The game changes
1376 Words
The sun rose behind a curtain of smoke-stained clouds, casting a dull glow over the city skyline.
Aria stood by the hospital window, black card in hand, her reflection faint in the glass. She hadn’t slept. Not really. Not since the phone call. Not since Cecelia.
Knox had stayed nearby all night, never pressing, never pushing—but always watching. Like he knew she needed space, but wouldn’t let her face any of it alone.
Now, she moved with quiet precision. A woman on a mission.
Lila’s condition was stable, but Aria refused to take chances. Not after what they’d said on the phone. Not after Cecelia’s threat.
She slipped out of the suite and headed down to the private administrator’s office. Two security guards followed silently behind her—Knox’s men. Efficient. Trained. Invisible until needed.
The receptionist stood as she entered, already recognizing her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Wilder. Mr. Wilder said you might stop by. What can we assist you with?”
Aria placed the black card on the counter with a calmness that masked the fire in her chest. “I want my sister transferred. Quietly. No press. No notice. The most secure private medical suite available in the city—or outside it. Somewhere no one will think to look.”
The woman blinked. “Yes, ma’am. I… I’ll notify Director Hanley immediately.”
“Good.” Aria held her gaze. “And make sure the staff on her new floor are vetted. No leaks. Not even a whisper.”
The receptionist nodded, already dialing.
As Aria turned to leave, her phone buzzed.
1 New Message – Unknown Number
> You move her, and she becomes harder to reach. But not impossible. You can’t hide forever, Mrs. Wilder.
Aria stared at the screen, then slowly lifted her gaze to the security guard nearest her.
“Get this number traced,” she said. “Now.”
Knox was already waiting at the elevator when she returned.
His eyes flicked to the card in her hand. “Used it?”
“Yes.” She handed it back. “They’ll move her within the hour. Discreetly.”
He didn’t smile. Just nodded. “Good.”
They rode the elevator in silence, but it wasn’t tense—it was loaded. Calculated. Strategic.
As they stepped out into the hospital lobby, one of Knox’s guards stepped forward, voice low. “We’ve confirmed it. Dahlia accessed encrypted email threads routed through a secure proxy server based in Prague. She’s been feeding details—where Mrs. Wilder goes, who she meets, Lila’s medical reports…”
Aria froze.
“She’s been with your family for ten years,” she murmured.
Knox’s face darkened. “Which makes it more personal.”
“I want to speak to her,” Aria said suddenly.
Knox blinked. “You don’t have to—”
“I do.” She lifted her chin. “If I’m going to survive in your world, I need to start facing my ghosts. Even if they wear aprons and bake cinnamon scones.”
Knox gave a slow, dangerous smile. “Remind me never to cross you, Mrs. Wilder.”
“Smart man,” she muttered.
---
Later That Day – Wilder Estate
Dahlia stood in the sunlit kitchen, humming softly as she arranged fresh herbs on a tray. Her hands were steady. But her eyes flicked to the security camera in the far corner. She knew they were watching.
She didn’t expect Aria to walk in alone.
“You look tired, dear,” Dahlia said with the same soft tone she’d used since the day Aria stepped into the Wilder home.
Aria didn’t smile. “How long, Dahlia?”
The housekeeper didn’t flinch. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” Aria walked closer, voice colder now. “How long have you been leaking information? How much did they pay you?”
Dahlia’s expression cracked—just for a second.
Then: “I never wanted to hurt the girl. I just needed the money.”
“So you sold out a child,” Aria said flatly. “My sister. Your employer. Your home.”
Dahlia looked down. “You don’t understand how this world works—”
Aria leaned in. “No. You don’t understand. Because I’m not just in this world anymore.” She paused. “I married it.”
The door opened behind her.
Knox stepped in. Silent. Lethal.
He didn’t speak.
He didn’t need to.
Dahlia’s face drained of color.
“Pack your things,” Aria said. “You’re leaving tonight. You tell them nothing else. You disappear. If I ever find out you opened your mouth again, I won’t be the one knocking at your door.”
Dahlia stared at her. “You don’t have that kind of power.”
Knox finally stepped forward. “She does now.”
---
Dahlia stood frozen, her fingers twitching near the herb tray, like she still believed this was salvageable. Like she could bake her way out of betrayal.
“I raised him,” she said suddenly, voice trembling. “From the time he was ten. I cleaned his cuts, made his meals, prayed for him. I protected him when no one else did.”
Aria didn’t blink. “And then you sold him. Sold us.”
“It wasn’t like that—”
Knox’s voice cut through the room like a blade. “Don’t. Don’t stand there and pretend you don’t know exactly what you’ve done.”
The housekeeper’s jaw trembled. “I thought they only wanted updates. They said no one would be hurt.”
Aria’s breath left her in a shaky exhale. “Then you were either naive or cruel. Either way—you’re done.”
A tense silence settled between them. Knox finally gave a small nod to the guard standing by the door.
“Escort her to the guest wing. She has twenty minutes to pack and hand over all devices. Then you drive her to the safe drop. After that, I don’t want to hear her name again.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the guard approached, Dahlia’s eyes darted between them—Aria, fierce and unyielding; Knox, silent and deadly. Her shoulders sagged with a weight that wasn’t guilt. It was loss.
They didn’t watch her leave.
When the door shut, Aria leaned against the counter, her fingers curling into the marble.
Knox moved to her, slow and quiet, his hands bracing the counter on either side of her. “You okay?”
“No.” Her voice was rough. “But I will be.”
“I should’ve seen it sooner.”
“So should I,” she said softly, then tilted her head to meet his eyes. “But we’re seeing things now. That’s what matters.”
A flicker of something darker passed through Knox’s gaze. “It’s not just Cecelia anymore.”
Aria nodded. “No. It’s bigger. Someone else is feeding her. Funding her.”
He hesitated. “I’ve been digging into your father’s old contacts. There was a man… a name that keeps coming up. Dmitri Volkov.”
She frowned. “Russian?”
“Yes. Disappeared five years ago after a failed merger with Monroe’s firm. Your father cost him millions.”
“And now he wants blood instead of profit.”
Knox stepped back. “We’ll hit him first.”
She arched a brow. “We?”
“You married me,” he said, reaching for her hand. “That means I go to war for you. But it also means…” He brushed his thumb over her wedding ring. “You don’t fight alone.”
She gripped his hand tighter.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
But just as their fingers laced together, Knox’s phone buzzed sharply on the counter. He glanced at the screen—his jaw tightened.
“What is it?” Aria asked.
He didn’t answer right away. Just turned the screen to show her.
A grainy photo.
Of Lila.
In her hospital suite.
Sleeping peacefully.
Captioned with a message that chilled her blood.
"Even your safest places bleed eventually. – C"
Aria’s heart dropped.
Knox was already moving. “We’re out of time.”
- Writer
