Aria's POV
I spent the night drifting in and out of consciousness, the uncomfortable position and constant fear making real sleep impossible. The dripping water somewhere in the distance had become a torturous sound, marking the endless seconds of my captivity. My limbs ached from being bound to the chair, my wrists raw and burning from where the ropes cut into my skin.
Morning arrived with no natural light to mark its passage—just the harsh bulb that never turned off. I had no way to track time, but my parched throat and growling stomach told me many hours had passed since I'd last been given water.
The metal door swung open, and Riccardo Lion strode in with casual confidence, as if he were entering a boardroom rather than a makeshift prison. He carried a bottle of water and what looke
