MADDEST OBSESSION - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

The black SUV came to a screeching halt outside the boutique, a routine stop Aria had made dozens of times. But today felt different. The air was heavy, the streets too quiet.
Two of Dominic’s best men shadowed her, scanning every corner. Aria adjusted her sunglasses, masking the unease coiling in her chest.
Inside, the boutique owner greeted her warmly, but Aria could feel the tension radiating from her guards. Something was wrong.
The moment she stepped into the private fitting room, the door slammed shut behind her. Instinctively, she reached for the small weapon strapped to her thigh, but before she could draw it—
A cold voice whispered from the shadows. “It’s foolish, you know. Walking into enemy territory as if you’re untouchable.”
Valentina stepped out from behind the curtain, dressed in white silk, a mocking contrast to the blackness of her intentions.
Aria’s eyes narrowed. “You’re bold. I’ll give you that.”
Valentina smiled thinly. “You’ve taken everything from me—Dominic’s loyalty, his empire, his heart.”
Aria stood tall, voice calm but edged. “You never had his heart. And his loyalty was never yours to begin with.”
The steel door locked behind them with a metallic click. “You won’t walk out of here alive, Aria.”
Aria’s hand never left the handle of her concealed blade. “Then you better make sure you kill me fast.”
Valentina’s smile faded. “Oh no, darling. I want you to suffer. Publicly. I want the world to see Dominic broken.”
The sound of gunfire exploded outside—the guards engaging Valentina’s men. Chaos erupted. But inside the fitting room, only silence reigned as two queens stared each other down.
Seconds later
The door burst open. Dominic charged in, eyes wild with fury, gun raised.
“Step away from my wife!”
Valentina hesitated just a fraction too long. Aria seized the moment, pulling her blade and slashing toward her opponent. The sharp edge grazed Valentina’s arm, forcing her back.
Dominic fired a single warning shot into the wall, forcing Valentina to freeze.
“Move, and I won’t miss next time,” he warned.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Backup arrived fast, overwhelming Valentina’s men.
Valentina’s gaze burned with hatred as she was restrained. “This isn’t over, Dominic.”
Dominic’s voice was cold steel. “You won’t get another chance.”
Aria stepped forward, breath still rapid but steady. “Queens don’t bow, Valentina. They reign—or they fall.”
As Valentina was dragged away, the reality settled in: this wasn’t the final battle. But tonight, they had won.
That night
Dominic held Aria tightly in the safety of their penthouse, his breathing still uneven from the adrenaline.
“I should have never let you leave my sight,” he whispered, his voice raw.
Aria touched his cheek gently. “We fight this war together. We knew it would get ugly.”
His grip on her waist tightened. “I don’t want to lose you, Aria. Not to them. Not to anyone.”
“You won’t,” she promised softly. “I’m stronger because of you. And we’ve only just begun.”
He kissed her fiercely, desperate and possessive. In their passion that night, there was no fear—only the fire of survival, of love that burned brighter than any enemy.
Toge
ther, they would destroy anyone who dared come between them again.