Chapter 240
Aria's POV
My father's face contorted with rage. He lunged for my phone, but I was ready, stepping back and holding it away. The evidence of Victoria's confession about my mother's murder—and his involvement—was safely backed up, just as I'd claimed. I watched as comprehension dawned on his face, followed by something I'd never seen there before: fear.
"You're lying," he hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You've always been too dramatic, just like your mother."
The comparison to my mother, especially now, ignited something primal within me. "Don't you dare speak of her. Not after what you did."
William Harper, the man I'd called father for twenty-four years, crossed the space between us with shocking speed. His fingers found my throat, squeezing with enough pressure to make me gasp. I clawed at his hands, shocked by the sudden violence from a man who'd always maintained such a controlled public image.
"Where is Victoria?" he demanded, his voice trembling with rage. "What have you done with my wife?"
Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as his grip tightened. The irony wasn't lost on me, even as I struggled for air. How perfectly the circle had closed—from poisoning my mother to strangling me. The Harper family legacy of violence.
"You see," I managed to rasp out, "you're getting... exactly what you deserve. Is this... how mother felt... when she was dying? Struggling... for breath?"
Something in my words must have struck home. His eyes widened fractionally, but his fingers only tightened further. The black spots multiplied, my lungs burning for oxygen.
"Father, please..." I gasped, not in supplication but accusation. The word 'father' tasted like poison on my tongue.
The door to the study crashed open. Elsa stood frozen in horror at the threshold. "Mr. Harper! Stop!" she screamed, rushing forward.
But it wasn't Elsa who saved me. A mountain of a man appeared behind her—Roman, Devon's head of security. He moved with surprising grace for someone his size, crossing the room in three long strides and wrenching my father's hands from my throat.
William struggled against Roman's iron grip, his face purple with rage. "Get your hands off me! This is my house! I'll have you arrested!"
Roman barely seemed to notice my father's struggles as he efficiently secured William's arms behind his back. "Harper sir, assaulting your daughter is a felony," he said, his voice coldly professional. "Especially with witnesses present."
My father's eyes darted to Elsa, who stood trembling by the doorway, her hands covering her mouth in horror. For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his face.
I massaged my throat, feeling the tender spots that would surely bruise by morning. Each breath rasped painfully, but I forced myself to stand straight, refusing to show weakness.
"We're done here," I said, my voice hoarse but steady. "We're done forever, Father."
William's struggle against Roman's hold ceased abruptly. "Aria, be reasonable," he said, his tone shifting to one I recognized well—the voice he used to close business deals. "Victoria is clearly unstable. She's been making wild accusations. I need to speak with her, to understand what's going on."
I almost laughed at the transparent attempt. "What's going on is that Victoria confessed to poisoning my mother with rare heavy metals—metals that you provided. What's going on is that the two of you murdered my mother so you could be together."
"That's preposterous," he blustered, but I could see the truth in his eyes.
"You have three days," I said, gathering my purse from where I'd dropped it during our struggle.
"Three days for what?" he asked, wary now.
"To turn yourself in. To confess to what you and Victoria did." I moved toward the door, each step deliberate despite the pain in my throat. "After that, every piece of evidence—Victoria's confession, Mom's journals documenting her symptoms, the financial records showing your purchases of those specific metals—goes to the district attorney."
"You wouldn't," he breathed. "You'd destroy the Harper name. Your own name."
I paused at the threshold, looking back at the stranger who had raised me. "Choose, Father. A dignified confession and guilty plea, or watch the Harper empire crumble in the biggest scandal Manhattan has seen in decades." I straightened my shoulders. "Either way, I'll be building something new from the ashes—something that doesn't carry your poison."
As I walked out, I heard him call my name once, his voice cracking with something that might have been regret. I didn't look back.
Roman released my father and followed me out, maintaining a respectful distance as we left the house. In the driveway, Devon's sleek black Bentley waited, its engine purring softly in the night.
"Mr. Kane instructed me to bring you directly to the hospital, Ms. Harper," Roman said, opening the rear door.
I touched my throat gingerly. "Is that necessary? I'm fine."
Roman's expression remained impassive, but his eyes were kind. "Mr. Kane was very specific, ma'am. He said to tell you that arguing would be futile."
Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips. That sounded exactly like Devon. I slid into the car without further protest.
At the private medical facility, a doctor examined the bruising on my neck with professional detachment. "These marks are consistent with manual strangulation," she said, her tone carefully neutral. "Ms. Harper, are you in a domestic violence situation? We have resources that can help."
"It wasn't—" I began, then stopped. What was the point of defending William now? "Yes," I said simply. "But I'm handling it."
The doctor made a note on her tablet. "The bruising will fade in a week or so. There's no permanent damage to your trachea, fortunately. I'm going to prescribe a mild analgesic for the pain, and I recommend ice packs to reduce the swelling."
As she spoke, the door opened, and Devon strode in. The doctor immediately stepped between us, her stance protective.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside," she said firmly. "We're in the middle of an examination."
Devon stopped short, his expression momentarily confused before understanding dawned. His eyes flickered to my neck, then to the doctor's defensive posture, and his jaw tightened.
"You think I did this?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft.
"Devon, it's okay," I said quickly, reaching out to touch his arm. "She doesn't know."
The doctor glanced between us, clearly uncertain. "Sir, I've already contacted hospital security—"
"That won't be necessary," I interrupted. "This is Devon Kane. He's not the one who hurt me. In fact, he sent someone to stop it."
Devon's eyes hadn't left my neck, where I knew angry red marks were already darkening to purple. His expression was coldly furious, but when he finally spoke, his voice was controlled. "Doctor, please complete your examination. I'll wait outside."
Once the doctor finished and left to prepare my discharge papers, Devon returned, closing the door quietly behind him. He crossed to where I sat on the examination table and, with uncharacteristic gentleness, tilted my chin up to examine the bruises.
"William did this," he said. It wasn't a question.
I nodded, unable to speak past the sudden lump in my throat. Not from pain, but from the tenderness in his touch—so different from the violence I'd experienced earlier.
"He'll pay for it," Devon said simply.
"I've already handled it," I replied, my voice raspy. "I gave him three days to turn himself in. After that, everything goes public."
Devon's thumb traced lightly over my collarbone, just below the bruising. "And if he doesn't take your offer?"
"Then I destroy everything he's built," I said, surprised by the steel in my own voice.
Something like approval flickered in Devon's eyes. "Good girl."
We left the hospital shortly after, sliding into the back of his Bentley. Roman was behind the wheel, his massive frame somehow fitting comfortably in the driver's seat. As we pulled away, Devon's hand found mine in the darkness, his fingers intertwining with my own.
"William Harper knows what you look like now, Roman," Devon said, his tone conversational despite the tension I could feel in his body. "If he comes near Aria again, deal with him appropriately."
"Yes, sir," Roman replied, his eyes meeting Devon's briefly in the rearview mirror.