CHAPTER 109: SHATTERED ASSUMPTIONS
CHAPTER 109: SHATTERED ASSUMPTIONS
CHAPTER 109: SHATTERED ASSUMPTIONS
Vincenzo is silent on the other end of the line for what feels like an eternity. The pause stretches so long that Aria almost wonders if the call has dropped. She can hear faint breaths, steady, thoughtful, the sound of her father weighing the situation with his careful, deliberate mind.
Finally, his voice comes through, low and contemplative. “Oh well, that’s… strange. You’re right about one thing—I don’t have female bodyguards. None at all. So yes, that could actually be very dangerous. Why would Dominic bring a stranger into the home without informing me first?”
Aria’s head bobs quickly in agreement, even though he can’t see her. “Yes! Exactly. I think you need to investigate her. She might actually be a spy. I can’t stand her presence here. She makes me feel… so scared.” Her voice trembles, quaking beneath the strain, sharp with urgency. “Please, Dad, call Dominic right now and tell him to send her out because I can’t—” her words break, her throat tightening, “I can’t fucking bear this.”
On the other end, Vincenzo chuckles softly, a sound meant to soothe. “Hey, hey. Relax, baby. It’s okay, right? Don’t worry. I’m going to handle this. I promise you.”
Aria breathes in, deep and shaky, then exhales. Her shoulders slump slightly with relief as she nods to herself, the small gesture grounding her. “Okay. Okay. Thank you so much, Daddy.”
He chuckles again, warmer this time, gentle in a way that stirs her guilt for pulling him into this. “You need to relax. I’ll handle it. Just give me a few minutes.”
The line clicks dead.
Aria lowers the phone, slipping it back into her pocket with a careful motion. She leans against the frame of her door, her body easing back until her spine touches wood. Her eyes drift shut, her lips curving faintly into a fragile smile. Relief spills through her, bitter but welcome.
“Well,” she murmurs under her breath, “looks like I’m going to be waiting right here until I can see the next reaction that comes.”
Her eyes flash open, determination blazing through them. The thought alone steadies her breathing. “I can’t wait to watch how he storms out of that room, chasing that slut away.” The word leaves her lips harsh and guttural, cutting sharper than she intended. “There is no way in hell I’ll believe she’s his girlfriend. No way.”
Her jaw tightens. The logic refuses to add up. How long has this supposed relationship been going on? If Vera has truly been in his life, if she has held this supposed place in his heart, why hasn’t Dominic mentioned her even once? Not a word, not a slip, not an excuse. All those times Aria had pushed, teased, even flirted—he never once used a girlfriend as a shield. Not once.
So why now?
Her mind sharpens, suspicion rising like smoke. Perhaps this is just a ploy. A strategy to push her away, to scare her, to make her retreat. But if that’s the game he’s playing, he has miscalculated badly. Hell no. It isn’t going to work.
Her lips curve into a small, bitter smile. “He’s going to realize soon enough just how difficult it is to escape my claws.”
Time drips slowly. She waits. And waits. Minutes crawl by, heavy and thick, the silence of the corridor pressing against her ears. She waits over thirty minutes, her body rigid, her eyes locked on the closed door of the guest room. Every second fuels her anticipation, her certainty that soon—any moment now—Dominic will emerge, Vera trailing behind him in disgrace, cast out, discarded.
She imagines the moment vividly, almost tastes the victory of it. The mocking look she will give him, the silent dagger of her gaze telling him he has lost.
But the door does not open.
Her frown deepens.
Her breath hitches as confusion snakes into her chest. Hasn’t her father called him? Hasn’t he already told him what to do? What the hell is going on? Why is it taking this long?
Frustration sears through her veins. She digs her hand into her pocket, yanking her phone free with frantic urgency. Her thumb hovers over her father’s number, ready to dial, ready to demand answers. But before she can press, the phone vibrates sharply in her palm. The screen lights up.
Her father is calling her.
She frowns, brows knitting, and presses the phone to her ear. “Okay, Dad. Have you settled the issue?” Her voice carries both demand and fragile hope.
On the other end, Vincenzo chuckles again. “You need to relax, Aria. Take things easy. Don’t just start spreading false rumors up and down.”
Her stomach sinks, confusion flooding her. Her frown deepens. “What? What do you mean?”
“I actually know the woman,” he continues, his tone steady, certain. “Her name is Vera, right?”
Aria blinks rapidly, her voice catching. “Yes?”
“Relax, okay? There’s nothing to be scared about. She’s actually a friend. I know her very well.” His words are smooth, measured, meant to calm, but they land like blows against her chest. “And well, I think once upon a time, she and Dominic were… acquainted, in some kind of way. I never expected she would actually become his girlfriend. Dominic was always wary about women. This is surprising, though.”
Aria’s breath stutters. The floor seems to tilt beneath her. She blinks again, rapid, her disbelief spilling out. “You are seriously not believing that crap. There is no way she is his girlfriend.”
Vincenzo chuckles lightly, as if amused by her stubbornness. “Well, she is his girlfriend. Yes. I don’t know why you’re so bothered about that, but please—just let it go. Everything is going to be fine, okay? You will be in safe hands if she watches over you.”
Her lips part, her throat working as words try to force their way out. “But—”
“Okay, take care, baby,” he interrupts smoothly. “I have work I need to finish now. I’ll see you at home later.”
The line goes dead.
Aria lowers the phone slowly, staring at the screen in blank disbelief before her hand falls limply to her side. The silence rushes back, deafening, heavy. Her eyes lift to the guest room door across the corridor, the sight stabbing through her with fresh rage.
Her body vibrates with anger, disbelief bleeding into fury. Her lips tremble, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she shakes her head. No. No, this can’t be happening. Her father—of all people—can’t be siding with them.
A guttural sound tears from her throat. She slams her palm against the wood of her door, the loud crack of skin on surface echoing through the corridor. A groan spills out, raw and uncontained, as she leans her forehead against the panel.
“Hell no,” she mutters, her voice harsh, her teeth clenched. “There is no way he succeeded.”
She pulls back, her frown twisting into something darker, sharper, her eyes burning with determination.
Her palm slams against the door again, louder this time, her voice breaking through in a low, seething hiss. “You are going to regret this decision, Dominic. You are so fucking going to regret it.”
She stumbles into her room, her body trembling with rage, and slams the door shut behind her with a force that rattles the frame.