Married For Vengeance, Pregnant With His Secret

The next morning brought a faint mist that hugged the trees outside the Vermont safe house. Light filtered in through the half closed blinds, casting pale gold across the hardwood floor.

Aria sat at the dining table, sketching absentmindedly in a notepad. Her mind wasn't on the lines. It was on Damien, who stood just across the room, phone to his ear.

"I want a full audit on all Voss Tech servers," he said quietly, pacing. "If anyone's accessed old surveillance feeds or high-clearance data files, I want names."

A pause.

"No. Don't alert Kieran. Or my father. Just do it under an internal code. Use Marcus and the private team only."

He ended the call with a curt nod and turned, his eyes meeting Aria's.

"You think someone's watching us," she said softly.

"I think someone already was," Damien replied, setting the phone down. "That video from the gala? The way things spiraled so fast afterward? It wasn't random. Someone knew everything."

Aria folded the notepad shut. "And you think it's Kieran?"

He hesitated. "Kieran… maybe. But my father? I've started to wonder how deep this really goes."

The unspoken truth hung between them. If Harrison Voss had been pulling strings behind the scenes, everything they thought they knew might be a lie.

"I want to go back," Aria said suddenly.

Damien raised a brow. "Back where?"

"To Elena's gallery. I need to find her journals. Her private ones. She always kept records of meetings, contacts. If someone manipulated her, we might find it there."

Damien crossed the room. "That's risky. Kieran might be watching the place. And if my father's involved…"

"I know. But I have to do this."

Later That Day In New York City

Disguised in a dark hoodie, Aria stepped quietly into the side entrance of the old art gallery. The security system had been disabled since the estate went under probate, but she moved carefully anyway.

The walls were bare now. Only faint shadows of where Elena's paintings had once hung remained.

She walked slowly through the space, her heart pounding. Every corner carried a memory.

She made her way to the small office in the back. The one place no one else was allowed. Elena had always been meticulous. If anything was hidden, it would be there.

The drawer behind the desk groaned as she pulled it open. Beneath a stack of receipts, she found a worn leather-bound journal.

Her breath caught.

She flipped it open and scanned the pages. Dates. Sketches. Notes on buyers and partners. Meetings with Harrison Voss.

But one entry stood out.

March 14th: Damien came by today. Told me he suspects Kieran is hiding something from him. I want to believe Damien's still one of the good ones, but I saw the look in Harrison's eyes during our last dinner. If anything happens to me, Aria must not trust them.

Tears burned at the corners of Aria's eyes. Her sister had known. She'd feared it.

A loud creak snapped her out of her thoughts.

Footsteps.

She froze.

A voice spoke near the front of the gallery. Male. Confident.

"Check the back. She wouldn't be stupid enough to come alone unless she thought no one was watching."

Aria's blood ran cold.

She grabbed the journal and darted for the rear exit, slipping into the alley as quiet as a shadow.

She didn't stop running until she was four blocks away.

Back at the Safe House

Damien answered the door the moment she returned. One look at her face told him everything.

"You were followed."

She nodded, breathless, holding out the journal. "But I found this. Elena was keeping track of meetings. And she didn't trust Harrison either."

Damien opened the book and read the entry. His jaw tightened. "We need to go further. If my father is involved in Elena's death or even just the cover up I need proof. Real proof."

Aria sat heavily on the couch. "What if we don't get it in time?"

Damien looked at her, a fire in his eyes she hadn't seen in weeks. "Then we stop playing defense."

Meanwhile — Voss Tower, Manhattan

In the highest office of the glittering skyscraper, Harrison Voss stood with a drink in hand, watching the New York skyline through thick glass.

Kieran entered the room silently.

"She was at the gallery," he said. "Got out before our men could get a visual."

Harrison didn't flinch. "Did she take anything?"

"A journal. Handwritten. Elena's."

That made Harrison turn.

"Then we move faster," he said. "Kill the leak. Silence anyone connected to that gallery. And if Damien won't stay out of it"

"We isolate him," Kieran finished.

Harrison raised his glass.

"No. We ruin him."