chapter Two : The witness
1672 Words
Aries descended the staircase one careful step at a time. The farther she went, the colder the air became.
Her fingers tightened around the railing as another muffled voice drifted up from below. She couldn't make out the words, but the tone was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck rise.
She should turn around. She knew that.
Every instinct she possessed told her to go back upstairs, walk out of Marino Club, and pretend she had never heard anything.
But then another scream echoed through the darkness.
Aries stopped. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
What if someone needs help?
The thought came before she could stop it. She swallowed hard and continued down the stairs
.
At the bottom stood a thick steel door. It was slightly ajar.
Aries frowned.
She remembered the door being closed when she had first reached the staircase. Had someone opened it?
She stared at the narrow gap.
A faint light spilled through it. Another voice came from inside.
Aries took a slow breath and approached. She pushed the door open just enough to see through the opening.
Her breath caught.
The room beyond was enormous.
Several men stood around the edges of the underground chamber, their muscular bodies covered in tattoos. They wore black leather jackets bearing the same strange insignia she had seen earlier.
Bikers.
Aries's stomach twisted. But these weren't ordinary bikers.
Weapons were visible beneath their jackets. Some held guns openly, while others stood with their hands resting near their waists.
No one was laughing. No one was talking.
Every man in the room seemed to be waiting for one person. The man in the black suit.
Aries recognized him immediately.
He stood at the centre of the room, his expensive suit sharply contrasting with the rough appearance of the men surrounding him.
He looked completely out of place. Yet somehow, he looked like he belonged there more than anyone else.
His posture was relaxed. His expression was unreadable. But the atmosphere changed whenever he moved.
He didn't need to raise his voice. He didn't need to threaten anyone.
The men simply watched him.
Waiting.
Obeying.
Aries slowly shifted her gaze.
A man was tied to a metal chair in front of him.
His shirt was stained, his face bruised, and his head hung heavily against his chest. He looked exhausted, barely able to keep himself upright.
A biker stood beside him with a gun. The man in the suit stepped closer.
His voice was calm. Too calm. "Are you ready to tell me what you know?"
The prisoner slowly raised his head. His lips moved, but Aries couldn't hear what he said.
The man in the suit stared at him for a moment. Then he gave a small nod.
A deafening gunshot shattered the silence. Aries flinched.
The man's body went limp. Her hand flew over her mouth.
She couldn't breathe. She had just witnessed someone being shut.
Her mind screamed at her to run. And this time, she listened. She turned toward the staircase.
But before she could take more than one step, a strong hand grabbed her arm.
Aries gasped.
"No!"
She struggled, but the man was stronger. He dragged her back into the room.
The steel door slammed shut behind her. Every pair of eyes turned toward her.
Aries's heart dropped. She was trapped.
One of the men forced her into a chair. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor, refusing to look at the body lying nearby. But she could feel someone watching her. Slowly, she raised her head.
The man in the black suit stood directly in front of her. Up close, he was even more intimidating. His face was handsome, but there was nothing warm about it.
His eyes were cold.
Calculating.
Unreadable.
A strange silence surrounded him. Then something cold touched beneath Aries's chin.
Her breath caught.
The metal lifted her face until she was forced to look directly at him.
A gun.
Her entire body stiffened. She glanced around. Every biker in the room had a weapon pointed in her direction.
Her hands began to tremble.
She tried to steady her breathing, but fear had already taken control of her body. The man crouched in front of her, bringing his eyes level with hers.
"Who sent you?"
His voice was low. Controlled. That somehow frightened her more than shouting would have.
Aries shook her head. "No one."
His eyes narrowed. "Try again."
"I'm telling the truth."
"Then why were you here?"
Her lips parted. "I heard someone screaming."
She swallowed. "I thought someone needed help."
A few men exchanged doubtful glances.
The man in front of her didn't move. "You expect me to believe that?"
Aries's eyes filled with tears. "I know how it sounds, but it's true."
His gaze remained fixed on her face. He seemed to be searching for the smallest sign of deception.
Aries felt as though he could see straight through her. Then his voice came again. "What's your name?"
She hesitated.
"Aries."
Something flickered across his expression. It was gone so quickly that she almost wondered if she had imagined it. His eyes narrowed for the briefest moment.
Aries.
The name seemed to mean something to him.
But before she could understand why, the steel door opened.
Everyone turned. A woman stepped inside.
She wore a black leather jacket, black trousers, and carried a motorcycle helmet in one hand. Her confidence was unmistakable.
She walked into the room as though she owned the place. Her eyes landed on Aries.
Then moved to the man in the suit.
"She's the one?"
He gave a slight nod.
The woman looked Aries over. "She could be a spy."
"I'm not," Aries said quickly.
The woman ignored her. "Everyone says that when they're caught."
She walked toward a nearby table and placed her helmet down. Then she picked up a pair of gloves.
Aries's stomach twisted. The man in the suit watched her.
"Serena."
She stopped.
"Yes, President?"
"Find out the truth."
Serena's lips curved slightly. She turned toward Aries. "Gladly."
Aries shook her head. "Please. I'm telling the truth. I don't know anything about this place."
Serena stepped closer. "We'll see."
She reached toward the table. Aries's eyes widened when she saw the pliers. Serena picked them up.
Aries instinctively pulled her hand toward herself. "Please!"
Serena grabbed her wrist.
"I said I don't know anything!"
Serena tightened her grip.
"Enough."
The single word stopped the entire room. Serena froze.
The President slowly turned toward her.
"Leave her."
Serena looked at him. "But"
"That was not a request."
The room fell silent. Serena released Aries's wrist. Aries pulled her hand against her chest, breathing heavily.
The President turned away.
One of the men immediately stepped toward him. "Mr. Marino, the car is ready."
Aries froze.
Marino.
Her eyes widened. The pieces suddenly fell into place.
Dante Marino.
The billionaire behind Marino Corporation. The man whose name appeared in business magazines, newspapers, and television reports.
The owner of the club where she worked. The man everyone described as one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.
She looked at him again. That can't be him.
But it was.
The same man who sat in boardrooms and controlled an enormous business empire was standing in an underground room surrounded by armed bikers.
And they called him President.
Dante stopped at the doorway. For a brief moment, his eyes met Aries's. There was something unreadable in them. Then he turned and walked out.
As soon as he disappeared, Aries released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had no idea that the brief conversation had already changed the course of her life.
Dante stepped into the back seat of his car and pulled out his phone.
"Jones."
His voice was clipped. "Find everything you can about the girl."
There was a pause.
Jones's voice came through the phone. "You think she's connected to them?"
Dante stared through the window. He thought about the girl standing in his basement.
She hadn't looked like a trained spy. She had looked terrified. But fear didn't prove innocence. "I don't know," Dante said.
"And if she is?"
Dante's jaw tightened. "Then I'll find out exactly why she was there."
He ended the call.
By the time Dante arrived home, the mansion was quiet. He walked straight into his private office.
Jones was already waiting. The second-in-command of the Devil Bikers sat on the couch, a file resting on the table in front of him.
Dante walked over. "That was fast."
"I told you I'd find out everything." Jones pushed the file toward him.
"She's clean. Twenty years old. Worked at Marino Club for four weeks. No criminal record. No known connections to any gang."
Dante opened the file. His eyes moved over the information.
Name: Aries Williams.
Age: 20.
Occupation: Waitress.
He continued reading.
Her childhood had been spent in foster care.
No known mother.
No known relatives.
Then his eyes stopped.
Father: Adam Williams.
Dante's expression changed, only slightly. But Jones noticed. "What?" Dante didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the name. Adam Williams.
The name wasn't unfamiliar.
Adam had once worked for Dante's stepbrother. A man who had spent years trying to position himself closer to the power that Dante was born to inherit.
He slowly closed the file. "Nothing"
Jones stared at him. "Dante."
Dante remained silent. Jones leaned forward. "You don't look like it's nothing."
Dante's fingers tightened around the file. He looked toward the closed office door.
The girl in the basement hadn't been sent there. At least, he didn't think she had. But coincidence was something Dante had stopped believing in a long time ago.
And now Adam Williams's daughter had walked into his club.
Into his basement.
At exactly the wrong time.
Dante's gaze hardened.
Aries Williams wasn't just a random witness.
She was Adam Williams's daughter.
And suddenly, Dante needed to know exactly why she had appeared in his life.
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