The Truth Files
732 Words
Ariana sat in the dimly lit apartment, staring at the flash drive Eleanor had slipped into her pocket. Her hands trembled, her mind a whirlwind of rage, grief, and something darker—suspicion.
Dante had kept her protected without her knowledge, placing his men around her family. So how did her father still end up dead?
Her mother hadn’t spoken a word since they escaped. She just sat on the couch, staring at nothing. Lost.
Ariana clenched her fists. Someone had betrayed them. Someone close.
Marcus placed a laptop on the table. “Are you going to check what’s on it or keep glaring at it?”
Ariana swallowed hard, plugging the drive in. A single folder popped up. “Final Proof.”
Her stomach twisted as she clicked it open.
The first file was a video.
She pressed play.
And everything she knew shattered.
The screen showed a familiar restaurant—Rahaan sitting at a table, looking very much alive.
Ariana’s heart slammed against her ribs.
A second later, Mira slid into the seat across from him.
Ariana’s breath hitched.
Mira and Rahaan. Together. Alive.
“This is bad,” Marcus muttered.
On screen, Mira smiled. “She still doesn’t suspect?”
Rahaan smirked. “Ariana’s too naive. Too desperate to believe in love. She was easy to manipulate.”
Ariana felt physically ill.
“She’s been getting too close to Dante,” Mira continued. “I don’t like it.”
Rahaan’s eyes darkened. “I’ll handle her. She was never meant to be anything more than leverage.”
Leverage.
Ariana’s fingers curled into fists.
Mira tilted her head. “And what about her father?”
Rahaan leaned back, sipping his drink. “Already taken care of.”
Ariana gasped.
Her father.
Marcus swore under his breath. “Rahaan killed your father?”
Dante, who had been silent, finally spoke. “No. He ordered it.”
Ariana turned sharply. “Ordered it? Who?”
Dante’s expression was cold. “Watch.”
She forced herself to keep looking.
A few seconds later, another man stepped into view—Uncle Daniel.
Ariana recoiled.
No. No, no, no.
Uncle Daniel. Her father’s oldest friend. The man who had taught her how to ride a bike, who had been at every birthday, every family gathering.
He had pulled the trigger.
The video ended.
Ariana sat frozen, her mind screaming.
Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “Holy shit.”
Ariana shot to her feet, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Where is he?”
Dante stepped in front of her. “Ariana—”
“Where is he?!”
Dante’s expression hardened. “Dead.”
Her heart stopped.
“What?”
Dante exhaled. “I had my men following leads. Someone got to him before we did.”
Ariana shook her head violently. “No. No, I need answers.”
Dante’s jaw ticked. “He was working for Rahaan. Maybe he knew too much. Maybe Rahaan didn’t trust him anymore.”
Ariana pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. This was too much.
Her first love was a liar. Her best friend was a traitor. Her father had been murdered by someone she loved like family.
Her stomach twisted.
“Who else knew?” she whispered.
Dante hesitated.
And then she saw it. The truth in his eyes.
Ariana’s breath caught. “You knew.”
Dante’s expression didn’t change. “I suspected.”
Ariana’s hands clenched. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t have proof.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “That’s bullshit.”
Dante took a step closer. “You weren’t ready for the truth.”
Ariana’s body trembled. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
Dante exhaled, his gaze dark with something unreadable. “I was trying to protect you.”
Ariana shook her head. “You should’ve told me the second you knew.”
Dante didn’t respond.
Because they both knew—she was right.
Ariana turned away, her mind racing.
Rahaan was alive. Mira had betrayed her. And now, Uncle Daniel was dead before she could get answers.
Her chest ached. She had trusted all the wrong people.
Except maybe one.
She turned back to Dante, her voice quieter. “I need your help.”
Dante’s gaze softened. “You have it.”
Ariana swallowed hard. “Then let’s end this.
- Writer
