Aria’s fingers trembled as she stared at the photo on her phone — Dante meeting secretly with a consortium representative months ago, long before Elena’s capture. The timestamp and background confirmed it was real. The man she loved, the one who had become her entire world, the one who had helped her rise from a weak contract bride to a queen… might have been playing a much darker game than she ever imagined.
She slipped the phone into her pocket just as Dante looked up from the reports across the war room table. His piercing gray eyes softened when they met hers. “You look pale, my love. Come here.”
Aria forced a steady smile and walked into his open arms. He pulled her close, his large hands splaying possessively across her back. “We’ll handle Sofia’s situation carefully,” he murmured
