The Name In The Dark
837 Words
“Aria.”
The whisper came again.
Closer this time.
Aria's heart hammered against her chest.
Dante immediately pulled her behind him.
“Don't move.”
The mansion was completely dark.
Somewhere downstairs, glass shattered.
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Check every room!”
Dante's men shouted back, but the darkness made everything confusing.
Aria gripped the back of Dante's jacket.
“Who are they?”
“People who should have stayed away.”
A figure suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway.
Dante raised his weapon.
“Stop.”
The figure froze.
Then the emergency lights flickered on.
It was one of Dante's guards.
“Boss, they're inside.”
Dante's expression hardened.
“How many?”
“At least six.”
“Get everyone to the west wing.”
The guard nodded and disappeared.
Dante turned toward Aria.
“You're coming with me.”
“I want answers.”
“You'll get them when you're safe.”
“No.”
He stared at her.
“I've spent my entire life believing one story about myself. Tonight, I find out almost everything I knew was a lie.”
Her voice trembled.
“I deserve the truth.”
Dante looked at her for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
“Fine.”
He led her into his study and locked the door behind them.
“Your real father,” Dante began, “was not Daniel Bennett.”
Aria held her breath.
“Then who was he?”
Dante walked toward the desk and opened a hidden compartment.
Inside was a small black folder.
He placed it in front of her.
“His name was Adrian Vale.”
Aria frowned.
“Vale?”
Dante nodded.
“He was my father's biggest rival.”
She stared at him.
“You're saying my biological father was a mafia boss?”
“One of the most powerful men in the city.”
Aria slowly opened the folder.
There were photographs, newspaper clippings and documents.
One photograph showed a younger man standing beside Isabella Romano.
Aria looked closer.
The resemblance was undeniable.
The eyes.
The shape of the face.
She looked away.
“Why did my father give me away?”
Dante's expression softened slightly.
“Because Adrian was going to war with my family.”
“And I was caught in the middle?”
“You were more than that.”
Dante picked up another photograph.
“Your mother died when you were very young.”
Aria swallowed.
“What happened to her?”
“She disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“No body was ever found.”
Aria's fingers trembled.
“So she's alive?”
“I don't know.”
She stared at him.
“You said your mother was killed.”
“She was.”
“And mine?”
“Missing.”
A sudden crash came from outside the study.
Dante immediately moved toward the door.
“Stay here.”
Before he could reach it, the door burst open.
A man rushed inside.
Dante reacted instantly.
The struggle lasted only seconds before the intruder was forced to the floor.
Dante's men surrounded him.
“Who sent you?” Dante demanded.
The man laughed.
“You really don't know, do you?”
Dante grabbed him by the collar.
“Know what?”
The man's eyes moved toward Aria.
“She isn't the key.”
Dante froze.
The man smiled.
“She is the heir.”
Aria's breath caught.
“Heir to what?”
The stranger laughed again.
“Ask your father.”
Dante's expression changed.
“My father is dead.”
The man shook his head.
“No.”
Silence filled the room.
“He's alive.”
Aria felt dizzy.
“My father?”
The stranger looked directly at her.
“Adrian Vale is alive.”
Dante's men exchanged shocked looks.
Dante stepped forward.
“Where is he?”
The stranger smiled.
“Closer than you think.”
Then he swallowed something hidden in his mouth.
Dante immediately realized what was happening.
“Get him out!”
But it was too late.
The man's eyes closed.
Aria stared in horror.
Dante turned toward her.
“Don't look.”
She couldn't move.
Her entire world had changed again.
Her father was alive.
Her mother might be alive.
Daniel Bennett wasn't her biological father.
And the man she had been taught to fear her entire life might be the only person who knew the truth about her existence.
Then Dante's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
A pause.
Then his eyes slowly moved toward Aria.
“What happened?”
Dante ended the call.
“Your father sent a message.”
Aria's voice barely came out.
“What did he say?”
Dante looked at her.
“He said one thing.”
“What?”
Dante hesitated.
Then he showed her the message.
TAKE MY DAUGHTER AWAY FROM THE ROMANOS.
Aria stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
BECAUSE DANTE ISN'T WHO YOU THINK HE IS.
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