The Devil’s Game
834 Words
Chapter 10 — The Devil’s Game
(Dual POV — Aria & Damian)
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Aria’s POV
I couldn’t breathe.
Victor was gone.
The corridors buzzed with chaos — men barking orders into radios, the metallic clatter of weapons being loaded, the thunder of boots pounding against marble floors. But somehow, through all the noise, I heard only one sound: the echo of Damian’s confession.
> “I killed him.”
My father.
The man who tucked me in at night, who taught me how to ride a bike, who told me to always fight for the truth.
Gone.
And the man standing in front of me — the one whose touch made my heart race and whose gaze stripped me bare — was the reason.
I wanted to hate him.
But God help me… I couldn’t.
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“Aria.” Damian’s voice cut through the storm inside me, deep and commanding. “Come with me.”
I blinked up at him, dazed. “What?”
“It’s not safe here anymore.” His hand brushed my elbow, guiding me toward the private elevator. “Victor won’t stop until he gets to you.”
My throat tightened. “Why me?”
His gaze locked on mine, intense and unrelenting. “Because you’re the only leverage he has against me.”
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Damian’s POV
I didn’t have time to explain, not here, not now.
Victor’s escape changed everything.
If he got to Aria before I did, she wouldn’t just be in danger — she’d become a weapon aimed straight at my heart.
I ushered her into the elevator, Cole following close behind, his gun drawn.
“Penthouse,” I ordered. Cole hit the button and the doors slid shut.
Aria pressed herself into the far corner, arms wrapped tightly around her body. She wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t speak.
That silence… it was worse than her anger.
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“Listen to me,” I said, keeping my voice low and even. “Your father wasn’t who you thought he was.”
Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with fury. “Don’t you dare try to rewrite his memory to justify what you did.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. “I’m not justifying anything. I’m telling you the truth. He was working with Victor. He was laundering money through my companies — and he knew exactly what it meant.”
She froze, her knuckles whitening where she gripped the railing.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
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Aria’s POV
The elevator hummed around us, the silence heavy and suffocating.
I wanted to scream at him, to claw the smug calm off his face, but deep down… something in his voice, the quiet devastation in his eyes, made me pause.
If he was lying, why did he look so broken?
Before I could ask, Cole’s radio crackled to life.
> “Boss, it’s bad. South wing compromised. Cameras down. We think Victor’s inside.”
My stomach dropped.
Damian’s entire body stiffened. “How long ago?”
“Two minutes.”
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Damian slammed the emergency stop button on the elevator.
“Cole,” he barked, pulling his gun, “get her to the safe room.”
Cole nodded, reaching for me, but I stepped back instinctively.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening,” I demanded, my voice shaking.
Damian grabbed my face gently but firmly, his eyes boring into mine.
“Aria. Listen to me. Victor wants you alive, but not safe. Do. Not. Leave. Cole’s side. Understand?”
I nodded, though my knees trembled beneath me.
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Damian’s POV
The doors slid open to chaos.
Gunfire cracked in the distance, men shouting commands as smoke filled the air. Victor had planned this perfectly — not just an escape, but an attack.
Cole shoved Aria behind him as I scanned the hallway, my weapon drawn.
“West corridor!” a guard shouted, and I bolted, adrenaline surging through me.
Victor was here somewhere. And he wasn’t alone.
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Aria’s POV
I clung to Cole’s arm as we ducked behind a marble column. My chest rose and fell in rapid bursts, each breath burning in my lungs.
Somewhere above the chaos, I heard Damian’s voice — low, deadly, commanding.
Then I heard another voice.
Victor’s.
“Ariaaa!” His sing-song taunt echoed through the corridor like a nightmare. “You can’t hide forever, sweetheart…”
Cole cursed under his breath, tightening his grip on his gun. “Stay behind me.”
I nodded, my heart hammering so loudly I was sure Victor could hear it from across the building.
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Cliffhanger Ending
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the smoke, hands raised.
It wasn’t Victor.
It was Sofia.
Her face was pale, her lips trembling.
“Aria,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
Before I could ask why, she lifted a gun — and aimed it straight at me.
- Writer
