04

Aurora

Dante’s words still echoed in my mind as I reviewed the documents he had given me.

"You have no choice."

He was wrong. I always had a choice. Even if it was between two equally terrible options, I still had the right to decide.

But the more I read, the more I realized that I wasn’t just dealing with illegal transactions and suspicious contracts. Something within the records caught my attention—my father’s name.

I froze for a moment, my heart pounding. The papers listed port transactions, dates, account numbers… But there, among the notes, was my father’s signature on a deal involving the Moretti family. That meant he hadn’t just been involved with the mafia before his death—he had been negotiating directly with Dante or his father.

Nausea crawled up my throat. My father had always made me believe he was different from the other men in Bellagio. That he wanted to keep us far from this world. But if he was this involved… then his death wasn’t an accident.

"Looking for something?"

Dante’s deep, authoritative voice cut through the silence. My body stiffened. He was standing at the office door, watching me as if he already knew exactly what I was doing.

I quickly shut the documents and took a deep breath before turning to face him.

"Just reviewing the contracts, as you asked."

Dante raised an eyebrow and took a few steps toward me, his dark eyes locked onto mine. He stopped beside the desk, picking up one of the papers, but he never looked away from me.

"You look nervous."

"I’m not nervous," I shot back, keeping my tone firm.

"No?" He placed the document back on the desk and leaned in slightly. "Then why is your breathing uneven?"

The bastard knew he was affecting me. My hatred for him burned hotter.

"Maybe because you make me lose my patience," I snapped, stepping back to put some distance between us.

He let out a low chuckle, a sound filled with amusement and something darker.

"And I enjoy testing your patience."

I crossed my arms, ignoring the heat that rose up my skin. I hated how he could dominate any room. How he always seemed to be in control while I fought to keep mine.

"I want to know about my father."

Dante blinked slowly, his expression shifting slightly.

"What about him?"

"He was involved in this. With you, with your family. And now I want the truth."

The silence that followed was deafening. Dante studied me, his eyes analyzing my reaction.

"Be careful with the questions you ask, Aurora," he said, his tone dangerously calm.

I stepped forward. This time, I was the one breaking the distance between us.

"Don’t dodge the question, Dante. What happened to my father?"

His dark eyes flashed with something unreadable.

"Your father was involved more than you think. He made promises he couldn’t keep."

My stomach twisted.

"What does that mean?"

Dante ran a hand through his hair, a rare sign of frustration.

"It means he wasn’t as innocent as you believe."

I took a step back, crossing my arms over my chest to hide the tremor in my hands.

"You’re lying."

"I don’t lie about things like this."

Rage burned inside me. I wanted to scream, to hit him, to tear the truth out of him.

"And was it you who had him killed?"

Dante stared at me, his eyes unreadable.

"If I had been responsible, do you think you’d still be alive to question me?"

My mouth went dry. He was right. If Dante had been directly responsible, I would have been eliminated a long time ago. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t involved.

"You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Aurora."

"I won’t stop until I find out the truth."

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his lips.

"And that’s exactly why I haven’t gotten tired of you yet."

Dante moved too fast. His hands grabbed my waist, pulling me closer. Before I could react, he tilted his face toward mine, his lips hovering dangerously close.

My heart pounded against my ribs, and a furious heat rushed through my body.

"Let go of me," I hissed, pushing against his chest.

"Say it while looking me in the eyes," he challenged, his breath warm against my skin.

My jaw clenched. He wanted to test me. He wanted to make me break.

Summoning every ounce of strength, I shoved my palm against his chest, forcing space between us.

"I hate you."

Dante laughed, that deep, sinful sound.

"Better than indifference."

I stormed out of the office before he could say anything else. But even after putting distance between us, my skin still burned where he had touched me.

And my heart was still beating too fast.

I hated him. But I hated even more the way my body reacted to him.