Aria Vale
The air in the penthouse felt different as I entered. The weight of the Monarch Syndicate hung in the air, an unseen, suffocating presence. I didn't know if it was the shadows of the city outside or the suffocating truth I had learned from Elena Ward. Either way, I knew this was the moment I had to confront him.
Damian.
I could hear the sound of his footsteps echoing in the hallway before he appeared at the top of the stairs. He was still in that pristine suit, like he always was, too damn perfect. But the look on his face was different today. There was an edge to his usual composure.
"I wasn't expecting you," he said, his voice cool but with an undertone I couldn't place.
I didn't waste time with pleasantries. The question had been burning inside me ever since Elena Ward had dropped the bombshell about my father's debts and the hidden hand of the Monarch Syndicate.
"What the hell do you know about the Monarch Syndicate, Damian?" My words were sharp, cutting through the silence between us like a blade.
His gaze didn't falter, but the tiniest flicker of something flashed across his face before he masked it. It was enough to make my stomach twist. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
"The Monarch Syndicate?" he repeated, voice steady. "Why would you ask about that?"
My fingers tightened into fists at my sides. I was so damn close to the truth. So close to understanding everything—my father's downfall, the debts he left behind, and Damian's involvement in all of it.
"Don't play me for a fool," I snapped. "I know about the syndicate, Damian. I know it was one of the reasons behind my father's ruin. And you're involved. How deep does it go?"
I could feel the tension in the room building, thickening around us. The truth was there, just waiting for him to acknowledge it. But he wasn't going to give it up that easily.
"I'm not involved in whatever story you've been fed," he replied coolly, his jaw tight. He stepped closer, slowly, closing the gap between us. "But your father was."
I didn't step back. Instead, I leaned in, my gaze unyielding. "He was my father, Damian. And if you think I'm going to let this go, you're wrong. You and the Monarch Syndicate—you've all been playing a game with my life. You owe me the truth."
A silence fell over us, thick and heavy. I could feel the power shift in the room as Damian's eyes darkened. There was a flicker of something in his gaze—something guarded, maybe regret, maybe guilt. But it vanished before I could get a proper read on it.
"Your father wasn't the man you think he was, Aria," Damian said quietly, his voice softer now, almost reflective. "He made deals with people who didn't care about the consequences. And when those debts came due, he wasn't the one who could pay."
I flinched, the words cutting deeper than I expected.
"My father wasn't the man I thought he was."
A bitter laugh slipped from my lips. "And you think I'm supposed to just accept that? That everything I've built since his death was based on lies? You're telling me my father was just a victim?"
Damian's expression hardened, but there was a flicker of something—something almost like understanding. "I'm not saying he was just a victim. But he had ties to people who were far more dangerous than you realize. I'm trying to protect you from the same fate. From making the same mistakes he did."
I felt my breath catch. The weight of his words settled over me, and for the first time, I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear them. But I couldn't back down now.
"I'm not afraid of the truth, Damian," I said, my voice steady despite the churn of emotions inside me. "Tell me what my father was involved in. Tell me how the Monarch Syndicate fits into all of this."
He stared at me for a long moment, like he was weighing something deep within himself. Then, with a sigh that seemed to echo with something like regret, he spoke.
"The Monarch Syndicate is a shadow, Aria. It doesn't leave traces. It doesn't make deals the way normal people do. But your father… he got in over his head. He made choices that put everyone he cared about in danger."
I stepped forward, my pulse racing. "And you? Where do you fit into all of this? Were you helping him? Or were you just using him to get ahead?"
Damian didn't flinch, but I saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw clenched. "It's not as simple as you want to make it. I was trying to stop your father from sinking deeper into their web. I didn't want you to be dragged into it."
"Did you ever care about that?" I shot back, anger surging through me. "Or was this all just part of your game? Was I just another pawn to you?"
His gaze hardened again, and for a moment, I thought he might snap. But he didn't. He held my stare, the weight of the unspoken tension hanging thick between us.
"I've always cared about you, Aria. Even when I shouldn't have."
I almost didn't hear him. The words were too much, too heavy to process in that moment. But I knew one thing for sure—he was hiding something. And if I wanted the truth about the Monarch Syndicate, about my father, and about him, I had to keep pushing.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
"I'm not backing down, Damian. I want the truth. And you're going to give it to me, I don't care what I have to do to force it out of you. I'm going to find out the truth" I Damian in the staircase and walked off. I know there is more to this story.