Aftermath

Aftermath

Aria's POV

The gunshot broke the funeral silence.
I spun around, dirt from Elena's grave still sticking to my hands. Fifty yards away, a sniper's bullet had just missed Marco's head by inches.
"Get down!" Luca shouted, beating his brother behind a marble headstone.
So much for a peaceful goodbye. Even Elena's funeral couldn't happen without someone trying to kill us.
"Vincent's people?" I asked, crawling behind another gravestone as more shots rang out.
"No," Kai said grimly, searching the treeline with binoculars. "These are different. Professional military contractors."
"The Commission," Dmitri spat, returning fire with his gun. "They're cleaning house."
Three days had passed since Vincent's attack on the compound. We'd won, barely, but the cost had been terrible. Elena was dead. Twelve Romano troops were dead. The main house was half-destroyed, and Vincent had escaped in the chaos.
But the worst part? The Commission had declared martial law over all family lands until "order could be restored."
"Translation: they're taking over," Marco had said bitterly when the official notice came.
Now, apparently, they were taking the direct method.
"Marco Romano," a person called out through a bullhorn. "You're under arrest for violation of Commission rules. Surrender immediately."
"What bylaws?" I shouted back, anger overriding caution.
"Operating without government sanction. Engaging in unauthorized fighting. Harboring a runaway."
"Fugitive?" Marco's gray eyes were deadly. "They mean you."
The pieces clicked together in my head. "They want me living. Vincent must have made a deal."
"Over my dead body," all four guys said at the same time.
Despite everything, I almost smiled. Even facing a killing squad, they were protecting me.
"We need to move," Kai said quietly. "More vehicles approaching from the north."
He was right. Through the graveyard gates, I could see black SUVs surrounding us. At least twenty armed men were taking places.
"The mausoleum," Luca offered, pointing to a large stone building in the center of the cemetery. "It has tunnels underneath."
We ran between the headstones, bullets chipping marble angels and brass nameplates. The tomb door was heavy iron, but Dmitri kicked it open like it was made of paper.
Inside, the air was cold and still. Ancient Romano family members lay in stone tombs, watching us with marble eyes.
"There," Marco said, pointing to a secret panel behind his great-grandfather's tomb. "Emergency route. It leads to the old subway tunnels."
But as we reached for the panel, it swung open from the other side.
Vincent Torrino walked out, flanked by Commission guards.
"Hello, children," he said kindly. "Fancy meeting you here."
Behind him came three guys I recognized from photos - Commission elders, the most powerful crime bosses in the country.
"Marco Romano," the eldest said in a voice like grinding stone. "You stand accused of breaking the ancient laws."
"What laws?" Marco demanded.
"You claimed a woman without Commission approval. You formed a union without permission. You killed Commission property."
"Commission property?" I stepped forward, anger making me brave. "Are you talking about me?"
The elder smiled coldly. "Aria Castellano belongs to the Commission until her bloodline claims are settled. Vincent Torrino has made a legitimate guardianship petition."
"She's not a child," Luca said dangerously.
"She's an asset," Vincent corrected. "And assets belong to those who can properly manage them."
That's when I understood. This wasn't about love or payback anymore. It was about power - the kind of power that came from controlling the last heir to the Castellano wealth.
"What if I refuse?" I asked.
"Then these four young men die for treason," the elder said plainly. "Tonight."
My heart shattered. They were using my feelings against me, just like always.
"Aria, don't," Marco warned, reading my face. "Whatever you're thinking, don't."
But I was already stepping toward Vincent. "If I come with you willingly, you let them live?"
"Of course. I'm not crazy."
"Swear it. On your honor as a Commission member."
Vincent put his hand over his heart. "I swear on my honor, Aria Castellano will come to no harm in my custody, and her... protectors... will be allowed to live in exile."
"Exile?" Dmitri snarled.
"You'll leave the city," the elder stated. "Forever. Try to return, and the deal is void."
I looked at each of them - Marco with his protective strength, Luca with his smart loyalty, Dmitri with his fierce passion, Kai with his quiet honor. The men who'd become my whole world.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Aria, no," Marco said, reaching for me.
But I was already walking toward Vincent. "I accept your terms."
"Wise choice," Vincent said, signaling his guards.
That's when Kai spoke up quietly. "There's just one problem with your plan."
"What's that?" the older asked.
"You assumed Aria was alone. But she finished the blood ritual three days ago. She's not just protected by us anymore."
"What does that mean?" Vincent asked.
Marco smiled for the first time since his mother died. "It means she's not just Aria Castellano anymore. She's also Aria Romano, Aria Petrov, and Aria Nakamura."
"Impossible," the elder breathed.
"Very possible," Luca said, pulling out an official paper. "Witnessed by Elena Romano before her death. Signed in blood. Completely legal under gang law."
Vincent's face went white. "You can't-"
"We can," Dmitri said with savage pleasure. "She belongs to all our families now. Touch her, and you're announcing war on the Romano, Petrov, and Nakamura clans simultaneously."
"Plus the Benedettos, Santos, and Morettis who helped us during the siege," I added, understanding rushing through me. "They're all alliance members now."
The Commission elder looked angry. "This is a trick-"
"This is law," Kai said quietly. "Ancient law. Older than the Commission itself."
For a moment, nobody moved. Then Vincent pulled out a gun.
"Law can be changed," he growled, pointing it at my chest. "But dead heirs can't inherit anything."
"Vincent, stop," the older warned. "If you kill her now-" "I'll deal with the consequences later."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
But before he could fire, the tomb exploded inward. Armed figures in tactical gear swarmed through the breach, guns raised.
Leading them was a woman I'd never seen before, but who looked exactly like my mother.
"Hello, little sister," she said to me with a cold smile. "I'm Sophia Castellano. And I think it's time we had a family gathering."