Callum placed his hand gently on her shoulder. “You didn’t step into it, Ariana. I pulled you in and I will do everything in my power to protect you and those you care about.”

She turned to face him. “Then why does it still feel like I’m alone in it?”

His eyes flinched at that—like her words had punched through armor he thought was impenetrable.

“You’re not alone,” he said, stepping closer. “I’ve spent years building walls so high that even I forgot what was on the other side. But then you came in like a storm, and I’m still figuring out how to weather it.”

Ariana stared at him for a moment, eyes swimming with all the things she couldn’t say. And then her voice softened.

“I just want Charlie to be okay.”

“She will be.” He gently touched her cheek. “And so will you.”

The moment stretched between them—full of vulnerability, danger, and something deeper than either of them wanted to name yet.

Ariana reached up to cover his hand with hers. “Thank you. For coming back.”

Callum nodded slowly. “I don’t think I ever really left.”

They stood that way for a moment longer, until a soft buzz broke through the silence.

Callum pulled his phone out again, expecting Julian but it was a different number. A blocked contact.

A single message lit up the screen.

“Let’s talk before things get worse. I’m done playing.”

Callum's expression darkened.

“What is it?” Ariana asked.

He hesitated, then showed her.

“Milanna?”

He nodded once. “She wants a meeting. She’s getting bold.”

Ariana swallowed hard. “Are you going to go?”

“Yes. Power needs to change hands if I’m going to fix things.”

Ariana pulled back, suddenly tense. “I don’t fully understand all this but sure.”

His voice lowered. “I’m making sure you’re protected. But to do that, I need to know what she’s planning.”

Ariana crossed her arms, worry creeping in again. “What if it’s another trap?”

Callum walked toward the hallway, already making calls in his mind. “Then she’ll find out I’ve set one of my own.”

Ariana’s voice stopped him just before he disappeared into the next room. “Callum.”

He turned.

“Just...come back safe. Every time.”

Their eyes locked, and for the first time, he gave her a quiet, unguarded truth.

“Always.”