IV

Morning came cruelly, flooding my room with too much light and forcing my heavy eyes to stay open. The curtains weren't enough to block out the sunlight, and even the pillow I pressed against my face couldn't quell the noisy thoughts inside my head.

I rolled over to the side of the bed, my body trembling with a restlessness that wouldn't go away. My breath still felt short, as if my lungs had never had air since that night.

The sight of Aaric—his sly smile, his relaxed tone of voice, the pool of blood around him—all repeated in my mind like a broken record that couldn't be stopped.

I stared at the ceiling. Right at the tiny splotches I used to escape into another daydream. But this time, they couldn't save me. The lump of fear in my stomach felt real, too big to ignore.

How could he be there? How could he be here again in my life?

And why didn't I run before it all went so wrong?

He's different. Darker. More terrifying. Far more terrifying than anything I'd ever known. I saw it in his gaze and heard how he said my name.  

Aaric Bernardi savored my fear. Every second of it.

I closed my eyes, but it was a mistake.

Soon, the image of the body lying in that pool of blood appeared again. The pungent smell of metal, the cold concrete walls, the haunting sound of Aaric's steps.

A loud knock on the door jolted me awake.

My breath, which had been ragged, turned into ragged gasps. I forced myself to sit upright on the bed, my hair disheveled and my body feeling heavy.

"Maya?" Megan's voice rang out, firm but with a distinct tone of worry. "We're coming in."

I didn't have time to answer before the door to the room opened. Megan appeared, her face serious, followed by Ashley, who carried a tablet in her hand and looked troubled.

"Bad news," Megan got straight to the point as usual. She closed the door behind her. "It's getting worse, Maya."

Ashley handed me the tablet without saying anything. The screen lit up, showing the latest article from a news site enjoying this mess.

"Controversial Actress Caught Flirting with Senator Rowe: New Evidence Emerges"

My heart seemed to stop.

"Michael Rowe’s side just released an official statement. They accused you of flirting with him, chasing after his attention, and even using the relationship to your career's advantage."

I felt like I'd been punched in the chest. The tablet almost fell out of my hand, but Ashley quickly caught it. I looked at Megan.

"But that's not true!" I finally managed to say, my voice breaking between anger and fear. "I didn't do that! You know I didn't do that!"

Megan let out a long sigh, sitting down in the chair by my dresser. "Of course, I know. But the public doesn't. And Senator Rowe has lawyers, connections, and a much stronger team. They're already crafting a narrative, Maya. And trust me, they'll make this all look like your fault."

I bit my lower lip, trying to hold back the tears. But the pain was too real, and before I could stop it, the tears began to flow. I hugged my knees again, my body shaking with quiet sobs.

Ashley came over, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his hand on my back, trying to comfort me. "We'll get over it, Maya. We won't let them win."

But her voice wasn't soothing enough. Megan's words from earlier kept echoing in my head: narrative, connection, power—all things I didn't have, at least not to fight something of this magnitude.

What was really going on? And why did it feel like everything was crumbling around me?

>>>> 

Fluorescent lights flickered above my head, forming indistinct patterns that blurred my vision. The glass in my hand had been empty since when, but I didn't care. The alcohol had traveled through my body, numbing the senses but not the haunting thoughts.

The noise of this elite nightclub should have saved me from the chaos in my head, but nothing could really calm the storm. I slump on a barstool, my breathing heavy. My phone was still in Megan's hands, so I was free from the terror of hate messages, but inside my mind, their voices continued to condemn me.

My career is ruined. There was no way out. Every option I thought of led to a closed door. But tonight, with the lights dimmed and the music shaking the floor, I felt there was one last way I might be able to do it.

I saw HIM.

The figure I knew so well, standing in the corner of the room like a dark shadow I couldn't forget.

Aaric Bernardi.

He was talking to some men in expensive suits, but his gaze occasionally swept the room, calculating as ever. Like he owned this place.

I called over the bartender, a tall man with a faint smile. "Who's that guy?" I asked, pointing at Aaric with my chin.

The bartender glanced quickly, then looked at me with a slightly wary gaze. "You seriously don't know?"

I nodded, too tired to hide my stupidity.

He leaned back slightly, bringing his voice closer so only I could hear. “That's Aaric Bernardi. The CEO of Bernardi Unity, but... in this club, he's better known as one of the biggest mobsters. He has his own territory in Los Angeles."

My blood froze. Mobsters. MAFIA.

The word boggled my mind, but at the same time, it made sense. The way Aaric had so easily killed someone yesterday, the way he looked at people, his intimidating presence, his attitude of seeming to have it all.

It all fits.

The bartender got busy again, leaving me with darker thoughts than before.

Aaric's figure remained standing there, his shadow larger than life. His every little movement felt like a veiled threat. He spoke calmly, with a gaze that was never really friendly.

Mafia? The thought pierced my brain like a dagger.

Aaric Bernardi, my ex-boyfriend, was a Mafia.

The hand that had held mine that had gently caressed my cheek was the same hand that had probably spilled blood. I shuddered, trembling despite the heat of the room. Did I ever really know him?

The thought brought me back to the past, to the moments I thought I had buried deep.

Five years ago, he broke my heart when he possessed me. Still, he was the one playing around with Caitlyn, the woman who hated me so much, and the condom marks in his expensive apartment.

And I was able to walk away from his grip around my neck. I didn't look for him anymore and was gone from New York, my family, and those grim memories.

I managed to escape, but his fingernail marks were still there.

And now, here he was, more dangerous than I had ever imagined.

The reality hit me again, and my body felt even colder despite the alcohol warming me just moments ago. I hugged myself, trying to push the images away. But, the image of the lifeless body in the pool of blood came back, like a movie projection that I couldn't stop.

The corpse that Aaric killed threw me back to the memories of five years ago.

Dylan's face, his lifeless body covered in blood on his bed glimpsed, making me curl up tighter.

"Fuck it," I whispered to myself, trying to shift focus. But nothing was strong enough to stem the chaos in my mind.

My career was crumbling, my reputation was becoming a laughingstock, and Aaric was back in my life more dangerous than ever.

My chaotic mind said that perhaps Aaric was the only way out. He had the power. He could save my career, reputation, and whatever was left of my life.

The thought came out of nowhere, like a sudden slap.

I could use him, just like he'd used me.

I could...

.... flirt with Aaric.

I chuckled, a sound that was more like a muffled sob, as I took another sip of the drink the bartender handed me. My eyes flicked back to him, that man, the shadowy figure who was now real again in my life.

His gaze caught mine, and I knew he had already noticed my presence. A faint smile formed on his lips, which seemed to say he knew I would approach.

I stood up, even though my legs felt unsteady, and began to step towards him. Every step felt heavy, but I kept going. Either courage or desperation moved me-perhaps both.

The neon lights cast faint shadows on my face, but I knew I looked like someone who had lost everything.

When I arrived before him, Aaric looked at me with an intensity that only he possessed. His smile widened as he'd just won a game I didn't know had started.

"Maya," he said softly, his voice low and husky. "What a nice surprise."

I lifted my chin, trying to hide the trembling in my body.

"Aaric," I replied, trying to sound confident even though the whole world could see how broken I was.

He tilted his head, watching me with a scanning, assessing gaze like he could see everything inside me.

From then on, I knew I had stepped into a trap I couldn't escape.