Chapter 125: UNRAVELING THREADS

CHAPTER 125. UNRAVELING THREADS

Aria walked forward and wrapped her arms around her father. Vincenzo’s familiar warmth enveloped her as he returned the embrace, patting her back with gentle affection. He smelled faintly of cedarwood and the subtle spice of his cologne, a scent that always reminded her of safety and long drives through the countryside when she was little.

He pulled away slightly to plant a soft kiss on her cheek, his eyes shining with amused curiosity.

“Well, well, well,” he murmured, narrowing his gaze at her. “Look at what we have here. I really don’t understand what has gotten into you. These days, Aria, you’ve been practically glowing.”

His brows lifted.

“What’s going on? What’s the secret? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Aria let out a nervous chuckle, opening her mouth to say anything—anything that could pass as normal—but she barely had time to form a word before Sophia’s voice cut through the air like a knife.

“Well,” Sophia said loudly, her tone dripping mischief, “looks like someone has been going through some screw-ing experiences, you know?”

Aria blinked, stunned.

Sophia continued, waving her hands as if she were delivering a speech.

“She’s been experiencing some… divine rearrangement of her organs—in a very, very blissful way. So obviously it’s making her feel… elevated.”

A beat passed.

“I admire that, honestly,” Sophia added casually. “I wish I could do so too, but unfortunately, I am not in this family.”

The words hit like a bullet—too close to the truth, dangerously sharp. Aria and her father turned their heads toward Sophia at the same time, both wearing equally heavy frowns.

Aria’s eyes widened in silent fury. Is she insane?

Sophia giggled at their expressions and lifted a hand to cover her mouth.

“Oops. My bad,” she murmured, and spun away as though she’d said something harmless.

Vincenzo stared after her, looking utterly confused. His brows knitted together, and he shifted his gaze back to his daughter.

“What the hell is she talking about?” he asked, bewildered.

Aria forced a laugh, waving her hands quickly.

“No—no, no. Don’t worry. Don’t bother about it. Don’t even think about it.” She shook her head with visible urgency. “Sophia has this weird tendency of breaking out into strange metaphors that don’t make any sense. Just ignore her—she’s in that particular time of the year.”

She clapped her hands lightly together, forcing a smile. “How was work?” she asked, reaching to take the luggage from Dominic’s hands before realizing he still held them.

Her gaze slid toward Dominic with every subtle attempt to catch his eyes—yet he avoided her completely. He didn’t even glance in her direction. His eyes remained trained on the floor, stiff and unreadable.

A small, sharp ache bloomed inside her chest. She didn’t know why it hurt so badly. After everything that happened earlier—after how close they had been—his distance felt like a blade sinking slowly beneath her ribs.

She bit hard into her bottom lip, trying to push the feeling aside. Get it together, she scolded herself.

Dominic stepped forward, handing the luggage to Vincenzo. He bowed slightly, keeping his eyes away from Aria.

“I’ll be in my quarters, sir,” he said formally. “If you need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”

Vincenzo let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.

“You don’t have to be so formal, Dominic. You’re free to do whatever you wish. It’s late, so you’re done for the day.”

Dominic cracked a small smile—faint, polite. The two men shook hands with casual familiarity before Dominic turned and walked away. He didn’t look back. Not once.

Aria’s frown deepened as she watched him leave. His posture, the quickness of his steps—he looked like someone trying to escape.

Her thoughts spiraled.

Why won’t he look at me? Did he regret what happened? Is he ashamed?

Each question twisted painfully in her gut.

She was so absorbed in watching him disappear down the hall that she didn’t notice her father move.

Vincenzo stepped behind her, arms crossed, simply observing her—with the kind of quiet intensity that made her skin crawl.

Before she could react, he leaned slightly forward, his voice brushing her ear in a low murmur.

“You know,” he said, “for someone who insists she has stopped staring at my bodyguard like that… I’m beginning to doubt you were ever listening to my instructions.”

Aria flinched and whipped around, forcing a nervous grin onto her face.

“Hey, Dad,” she said in an overly light tone. “Oh—no. Seriously, it’s not what you think.”

Her voice trembled, betraying her.

Vincenzo saw right through her.

He narrowed his eyes, studying her like a puzzle.

She let out another awkward laugh and shook her head quickly.

“No, Dad, seriously. No, no, no. You shouldn’t think things like that, okay? That’s not how it is.”

He remained silent, staring at her. His silence made her more nervous than his questions.

He chuckled finally—yet it lacked humor—and shook his head.

“So difficult to believe you,” he murmured.

“Sweetie…”

The word sounded like a warning.

Aria bit down harder on her bottom lip.

“Okay, um…” she said quietly, glancing around, searching for anything to escape the pressure of his stare. “I was just—you know… I don’t know. He seemed kind of indifferent today.”

Vincenzo lifted a brow, giving her an expression that might as well have said Do you take me for a fool?

“You really do not know how to lie, Aria,” he said.

She sighed, finally giving up.

“Dad, honestly… I really wish you would take your mind away from that,” she said softly. “It’s not what you think. Everything is just… normal.”

But her voice trembled at the end, almost imperceptibly—except Vincenzo noticed. He always noticed.

Still, after studying her for a long moment, he decided not to press.

“How was today?” he asked calmly.

Aria inhaled deeply, relief warming her chest.

“Yeah—well. Everything was fine. Perfectly okay.” She set his luggage down where it belonged and straightened, smoothing her palms down her clothes.

“I think I have to read the new book I got,” she said, smiling. “I’ll see you later, Daddy. If you need anything, you know how to call me.”

Vincenzo watched her, one brow raised, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.

That’s… odd, he thought. But he simply chuckled under his breath and let her go.

As Sophia waved at him, smiling brightly, he nodded back.

“It was good meeting you this evening, sir,” she said sweetly.

“And you,” he replied.

Sophia then quickly excused herself and followed after Aria.

Aria walked toward the staircase, her pace slow. Thoughts buzzed in her head—loud, tangled, impossible to ignore.

She was only halfway up when Sophia’s voice cut sharply behind her.

“Can you imagine?”

The suddenness of her tone made Aria flinch. She turned quickly and saw Sophia approaching with a wide grin.

Aria bit her bottom lip.

“Oh my God…” she muttered inside her head. I completely forgot she was still here.

She forced a small smile when Sophia reached her.

“If I didn’t come after you,” Sophia said, “you would have forgotten I even came to visit you.”

Aria chuckled softly.

“Maybe… I don’t know.”

Sophia scoffed.

“You think I don’t know what you were thinking?”

Aria frowned.

“I honestly don’t know what you think I’m thinking—and I’m not interested in knowing.”

Sophia lifted her chin.

“Why don’t you care about me anymore?”

Aria laughed—tired, confused.

“I don’t know, Sophia,” she answered honestly. “Considering the way you treated me last time you visited—the way you looked at me like I was committing the greatest crime in history—how else do you expect me to be free with you?”

Sophia blinked, expression stiff.

“Really?” she said. “I simply saw something that wasn’t right and was trying to scare you away from it. What the hell were you thinking?”

Aria sighed and closed her eyes in frustration.

Sophia stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“What are you doing?” Aria asked, frowning.

Sophia smirked.

“Relax, baby girl. This is me trying to correct you. Whatever you think you’re doing—it’s wrong. And you need to stop. It’s not going to get you anywhere.”

Aria stared at her, incredulous.

“I’m fine, okay? I’m not doing anything.”

Sophia scoffed.

“Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”

Aria groaned and brushed past her, heading toward her room.

“What do you want, Sophia? Are you here to actually talk—or just to taunt me and make me look bad?”

She reached her door and turned.

“I don’t know what to think of you anymore,” Aria said quietly. “These days, you’re not the way you used to be. You’re complicated. What happened to the childhood friend who always made me smile? Who made life feel peaceful? These days you just keep bringing complications—doing everything you can to make me look like a bad person, and I’m just here fight—”

“You know I’m not wrong,” Sophia interrupted.

Aria frowned.

Sophia glanced at her wristwatch.

“Well, I need to go.” She smiled stiffly. “It appears I’m not welcome here.”

Aria’s confusion deepened.

She stared at Sophia, trying to understand what version of her stood before her—why she seemed so unpredictable, so strangely hostile.

“What is going on, Sophia?” Aria asked, voice low.

Sophia chuckled.

“Nothing. I just think you’re quite… irritating. Trying to go after someone you shouldn’t be going after.”

Aria stiffened.

“I’m not going after anyone.”

“Lying doesn’t suit you, Aria,” Sophia said lightly. “You should stop it.”

She tilted her chin toward the hallway.

“I know his room is only a few meters away from yours.”

Aria’s nerves tightened at the pointed implication.

Sophia smiled slowly.

“Don’t go around fucking him in the night just because no one can stop you.” She winked and turned, walking away.

Aria stood frozen, her jaw tight. She clenched her teeth and shook her head with a sharp scoff.

“Pathetic,” she muttered.

She stepped into her room and slammed the door behind her. Rage flared in her chest, hot and bitter.

“What has gone wrong with that girl?” she whispered to herself.

Her pulse raced. She couldn’t explain the ache of betrayal that pinched behind her ribs. Sophia had never been perfect—but she wasn’t cruel. Not like this.

Something about her felt so off… so unnervingly strange.

As she leaned her back against her door, sliding down until she sat on the floor, only one thought remained—

This wasn’t the Sophia she knew.

Something about her was wrong.

Terribly, frighteningly wrong.