Chapter 9
886 Words
Chapter 9 ———— Unholy 🔥
⸻
The moment he saw Ariana in Lucas’s arms, something snapped.
Matteo had spent a lifetime mastering his restraint. In blood, in battle, in business. But nothing had prepared him for watching the girl he wasn’t supposed to love smiling up at another man like he was her world.
She was wearing red. Tight, short, dangerous.
And Lucas — that smug little bastard — had his hand on the curve of her waist, whispering something that made her laugh. Laugh.
Matteo felt the fury crawl through him like acid.
He’d let her go.
To protect her.
To keep her safe from the darkness that followed him like a curse.
But now?
Now the darkness wanted her back.
He turned away before he did something that would start a war. Or end in one.
⸻
The office was dim, whiskey burning in his throat as he stared down at the photo on his desk — one he had taken secretly. Ariana, asleep on the sofa, a book open on her chest, hoodie swallowed around her frame.
Soft. Untouchable.
His.
He didn’t hear the door open until it was too late.
Joan stepped in, her heels clicking like a countdown.
“You look like hell,” she purred.
“I’m not in the mood.”
“I can tell,” she said smoothly, placing something down on his desk.
He stared at it.
A white stick. Two pink lines.
Pregnancy test.
His breath caught. “What the hell is this?”
Her smile widened. “I told you, Matteo. Fate has a funny way of giving us what we’re too scared to take.”
“You’re not pregnant.”
“Oh, but I am.” She leaned forward, voice dripping venom and silk. “And this time, I didn’t let you throw it away.”
He rose slowly. “You’re bluffing.”
“I stole it,” she said. “Your sperm. From the clinic. The sample you left years ago for the stem cell program. I used it. And now I’m carrying your child.”
Silence.
Then—
Glass shattered behind him as his hand flung the decanter across the room.
Joan didn’t flinch. She was enjoying this.
“You psychotic b***h—”
“Don’t you dare act like a victim,” she snapped. “You think you’re the only one in pain? I waited. I stayed. While you mooned over a child—”
“Don’t.” His voice was pure ice.
“She was never yours to want.”
Matteo’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And yet she’s the only thing I do.”
That shut her up.
He paced like a caged animal, fury crawling through him, clashing with the terror rising in his gut.
Pregnant.
With his child.
A child he hadn’t made in love, but in theft. A weapon Joan would use against him. Against Ariana.
“I’ll go to the media,” she said casually. “Tell them you forced me. Or worse—say I seduced you and you covered it up. Either way, I win.”
Matteo turned, eyes burning. “You want my name? My protection?”
“I want you,” she hissed. “I want your love. And if I can’t have it, I’ll settle for your cage.”
He moved before he thought — slamming her against the wall, one hand fisted in her dress.
“You think a child will chain me to you?” he growled.
“No,” Joan whispered, eyes glowing. “But it’ll keep her away.”
⸻
Later that night, Matteo stood outside Ariana’s room. Fist clenched. Jaw locked.
He’d seen the way Lucas touched her. The way she leaned into it.
It was fake. It had to be.
And yet…
He turned to leave—
And froze.
Her door creaked open.
Ariana stepped out in nothing but a loose T-shirt, her legs bare, hair messy.
She stopped when she saw him.
Silence stretched.
Then she said quietly, “Did she tell you?”
Matteo didn’t speak.
“She showed me the test.”
His throat tightened. “It’s not what you think.”
“She said you left it behind. And she used it. Is it true?”
He nodded once. “It was for a medical study. Years ago. Before your mother died.”
“Did you ever love her?”
“No.” The word was a blade. “Never.”
“Then why does she keep winning?”
Matteo stepped closer. “She doesn’t.”
Ariana stared at him. “Then prove it.”
His breath hitched.
But before he could answer—before he could move—the hallway door burst open.
Lucas.
Face pale. Voice sharp.
“You need to come with me. Now.”
“What?” Matteo snapped.
Lucas’s eyes flicked to Ariana. “It’s about her.”
Ariana stiffened. “What happened?”
Lucas swallowed hard.
“There was a break-in at my place. Files missing. Security footage erased.”
“And?” Matteo demanded.
Lucas looked straight at Ariana.
“They know. About you. About what happened the night you saved him.”
Her stomach dropped. “Who knows?”
Lucas’s voice was deadly quiet.
“The Bratva.”
- Writer
