Chapter 10:A Night of Secrets
555 Words
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the mansion, followed by terrified screams.
The lights remained out, leaving the hallways shrouded in darkness.
Damien tightened his grip on Aria’s hand.
“Stay close to me,” he whispered. “No matter what happens, don’t let go.”
His body shielded hers as he slowly guided her down the corridor. The emergency lights flickered on, casting a dim red glow over the walls. The once elegant mansion now felt like a battlefield.
Security guards rushed through the halls with flashlights and radios.
“Lock down every entrance!” Damien ordered. “No one leaves this house until I say so.”
“Yes, sir!”
Aria’s heart pounded in her chest.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet.”
A few moments later, Damien’s head of security approached, his face pale.
“Sir… one of the guards has been shot.”
“Is he alive?”
“Barely. The doctor is treating him now.”
Damien’s jaw tightened.
“Search every room.”
The guards scattered immediately.
As Damien turned to leave, Aria noticed a folded piece of paper lying on the marble floor. She bent down and picked it up.
“What is this?”
Damien took the paper from her and unfolded it.
His expression instantly darkened.
Written in bold black ink were the words:
YOU CAN’T HIDE HER FOREVER.
Aria felt a chill run through her body.
“Is that… about me?”
Damien didn’t answer.
Instead, he folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.
“Come with me.”
He led her into his private office and locked the door behind them.
“This room is the safest place in the mansion.”
Aria crossed her arms.
“You keep saying I’m safe, but every hour something worse happens.”
Damien looked at her with tired eyes.
“I know.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
He was silent for several seconds before finally speaking.
“My family has enemies who have wanted to destroy us for years.”
“So this has nothing to do with your business?”
“No.”
He took a deep breath.
“My father wasn’t just a businessman.”
Aria waited.
“He was the leader of one of the most powerful mafia families in the country.”
Her eyes widened.
“The mafia?”
Damien nodded slowly.
“When he died, I inherited everything.”
The room fell silent.
Suddenly, every strange rumor she had heard made sense.
The bodyguards.
The secret meetings.
The danger.
The fear people showed whenever they spoke Damien’s name.
“You’ve been protecting me from your enemies all this time,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Damien stepped closer, his voice softer than she had ever heard before.
“Because the moment you walked into my life… they decided you were my weakness.”
Before Aria could respond, a loud crash shattered the office window.
A masked figure landed inside the room, pointing a gun directly at Damien.
“There you are,” the intruder said coldly.
“The boss sends his regards.”
Damien immediately stepped in front of Aria, ready to protect her once again.
The night of secrets had just become a fight for survival.
- Writer
