Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Dominic’s POV
Some people think power is in bloodlines. Others think it’s in money. But I learned a long time ago real power lives in secrets. And now ? I had all of hers.
Victoria should’ve known better. If she had any sense left, she’d have never trusted Nico.
He was sloppy. Arrogant. The kind of man who thought a snake in a suit could never be bitten. But he forgot something crucial .
Two could play his game.
1:|:| ཕྱིར 1:|: ས ས ས ཀྱམས 1:|:|:ཀྱང རྫོག
I leaned back against the armrest of the chair, fingers drumming against the edge as the girl sat across from me, nervous, silent. Her hands clutched the hem of her sweater, eyes darting like a cornered mouse.
“Eliza, right?” I said quietly.
She flinched at her name. I softened my tone.
“I know Victoria put you in an impossible situation. But you’re safe here.”
Her mouth opened. Closed. Then she shook her head slowly. “You don’t understand. You think you’re helping, but you’re only making it worse.”
I didn’t flinch. “Try me.”
It had taken a lot to track her down. More to earn even a few words from her. Julian had done most of the legwork, chasing scattered rumors through dark web message boards and offshore databases. But once we found her–once we knew who she was–everything started to click.
Victoria had been careful , yes. But not perfect.
Especially not with Nico.
I’d planted a listening chip on him weeks ago. Not in his phones. Not in his car.
In his cufflink.
A custom set. Engraved initials. A ‘gift‘ from me when we “reconciled.” He never suspected a thing. And with every whisper, every conversation he thought was private, I was ten steps ahead.
Eliza was the one name he kept circling back to.
That’s how I knew she mattered. That’s how I knew Victoria didn’t just need her–she owned her.
“What did she offer you? ” I asked gently. “What did she threaten to take?”
Eliza’s lips parted. Her voice cracked. “She already took it.”
She glanced down. “My family. My parents are gone. My brother too. I don’t even know if they’re alive. She made me say I was someone else. Lie about what I knew. What I saw.”
I stayed quiet.
“She said if I ever spoke, if I ever tried to run…“/Her shoulders trembled. “She said I’d end up like them.”
There it was . The hook. The fear.
I didn’t push . Just let the silence settle again before leaning in slightly.
Chapter 161
You’re not them , Eliza . You’re here . And you’re not alone.”
She looked up . Searching me for something maybe honesty. Maybe just the absence of cruelty.
And then, she whispered, “ She wanted me to say you stole from the government. That Aria was being used to funnel money. She had documents Forged. But they looked real. She was building a case. A public one.”
Texhaled slowly.
“She wanted to destroy your name,” Eliza added.
I nodded. “I figured.”
A pause.
“I just…” she swallowed. “I didn’t know who to trust anymore.”
I smiled faintly. “Then it’s a good thing you trusted me now.”
“Victoria’s entire archive,” I told her. “Hidden behind biometric security. Your source, your fingerprints–open it.”
Her eyes widened.
“She really built all that… just to bury people?”
I nodded. “ Not just people. Everyone.”
I opened my hand, gesturing toward the reader.
She hesitated–then pressed her thumb down.
A soft beep.
Green light.
The lock opened.
A few seconds later, Julian’s voice crackled through my earpiece. “It worked. Vault decrypted. Pulling files now.”
I leaned back again. “Thank you, Eliza . ”
She still looked unsure. “What are you going to do with it? ”
I hummed under my breath , tapping the side of my boot against the floor. “Depends. Some of it will go to the authorities. Some of it will be leverage. And some of it…” I smiled. “Some of it will disappear. Like it never existed.”
She blinked. “Why?”
“Because not all monsters deserve cages. Some just need to be reminded who the real hunter is.”
I stood.
Turned toward the door.
Julian was already outside, working fast to organize what we’d retrieved. Dirty secrets on almost anyone. Victoria , Nico , judges , arms dealers , even foreign politicians. The vault was an empire of blackmail. The kind of power Victoria had been building for years.
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08:42 Fri , 30 May
Chapter 161
I’d had something like it once too when I bought that drive from the auction in Geneva.
But this ?
4號 86%
This was bigger.
More dangerous.
And now it was mine.
I pressed a finger to my earpiece. “Call up the security team. We’re locking everything down.”
There was no hesitation on the other end. Just a curt, “Yes, sir.”
I turned toward the hallway, already hearing the footsteps of my men scrambling into motion. The estate had always been secure–motion sensors, armed patrols, cameras in every blind spot. But now? That wasn’t enough. Not when I had enemies who knew how to twist loyalty into leverage
Not when they had already tried once.
I moved fast, heading toward the east wing. That was where she was. Aria.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about her face the last time I saw her asleep peaceful but pale, body wrapped in blankets like she could vanish if I looked away too long. She didn’t know yet. Not the full extent. Not what Victoria still had up her sleeve.
But I did.
And I knew how this game played out if I let my guard drop.
Two guards followed me as I reached her door. I paused, glancing at them.
“No one in or out without my say–so,” I said. “Even if they wear my crest.”
They both nodded.
Inside, the room smelled like lavender. She was sitting on the couch in one of my oversized sweaters, legs tucked under her, a book in her lap she clearly hadn’t been reading.
Her eyes met mine. “What happened?”
I didn’t answer right away. I just crossed to her and knelt down in front of her, resting my hands on her knees.
“We found something. And we’re tightening security.”
Her brows furrowed. “Something about Victoria?”
“And Nico,” I said. “They’re working together.”
She tensed.
I sighed and reached up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “It’s not just about taking me down anymore. They want you caught in the middle of it.”
Aria swallowed. “So what now? Lock me in here like glass ? ”
I paused. “If I have to.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Dominic-”
“No. Listen.” My voice cracked, softer now. “I can’t lose you. Not again. Not when they’re playing a game I’ve already seen destroy people.”
08.42 PTI, SU Viay
Chapter 161
She looked away. “I’m not some doll in a box.”
“I know,” I said. “You’re the one thing in this house that reminds me I still have something to lo
There was a silence between us, thick and heavy.
She reached out then and took my hand. “Just… don’t lock me out either. I want to help. As of right now I feel useless.”
AD