Chapter 101

Chapter 101
Aria’s POV
I woke up with Damian's arm wrapped around my waist, his chest pressed against my back. For a moment, I just lay there, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine, remembering everything that had happened between us last night.
My body still ached in the most delicious way. I could feel the places where his hands had been, where his mouth had explored.
This is real, I thought, turning in his arms to look at his sleeping face. This is actually real.
His dark hair was messed up, falling across his forehead. His usually stern features looked softer in sleep, younger somehow. I reached up and gently brushed the hair away from his eyes.
He stirred at my touch, his eyes opening slowly. When he saw me watching him, a slow smile spread across his lips.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said, his voice rough with sleep.
"Good morning," I whispered back.
He pulled me closer, and I could feel his arousal pressing against my hip. The want in his eyes was unmistakable.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his hand trailing down my spine.
"Sore," I admitted, blushing. "But good. Really good."
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I wasn't too rough with you?"
"No," I said quickly. "It was perfect. You were perfect."
More than perfect. Last night had been a revelation. I'd never known it could feel like that—not just the physical pleasure, though that had been incredible, but the emotional connection. The way he'd looked at me, touched me, like I was precious, like I mattered.
"I could get used to waking up like this," he murmured against my hair.
"Me too," I admitted.
We lay there for a while longer, just holding each other, until my stomach growled loudly enough to make us both laugh.
"I think that's our cue for breakfast," Damian said, pressing one more kiss to my lips before reluctantly pulling away.
Jennifer was already bustling around the kitchen when we came downstairs. She took one look at us—Damian's arm around my waist, my slightly swollen lips, the way we couldn't seem to stop touching each other—and grinned knowingly.
"Well," she said, setting plates on the table, "looks like someone had a good night."
I felt my face burn with embarrassment, but Damian just laughed.
"Mind your own business, Jennifer," he said, but there was no real reproach in his voice.
"I'm just saying, it's about time you two figured it out," she replied, winking at me. "The sexual tension was getting ridiculous."
Sexual tension. Had it been that obvious to everyone?
"What are your plans for today?" Jennifer asked as we sat down to eat.
Damian's expression grew more serious. "I have some business to handle. A shipment came in last night that needs my attention."
I knew better than to ask details about his "business." Some things were better left unknown.
"I want to visit Jessica," I said.
Damian's jaw tightened slightly. "I'll have Lorenzo accompany you."
Protection. Always protection. But for the first time, I didn't want to be coddled.
"Actually," I said carefully, "I'd prefer to go alone. Just for today. I want to feel... normal. Free."
He studied my face for a long moment. I could see him weighing his protective instincts against something else—maybe respect for what I'd said, for what we'd shared.
"Alright," he said finally. "But you call me if anything seems off. Anything at all."
I was so surprised that I nearly choked on my coffee. "Really? You'll let me go alone?"
"You're not my prisoner, Aria. You never were, even if I acted like it sometimes."
He's really changing, I realized. We both are.
The hospital felt different today. Maybe it was because I felt different—stronger, more confident after last night. Or maybe it was because for the first time in days, I had hope that the truth would come out.
I found Jessica sitting up in bed, reading one of her medical textbooks. She looked pale but alert, and her smile when she saw me was bright enough to light up the whole room.
"Aria!" she said, setting the book aside. "I was hoping you'd come today."
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"Better, actually. The doctors seem really optimistic about the new treatment plan. They said money isn't an issue anymore—that some anonymous benefactor is covering everything."
Damian. Of course he hadn't wanted credit for it.
"That's wonderful news," I said, settling into the chair beside her bed.
"But Aria, there's something I need to tell you." Jessica's expression grew troubled. "Yesterday, a woman came to visit me. She said she was a friend of yours—Benedetta something."
My blood ran cold. "Benedetta was here?"
"She seemed nice enough, but after she left..." Jessica reached over to her bedside table and picked up a piece of paper. "I found this by my door."
I took the paper from her with trembling hands. It was an official-looking billing notice, demanding immediate payment of outstanding medical fees. The letterhead looked real, but something about it felt wrong.
"They're going to stop my treatment if we don't pay," Jessica said quietly. "Aria, I don't want you to worry about the money, but—"
"This is fake," I said suddenly, the pieces clicking into place.
"What?"
"This notice—it's not real. The doctors just told you that money isn't an issue anymore, right? Why would there be an outstanding bill?"
Jessica looked confused. "But it looks so official..."
Benedetta. That calculating bitch had planted this fake notice to scare Jessica, to make me panic about medical bills that didn't even exist.
But instead of fear, I felt rage. Pure, burning rage.
"Jessica," I said, gripping her hand. "That woman who visited you—she's not my friend. She's the person who's been trying to hurt me. This notice is her way of threatening us."
Jessica's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"It's a long story, but the important thing is that we're not going to let her win. We're going to face this together, okay? You and me, like we always have."
Jessica squeezed my hand back. "Together," she agreed. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Aria. If someone is trying to hurt you..."
"I promise. But I also promise that I'm not going to let anyone use you to get to me. Not anymore."
I was walking through the hospital parking lot when I saw her. Benedetta, emerging from a black sedan, looking perfectly composed in her expensive coat and designer handbag.
Of course. She'd probably been watching, waiting to see if her little psychological warfare had worked.
Our eyes met across the parking lot, and for a moment, neither of us moved. Then she smiled—that cold, calculating smile I was beginning to recognize—and walked toward me.
"Aria, dear," she said when she reached me. "What a pleasant surprise. I was just visiting a friend."
"Were you?" I asked, my voice steady despite the anger burning in my chest. "What friend would that be?"
"Oh, just someone from the neighborhood. You know how it is—when people are suffering, we must do what we can to help."
Lying bitch.
"That's very generous of you," I said. "Though I have to wonder about your methods of helping."
Her smile flickered slightly. "I'm not sure I understand."
"The billing notice you left for Jessica. Very creative."
For just a moment, her mask slipped. I saw surprise, then calculation, then that cold smile again.
"I think you may be confused, dear. I would never interfere in medical matters."
"Cut the act, Benedetta. We both know why you're here."
She stepped closer, and when she spoke, her voice was soft but menacing. "You know, sometimes it's better to let sleeping dogs lie. Pursuing certain... investigations... can lead to unpleasant consequences for everyone involved."
There it is. The threat.
But instead of the fear she was probably expecting, I felt only determination.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" I asked, meeting her gaze directly. "Because all you've done is prove that you're desperate. And desperate people make mistakes."
Her eyes flashed with anger. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, little girl."
"Maybe not. But I know this—I won't let you hurt me or my sister. Whatever game you're playing, it ends now."
I turned and walked away before she could respond, my heart pounding with adrenaline. I half-expected her to follow me, to make another threat, but when I looked back, she was just standing there, watching me with those cold eyes.
Let her watch, I thought. I'm not the scared little girl she thinks I am anymore.
When I got back to Damian's estate, I found him in his study, talking on the phone in rapid Italian. He looked up when I entered, his expression immediately shifting to concern.
"I have to go," he said into the phone, then hung up. "How did it go? How's Jessica?"
"She's okay. The treatment is working." I took a deep breath. "But we need to talk. About the investigation."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I want to help. I want to be involved in finding the truth about what happened at the banquet."
"Aria, I don't think that's a good idea. If these people are as dangerous as I suspect—"
"They're already targeting me," I interrupted. "Benedetta came to the hospital. She left a fake billing notice to scare Jessica, and then she threatened me in the parking lot."
Damian's expression darkened. "She what?"
I told him everything—the notice, Jessica's fear, my confrontation with Benedetta. By the time I finished, his hands were clenched into fists.
"I should have had you followed," he said grimly.
"No. I'm glad I was alone. I needed to face her myself." I moved closer to his desk. "Damian, I'm tired of being a victim. I want to fight back. But I need to understand what we're really dealing with."
He studied my face for a long moment. "You're sure about this? Once you're in, you can't un-know what you learn."
"I'm sure."
He nodded slowly, then opened a drawer and pulled out a thick file. "Lorenzo's been investigating the money trail. Maria, the maid who planted the necklace—she received payment from a Montrosso account three days before the banquet."
I sat down across from him as he spread papers across the desk. Bank records, photographs, timeline documents.
"But here's the interesting part," he continued. "Maria was hired six weeks ago on Benedetta's personal recommendation."
I studied the dates on the documents, my mind working. "Six weeks ago... that would be..."
"Three days after Antonio first mentioned wanting to adopt you," Damian finished.
The pieces clicked into place with terrifying clarity. "She planned this from the beginning. The moment she heard Antonio was interested in me, she started setting up the frame job."
"It looks that way."
I stared at the evidence spread out before us, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature in the room.
"But why?" I asked. "This level of planning, the risk she's taking... it can't just be because she doesn't like me."
Damian leaned back in his chair, his expression troubled. "That's what I keep coming back to. What does she gain from destroying your relationship with Antonio? What's she protecting?"
We sat in silence for a moment, both lost in thought. The evidence was damning, but it only raised more questions.
What are you hiding, Benedetta? I wondered. What secret is worth destroying innocent people to protect?