Chapter 5

**David's Pov**

The hospital was chaotic as nurses and doctors rushed down the sterile white halls, their hurried footsteps clicking against wall and the polished floors. 

The sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils as I paced around the waiting area, but beneath it, I could still smell the blood—the blood of the man who was supposed to be my son-in-law.

Vincenzo was in surgery, rushed in minutes earlier The bullet shot into him had torn through his leg, and though the doctors assured me it hadn’t hit anything vital, it didn’t matter. 

The humiliation of it all burned deeper than any wound. I stood rigid, my hands clenched into fists as my mind replayed the event, flashes of the kidnapping danced around in my head.

The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed faintly, making my headache worse. I had spent decades building my empire, making sure alliances were secured, ensuring no one dared cross me because of my reputation. 

And yet, in front of hundreds of witnesses, Nikolai Petrov walked in and kidnapped my own daughter. I clenched my fist tightly, feeling the blood drip down on the floor.

This was an outrage, and I won't rest until that boy's head hung on the wall of my study.

As I buried myself within my thoughts, a nurse approached hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Umm, sir? Mr. Jones. We’re doing everything we can. Mr. Vincenzo lost a lot of blood, but—"

"Then why are you wasting your time talking to me?" I cut her off immediately as I turned to her, my voice low but deadly. "Get back in there and fix him."

She nodded quickly, scurrying away before I could say another word.

I exhaled sharply, turning to Viktor, who stood beside me, silent but alert. "You...!" I growled dangerously. 

My own son, my heir. He had been in charge of security, and he failed disgracefully.

"Explain to me," I said, my voice deceptively calm. "How the hell did this happen?"

I noticed Viktor's jaw tightened, but he met my gaze without flinching. He knew better than to make excuses.

"I'm sorry, father. They were either careful and clever enough to infiltrate the place by themselves, or they had people inside," he finally said. "This wasn't some last-minute operation. They have been planning this for a long time, and were thorough enough to execute it well, given how they knew about today being Aria's wedding."

I scoffed at his explanation. "You were in charge of security. Aren't you supposed to have anticipated that?"

He said nothing, his expression unreadable.

I took a step closer to him, my fury barely being contained. "Nikolai walked into our wedding—our wedding, Viktor. He humiliated us, and what's worst... He took your sister, my daughter, Aria, in front of the entire underworld. Do you realize what that means?"

Viktor's hands clenched at his sides, the weight of his mishap sinking in. "It means war, father."

I nodded slowly. "Yes. And we will be the ones to finish it."

I turned back toward the double doors of the operating room, my mind already moving three steps ahead. 

"Find everything on Nikolai. His safe houses, his operations, his people. I want to know who helped him pull this off. We will hit them tonight."

Viktor nodded and walked off without another word while I stayed behind, staring at the doors, my fury simmering beneath my skin.

My daughter was gone. And Nikolai Petrov would pay for it.

---

**Aria's Pov**

"What you did was plain stupidity, and I hope you are aware of that?" I let out, looking up at Nikolai.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers digging into the fabric of the sheets as I tried to steady my breathing. 

The room was dimly lit, a single lamp casting shadows across the walls. It was nothing like home—too cold, too deserted, too unfamiliar.

What was supposed to feel like a safe house, according to what he called it, felt like a prison.

Nikolai stood near the door, his presence heavy in the silence. I had been quiet since we arrived, but now the anger inside me boiled over.

"You had no right," I spat, standing up abruptly. "Do you know what's going to happen from here on out?"

His dark eyes met mine, unreadable as ever. "I had every right to do what I did."

"Dragging me out of my own wedding, putting a gun to my face, to my fiancé’s head—this was your solution?" My voice rose, my hands trembling with fury as I beat against my chest. "You think this changes anything? My father won't sit still after this, Nikolai."

His expression didn’t waver even as I lashed out angrily. "It was already war, Aria. You just didn't see it yet. And me saving you, was an eye opener."

I let out a bitter laugh. "War? My father wanted an alliance. You turned this into something worse."

He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "Your father was selling you off, Aria. I gave you a choice, a way out."

"A way out?" I scoffed. "You think this is freedom? Being held in a safe house while my father prepares to burn everything to the ground just to get me back?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't do this to trap you. I did this to save you."

"Save me?" My voice cracked. "Or did you just want to take something from my father?"

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t deny it. "I've had a long standing history with your family... But never once did I think to use you, as a means to get back at them."

"Yes, what I did was wrong. I may have stepped over sometimes and crossed boundaries," he continued. "But if it didn't look like a real kidnapping, you would also be in trouble in the hands of your father."

I shook my head, stepping away from him. "I didn't ask you for this, and I don’t belong to you, Nikolai."

For the first time, something flickered in his expression, a shadow of something deeper. But just as quickly, it was gone.

"You belong to yourself," he said quietly. "And th

at's why I did this."

With that, he left the room, leaving me alone to ponder on his words.