The silence that followed Marcus's announcement was more terrifying than the gunfire that had rocked the estate an hour ago. Liam's hand, which had been gripping Aria's jaw with possessive force, went slack. His eyes, usually as cold as a winter ocean, shattered. For the first time, Aria didn't see a predator; she saw a boy who had just watched his entire world crumble.
"Repeat that," Liam commanded, his voice barely a whisper, yet it vibrated with a lethal edge.
Marcus, the head of security, stepped into the room, his eyes darting nervously toward the hallway where Viktor Volkov was standing. He handed Liam a scorched, blood-stained folder—the one Veer had been carrying. "The file contains a secondary autopsy report, sir. It was suppressed twenty years ago. Your mother didn't have enough toxins in her system for a suicide. But there were bruises on her neck... finger-marks that were edited out of the official crime scene photos."
Aria watched as Liam flipped through the pages. The red emergency lights had stopped flashing, replaced by the sterile, golden glow of the mansion's chandeliers, but the room felt colder than ever. Liam's breathing became ragged, a low, guttural sound of a man trying to contain an explosion.
"Who?" Liam growled, his eyes fixing on the final page.
"The signature that authorized the suppression of the report, sir..." Marcus swallowed hard. "It was the Chairman's personal seal. Your grandfather."
Aria felt a chill race down her spine. She looked toward the doorway. Viktor Volkov was leaning on his silver wolf-headed cane, his expression as unreadable as a tombstone. He didn't look like a grieving grandfather; he looked like a king watching a rebellion he had already planned for.
"Liam," Aria whispered, reaching out instinctively to touch his arm. She felt the muscle beneath his suit jacket—it was like touching vibrating steel.
"Don't," Liam snapped, flinching away from her touch. He turned and stormed out of the room, heading straight for Viktor.
Aria followed, unable to stay in that room alone. She reached the hallway just in time to see the two Volkov men facing off the young wolf and the old one.
Is it true?" Liam screamed, the sound echoing through the vast, marble corridors.
"You told me she was weak! You told me she couldn't handle the Volkov name and took the easy way out! Did you kill her, Grandfather?"
Viktor didn't flinch. He slowly raised his cane and tapped it once on the floor. Thud. "I did what was necessary to protect the legacy, Liam. Your mother was a sentimental fool.
She wanted to take you away. She wanted to turn a Volkov heir into... an artist. Like her."
Viktor's eyes shifted to Aria, filled with a venomous hatred. "Just like this one.
Sentiment is a disease, Liam. I cured our family of it twenty years ago. And I will do it again if I have to.
"You monster," Aria gasped, her voice trembling.
Viktor's gaze snapped to her. "Be silent, girl. You are only alive because your womb is currently more valuable than your corpse."
Liam let out a roar of pure, unadulterated rage. He lunged at Viktor, but the 'Old Wolf's' personal guards moved with surgical precision, pinning Liam against the wall.
"Enough!" Viktor barked. "You are emotional. Weak. You will take the girl to the chapel tomorrow. You will marry her. You will secure the inheritance. And then, and only then, will I allow you to live long enough to regret this outburst."
Viktor turned and walked away, his cane clicking rhythmically against the floor, leaving Liam pinned and Aria paralyzed in horror.
When the guards finally released Liam, he didn't move. He slumped against the wall, his head hanging low. Aria approached him cautiously. She expected him to lash out, to grab her, to lock her away. But when he looked up, his eyes were dead.
He's going to kill us both," Liam whispered. "He's not going to let me keep the chairmanship once the heir is born. He's going to replace me. Just like he replaced her."
Aria knelt in front of him, her ivory silk dress pooling on the cold floor. "Then let's leave, Liam. Take my father, take Veer, and let's go. We don't need his money."
Liam let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "You don't understand. There is no 'leaving' the Volkovs. You either rule, or you are buried. The only way to stop Viktor... is to take everything from him."
He looked at Aria, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something new in his eyes. It wasn't just obsession. It was a dark, desperate partnership. He reached out, his hand trembling as he cupped her face.
You want your freedom, Aria? You want your father safe?
More than anything," she breathed.
"Then help me," Liam said, his voice turning cold and calculated. "Help me destroy him. Tomorrow, at the wedding, the elite of the world will be there. The board of directors, the press, the politicians. Viktor thinks he's crowning me. But with that file Veer brought... we have the evidence to bury him.
"How can I help?" Aria asked, the fear in her chest replaced by a cold, sharp determination.
He expects you to be a broken doll tomorrow. He expects you to walk down that aisle in tears," Liam said, his grip on her jaw tightening, but this time, it felt like he was sharing his strength. "Don't. Be the masterpiece he's afraid of. Wear the diamonds like armor. Smile like you've already won. While I handle the board, I need you to get into his private study. The original file... the one with the photos... it's in his safe."
And Veer?" Aria asked.
"He's in the infirmary," Liam said, his eyes darkening. "I've ordered my personal doctor to treat him. He's the only one who knows how to decode the rest of that file. If you want to save him, you have to play the part of the perfect Volkov bride for one more day.
Aria looked at the man who had kidnapped her, threatened her, and tried to own her. He was still a monster, but he was a monster with a cause. And in this house of ghosts, he was her only ally.
"One more day," Aria agreed.
Liam leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. The tension between them was no longer just about power; it was about survival. "Tomorrow, Aria, we don't just get married. We start a war.
Cliffhanger:
Early the next morning, as the sun began to rise, Aria was led to the estate's private chapel. She was dressed in a gown of black lace a direct defiance of Viktor's orders for white.
As she stood at the altar, waiting for Liam, Marcus whispered in her ear. "The safe in the study... there's a second code. It's not a number. It's a biometric scan.
Aria looked at her hand the ring finger Liam had pricked. Suddenly, she understood why the "Biological Screening" was so important. It wasn't just about an heir. It was about her blood being the key to the Volkov's darkest secrets.
But as the doors to the chapel opened, it wasn't Liam who walked in. It was Viktor, holding a blood-stained veil.
"There's been a change in plans, my dear," Viktor smirked. "Liam is... indisposed. It seems he had a small 'accident' in the garage. But the wedding must go on. The guests are waiting.