Chapter 224
POV: Aria
The moment felt heavy when Dante came down the stairs. He looked tired, like he had carried too much on his shoulders for too long. He loosened his sleeves as he walked toward us, his eyes sharp and alert even if his body looked worn. Enzo and Matteo were already there with me, and I could feel the quiet tension in the room. Dante stopped near us, and Enzo spoke first. “She wants to see Valentina,” he said simply.
Dante’s eyes narrowed instantly. His voice was firm when he said, “No.” The word felt like a wall‘ between us. “It is not safe. She does not need to see what is down there.” He looked at me like he
was trying to protect me from something I might not understand.
I didn’t argue. I just held his gaze. That quiet stubbornness inside me made him sigh, a long breath of frustration. He muttèred something about me being impossible. Then, finally, he said, “Fine. But we stay close.” I nodded, relief and something else swelling in my chest. I was ready.
We moved toward the heavy door that led to the basement. The metal handle was cold under my fingers when Dante pushed it open. Two guards stood waiting. They were tall and serious, their eyes sharp behind their weapons. When the triplets walked past, the guards stepped aside and bowed
their heads slightly. I saw it clearly then. My men were feared. It made my heart tighten and my stomach twist in a strange way.
As we started down the stairs, the triplets helped me like I was fragile. Dante held my arm steady, Matteo’s hand was warm and firm on my back, and Enzo walked just behind me, ready to catch me if I fell. I told them I could walk on my own, but none of them loosened their hold. The air grew cooler
as we descended, heavy and smelling faintly like metal and dust.
At the bottom, I saw her. Valentina. Sitting in a chair that was bolted to the floor. Her wrists were
tied. Her hair was wild, strands falling in her face. The dark circles under her eyes made her look
hollow and tired beyond words. Cuts and bruises marked her skin, some fresh and angry, others fading but still raw. When she looked up at us, her face was full of defiance and hatred. She did not
want us there.
My chest felt tight, cold. I hated seeing her like this. I turned quickly to the triplets. “I never wanted her to be tortured,” I said. My voice was sharp. They said nothing. Their faces were hard and
unreadable.
I stepped closer to Valentina. She did not meet my eyes. Her gaze was fixed somewhere far away, or maybe she just refused to look at me. “Why?” I asked softly. No answer. I took another step forward, my voice sharper this time, “Why?”
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Chapter 224
She still would not look at me. The silence stretched between us until I yelled, “Why?” The sound surprised her. The triplets moved forward quickly, but I raised my hand, telling them to stay back. I needed to hear this.
Her eyes flashed with anger. But tears were there too, shining like fragile jewels. She spat the words at me. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re stuck in here with men who would die for you, who give you anything you want, with all the fucking money in the world.”
I laughed bitterly. “It was not always like this,” I said. “Even then, I would never endanger someone’s life, especially someone close to me, just for money.” My voice was cold, steady. She said nothing. Her silence was its own answer.
