Aria's POV

Morning came quietly.

Too quietly.

For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling.

Then—

It came back.

The photo.

The note.

The past I had buried.

My chest tightened slightly…

But not like last night.

No panic.

No loss of control.

Just—

Awareness.

I turned slightly.

Maureen was still beside me, fast asleep, her hand loosely gripping my shirt.

Even in her sleep, she didn’t let go.

I watched her for a brief second.

Then gently pulled away.

The floor was cold beneath my feet as I stood.

I walked straight to the mirror.

The same mirror.

The same place I had seen myself break.

For a moment—

I expected to see her again.

That version of me.

The one I buried.

But this time…

There was nothing.

Just me.

I straightened slightly.

Adjusted my posture.

My expression.

Everything fell back into place.

By the time I stepped out, Lucian was already waiting.

“Boss.”

“What did you find?” I asked.

His expression was darker than usual.

“There’s no record of the delivery.”

I didn’t react.

“No camera footage. No guard reports. No system trigger.”

A pause.

“It’s like… it never happened.”

Silence.

Lucian hesitated slightly.

“Whoever delivered that package…”

His voice lowered.

“…was never there.”

Of course.

Maureen stepped in just then.

“Ari…”

“I’m fine,” I said before she could ask.

A pause.

Then softly—

“You don’t have to pretend with me.”

For a brief second—

My hand stilled.

Then I moved.

“Lucian,” I said, already walking past them, “lock down internal security.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“No announcements. No leaks.”

“I want every staff member from the last forty-eight hours reviewed.”

“Understood.”

“And re-run all surveillance manually.”

“Not through the system.”

Lucian’s gaze sharpened.

“You suspect interference?”

“I don’t suspect.”

I stopped.

“I know.”

The photo and the note were placed on the table.

I picked it up again.

This time—

I didn’t rush.

I looked.

Carefully.

Every detail.

Every shadow.

Every line.

I shifted slightly toward the light.

Adjusted the angle.

And then—

I saw it.

A detail.

Small.

Deliberate.

My fingers stilled.

Of course.

A faint breath left me.

“He hasn’t changed,” I said quietly.

Lucian’s voice followed.

“You know who sent it.”

Not a question.

I didn’t answer.

"It wasn’t random,” I continued.

“It was intentional.”

My gaze dropped briefly to the note.

Little Aria… did you miss me?

A slow breath.

Controlled.

“He wanted me to see it.”

A pause.

“And he knew I would.”

Lucian stepped closer.

“Then we can trace it.”

“No.”

That stopped him.

“He won’t be found,” I said calmly.

“Not unless he wants to be.”

Silence settled.

I placed the photo back on the table.

Neatly.

“He’s not careless.”

A pause.

“He’s patient.”

Maureen’s voice came softly.

“Ari… who is he?”

I didn’t answer at first.

“He’s a De Luca Nera.”

That was all.

Lucian straightened instantly.

Maureen went quiet.

Neither of them asked again.

I turned away.

“We’re not waiting.”

Lucian’s voice followed.

“For what?”

I didn’t turn.

“For him.”

A pause.

“We hunt first.”

My eyes flicked once more to the note.

My expression didn’t change.

“He sent a message.”

A beat.

“Now I’ll send one back.”

✦ Elsewhere

The music cut off abruptly.

“Again.”

A loud groan echoed through the practice room.

“Again?” luca who seemed to be the youngest complained, dropping dramatically to the floor. “At this point, I deserve compensation.”

“You deserve better timing,” the instructor replied flatly.

A few laughs broke out.

“Get up Luca,” Ethan nudged him with his foot. “You’re embarrassing us.”

“I am the entertainment,” he shot back with a grin.

“Positions.”

One of them stretched lazily. “If I collapse mid-performance, just know it was because of this moment.”

“No Dex,” Ethan replied. “It’ll be because you’re dramatic.”

“Same thing.”

A soft chuckle came from behind them.

“Focus,” jayden said, nudging the Dex as he passed. “You were late.”

“I was not.”

“You were.”

“Traitor.”

“From the top.”

The music dropped.

Seven bodies moved in sync.

Sharp.

Precise.

Clean.

“Stop.”

“You’re dragging the second transition again,” the instructor said.

“That was him,” Luca pointed immediately.

“Why is it always me?” Dex protested.

“Because it’s always you.” Ethan retorted

The boys laughed.

Rowan exhaled lightly, grabbing a towel. “Just fix it so we can leave.”

“Thank you,” Noah said. “Finally, a sensible person.”

“I’ve always been sensible.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Again.”

They ran it one more time.

Perfect.

“Better.”

Their manager stepped in with a tablet.

“Schedule update.”

Groans.

“Do we ever rest?” Luca asked falling to the floor.

“No.” The manager answered with a shrug

“I knew fame was a scam.”

“Media appearance moved forward,” He continued. “Also… expect questions.”

“About what?” Jayden asked

He glanced down briefly.

“A CEO that’s been trending.”

“Another one?” Dex said like it was not a new thing.

“What did they do this time?” Zane asked

“Scandal? Lawsuit?” Ethan asked while joining Luca on the floor 

Rowan took a sip of water, half-listening.

“New name. She's expanding globally and apparently very famous among the Elites?” Noah asked.

He paused.

“Aria De Luca Nera.”

“Wait—who?” Zane asked

“That name sounds expensive.” Luca said sitting up

“Definitely rich-rich.” Ethan said agreeing with Luca 

Light laughter filled the room.

Rowan didn’t laugh.

Not immediately.

The bottle in his hand stilled—

Just for a second.

Then he lowered it.

Expression unchanged.

“…Sounds familiar,” he said lightly.

“Of course it does,” Dex replied. “She’s everywhere.”

“Yeah, rich people drama.” Noah said

He gave a small nod.

“Probably.”

“Break time,” the instructor called.

Instant movement.

Some dropped to the floor.

Others grabbed snacks.

“Don’t talk to me for five minutes,” Ethan said.

“No one wants to,” Luca replied.

They giggled at the two youngest bickering.

Easy.

Normal.

And just like that—

Everything continued.