The Shot That Changed Everything
1046 Words
Chapter 32 — The Shot That Changed Everything
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
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Aria’s POV
BANG.
The sound split the air, deafening in the narrow corridor.
I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut as the smell of gunpowder filled my lungs.
For a second, I didn’t feel anything. No pain. No heat. Nothing.
Then… I heard a low, guttural groan.
I opened my eyes — and froze.
“Damian!”
He stumbled back, one hand gripping his side, blood seeping through his black shirt.
“No—no, no, no…” My hands shot out instinctively, catching him before he could fall, my fingers trembling as they pressed against the wound.
His jaw clenched, eyes sharp despite the pain.
“I’m fine,” he rasped. “It’s a graze.”
But the red soaking my palms told a different story.
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Damian’s POV
Lucas lowered his weapon, stepping closer, his expression unreadable.
“Boss,” he said softly, his voice almost… regretful. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I tasted iron on my tongue, forcing myself upright despite the searing pain in my ribs.
“Why, Lucas?” I managed, my voice steady despite the chaos erupting around us.
He hesitated — just for a fraction of a second.
Then his jaw tightened.
“You stopped being my boss the moment you chose her.”
His words sliced deeper than the bullet ever could.
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Aria’s POV
I felt my chest tighten, breath stuttering.
He blamed me.
Lucas blamed me for this.
Before I could respond, Victor fired off three quick shots, forcing Lucas to duck behind cover.
“Get your priorities straight, Damian,” Victor hissed, reloading without even looking at us.
“Either you kill him now… or we all drown.”
I turned to Damian, my hand still pressing desperately against his wound.
“You can’t,” I whispered. “He was your friend.”
Damian’s gaze hardened, distant and cold.
“Not anymore.”
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Damian’s POV
I stepped out from behind the crates, ignoring the pain burning through my side.
Lucas emerged at the same time, gun raised, his movements sharp, efficient — trained by me.
“You taught me everything I know,” he said calmly.
“You made me into this.”
“And I regret every second,” I spat back, raising my weapon.
He smiled faintly, tilting his head.
“Funny… because I don’t.”
We fired at the same time.
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Aria’s POV
Two shots.
Two screams.
And then silence.
My heart stopped as I crawled out from behind the crates, praying, begging, pleading for the universe to be merciful.
Damian was still standing.
Lucas… wasn’t.
He fell to his knees, gun clattering to the floor, his breath ragged and shallow as blood pooled beneath him.
For a moment, he looked up at Damian — not angry, not vengeful… just tired.
“You… chose her,” he whispered hoarsely, before collapsing against the cold, wet concrete.
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Damian’s POV
I stared at Lucas’s body, my chest heaving, my ribs screaming in protest.
I wanted to feel anger. Victory. Relief.
But all I felt was… hollow.
I’d trained him. Trusted him. Built an empire with him.
And now he was gone — another name, another ghost, another scar on my soul.
Aria’s hand touched my arm gently.
“Damian,” she whispered, her voice soft and broken.
“We need to move.”
I looked down at her, at the fear in her eyes, at the blood on my hands — her blood, my blood, Lucas’s blood.
And for the first time in years…
I felt uncertain.
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Aria’s POV
Victor cursed under his breath, snapping me back to reality.
“Less crying, more moving,” he barked, pointing at the rapidly rising water.
“If we don’t get to the shaft in the next five minutes, we’ll all be fish food.”
I tightened my grip on Damian’s arm.
“Can you walk?”
He gave a short nod, teeth clenched.
“I can fight,” he muttered, wiping the blood from his jaw.
Victor keyed in another code at the next steel door, his hands moving quickly.
Behind us, the rushing water roared louder, swallowing the tunnel inch by inch.
The door finally slid open, revealing a narrow spiral staircase.
“Up,” Victor ordered. “Now.”
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Damian’s POV
Every step burned like fire, but I kept going, Aria’s hand steadying me as we climbed.
The deeper we went, the louder the echoes of chaos behind us became — shouting, running, gunfire in the distance.
Lucas’s betrayal wasn’t the only one.
“Victor,” I growled, gripping the railing tightly.
“You knew about this.”
He glanced back at me, an unreadable smirk playing at his lips.
“I knew Lucas had doubts. I didn’t know he’d make a move tonight.”
“Liar,” I spat.
He didn’t deny it.
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Aria’s POV
We finally reached the top, bursting into a dimly lit control room filled with monitors and old security panels.
Victor shut the door behind us, locking it tight.
“Safe,” he announced, leaning casually against a desk.
“For now.”
I collapsed into a chair, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I tried to catch my breath.
But Damian didn’t sit.
He stood there, silent and dangerous, staring at Victor like a predator deciding whether to strike.
“Talk,” Damian ordered coldly.
“Now.”
Victor smiled faintly.
“Oh, Damian,” he said softly, almost amused.
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
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Cliffhanger Ending
Victor reached into his coat pocket slowly, deliberately.
I froze, watching him closely, expecting a weapon.
But instead…
he pulled out a small black flash drive and tossed it onto the table.
“This,” he said, his voice low and laced with menace,
“is everything your father died to protect.”
My stomach dropped.
Damian’s head snapped toward him, his face pale beneath the blood.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Victor leaned forward, his smile sharp and cruel.
“Your empire, Damian,” he whispered.
“Was never yours to begin with.”
- Writer
