Chapter 5 Chapter 5.
Aria's eyes slowly opened to the morning light, her face etched with exhaustion and sorrow, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy from hours of tears. Her skin was pale, and her features were drawn, as if the weight of her emotions had drained the vitality from her. Her hair was disheveled, tangled from tossing and turning in the darkness. Her body felt heavy, weighed down by the emotional toll of the night's tears. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light, and her gaze distant, still lost in the pain and sorrow that consumed her throughout the night.
She finally arose from the threshold, her legs sour from the bad posture she had been all through the night. She couldn't spend the night in the house. The ghosts, the memories, the emptiness, the heaviness—they'd haunt her.
She slowly made her way to the back of the house to their burial place. Crouching down between the two graves, her heart rented.
"I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry," she began, her eyes pooling with tears again. "I brought this upon you both. I couldn't erase my past completely, I let it catch up with me... I let it... I let it envelope you in its darkness. I'm so sorry."
Her tears flowed like a river, her shoulders shaking vehemently as her fingers dig deep into the clay.
"But I swear, I'll take the life of the man that did this to you both. Just like he took yours, I'll take his life...with my own hands."
Aria's words hung heavy in the air, thick with remorse and determination. The weight of her grief was now met with a burgeoning fire within her, a fierce need for justice that overshadowed her sorrow. She pressed her palms into the cool earth of their graves one last time, seeking solace in her connection to them both as she whispered promises of vengeance.
After what felt like an eternity lost in her anguish, she rose from the ground, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I won’t let you down," she said softly, looking at the headstones like they were still watching her, still believing in her.
With a heavy heart but unyielding resolve, Aria made her way back into the house—the very place she had fled from last night, desperate to escape the ghosts that lingered in the corners of every room. The door creaked open, each sound echoing against the walls that once sheltered love and laughter. It felt foreign now, a prison built from memories that tormented her. But as she stepped inside, she knew what she had to do.
Moving down the hall, the dim morning light poured through the windows, casting long shadows that danced across the wooden floors. Aria breathed deeply, grounding herself as she weaved through her morning routine, getting ready quickly for the day.
In less than an hour, she was clad in a knee-length black dress and a black coat just a little longer, over the dress and a pair of black of boots on her feet. With a deep breath, she stepped out of the house, making her way to Lucien's lair.
In two hours, Aria stood before the towering iron gates of Lucien Moretti’s mansion.
The air was heavier than yesterday. Maybe it was her breath catching in her throat—or maybe it was the knowledge that once she crossed this line, there’d be no turning back.
The gates opened without her having to knock, the security system already identifying her. A silent invitation. "Wow, love the new development," she muttered.
She stepped in, expecting to be questioned by the guards but instead they just let her pass freely.
The sleek black doors of the mansion loomed ahead, guarded by marble lions, silence and two hefty guards at each sides. She was ushered her in by a guard who escorted her to Lucien's room.
Inside, Lucien stood by the fireplace, dressed in an unbuttoned black shirt and dark trousers, sleeves rolled up, forearms flexed.
He looked dangerous.
And absurdly, disgustingly good.
"You’re on time," he said without looking at her, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.
“I’m here to sign, not chat,” she gave a blunt reply.
He turned then, eyes tracing her from her coat down to her boots. “Straight to business. I like that.”
Aria walked into the room, keeping her posture strong. “Do you have the contract?”
Lucien gave a short nod and walked to the desk near the window. He picked up a thick folder and dropped it in front of her with a thud.
“There it is. Read carefully. I don’t like tears later.”
She eyed the folder. “So this is your idea of justice? Legal slavery?”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Legal partnership. Very different.”
Aria sat, fingers trembling slightly as she flipped through the first few pages.
Clause 1: Total obedience for the duration of the agreement.
Clause 2: Confidentiality—nothing discussed or witnessed is to be shared outside this arrangement.
Clause 3: She would live under his roof, travel with him when needed, and follow his commands.
Clause 4: The contract lasts until her enemies are dealt with.
“You want me to move in?” she asked sharply.
Lucien leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. “You’ll be protected here. That’s part of the deal. I don’t let my people sleep under leaky roofs and broken locks.”
“I’m not your people,” she snapped.
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “You will be. You signed up for this.”
She looked up at him, something bitter rising in her throat. “What about me? What if I want out?”
“There is no out,” he said, voice colder than ice. “Not until I say it’s over. You want revenge? You follow my rules.”
Her heart pounded in her chest.
“What if I say no?” she challenged.
Lucien walked around the desk, slowly, until he stood behind her. He leaned down, his breath brushing her ear.
“Then walk away now, Aria,” he whispered, his voice a dark caress. “But we both know you won’t. Because I’m the only one who can give you what you want.”
Her breath hitched. His presence was suffocating, intoxicating, maddening.
She hated him.
She needed him.
Aria closed her eyes for a second and gripped the pen. "Can I ask you a something?" She asked hesitantly. "Why did you ask for me? I mean your price for getting me justice, why's it me?"
"Do you have any other thing to pay with?" He returned her question and she fell silent, her reality settling heavily on her.
"So you see, I am being generous," he smirked.
"Generous," Aria scoffed.
Gripping the pen tightly, the weight of the past, the injustice, the pain all crushed down on her. And without another thought, she signed.
Lucien didn’t move. Didn’t say a word. But the air changed.
Something shifted.
She had crossed the threshold.
“Congratulations,” he said finally, stepping back. “You’re mine now.”
The words sent a chill down her spine.
She stood, defiant. “Don’t mistake this contract for submission.”
He smiled, slow and wicked. “I never do.”
