MADDEST OBSESSION - Chapter 54: Chapter 54
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Aria’s POV
The De Luca estate was quieter than she remembered.
Not the kind of silence that came from peace—but the thick, padded hush of surveillance. Every corridor hummed with unseen eyes. Guards didn’t just stand at their posts; they watched. Every gesture. Every breath.
And Aria felt it.
Like prey.
She hadn’t been back in months. Not since the forced engagement. Not since she ran from Dominic. Now, summoned by her father without explanation, she stepped back into the marble halls of her childhood like a stranger.
Her heels clicked sharply on the floor as she made her way to his study. It was strange—the staff didn’t greet her with warmth. Only nods. Cautious. Stiff.
Something's wrong.
When she reached the heavy oak doors, she didn’t knock.
She walked in.
Her father stood behind his desk, phone in hand, speaking in clipped Italian. He turned the moment he saw her and ended the call.
“Aria.”
“Don’t ‘Aria’ me,” she snapped. “Why was I being followed? And don’t pretend you don’t know. That man in the café—he had your security pin.”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny it.
Instead, he walked to the bar and poured a drink.
“You were being followed for your own safety.”
“Liar.” Her voice shook. “You didn’t even care when I left Dominic. But now that he wants to talk, suddenly I’m being tracked like a target?”
His glass clinked against the table as he sat. “Because Dominic has enemies. And so do I.”
“Then say it. Say it was you who leaked my location.”
“I didn’t,” he said flatly. “But someone in this house might have.”
Her stomach sank. “Why?”
Her father’s fingers tapped the glass. “Because there are factions. People who think the marriage should never have been broken. That you were a mistake. That you were a pawn.”
She blinked. “Am I?”
For a second—just one—something like guilt flickered in his eyes.
“I tried to protect you, Aria. But I also made choices. Business choices. That included Dominic. And yes… that included you.”
Her heart thudded.
“And now?”
“Now,” he said slowly, “someone in this house thinks you’re still Dominic’s weakness. That if they expose you, he’ll fall. Or react. Or kill.”
She stepped back. “You knew. You let me walk into it.”
“I didn’t know it would go this far.”
You always say that.
She turned to leave, but his next words stopped her.
“Be careful who you trust.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“There are eyes on you that don’t belong to me anymore.”
Aria didn’t respond.
She walked out, back straight, but inside her mind raced.
If the leak didn’t come from Dominic’s side…
If her own family had factions…
Then this was no lon
ger about protection.
It was about power.
And Aria was caught in the middle.
The De Luca estate was quieter than she remembered.
Not the kind of silence that came from peace—but the thick, padded hush of surveillance. Every corridor hummed with unseen eyes. Guards didn’t just stand at their posts; they watched. Every gesture. Every breath.
And Aria felt it.
Like prey.
She hadn’t been back in months. Not since the forced engagement. Not since she ran from Dominic. Now, summoned by her father without explanation, she stepped back into the marble halls of her childhood like a stranger.
Her heels clicked sharply on the floor as she made her way to his study. It was strange—the staff didn’t greet her with warmth. Only nods. Cautious. Stiff.
Something's wrong.
When she reached the heavy oak doors, she didn’t knock.
She walked in.
Her father stood behind his desk, phone in hand, speaking in clipped Italian. He turned the moment he saw her and ended the call.
“Aria.”
“Don’t ‘Aria’ me,” she snapped. “Why was I being followed? And don’t pretend you don’t know. That man in the café—he had your security pin.”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny it.
Instead, he walked to the bar and poured a drink.
“You were being followed for your own safety.”
“Liar.” Her voice shook. “You didn’t even care when I left Dominic. But now that he wants to talk, suddenly I’m being tracked like a target?”
His glass clinked against the table as he sat. “Because Dominic has enemies. And so do I.”
“Then say it. Say it was you who leaked my location.”
“I didn’t,” he said flatly. “But someone in this house might have.”
Her stomach sank. “Why?”
Her father’s fingers tapped the glass. “Because there are factions. People who think the marriage should never have been broken. That you were a mistake. That you were a pawn.”
She blinked. “Am I?”
For a second—just one—something like guilt flickered in his eyes.
“I tried to protect you, Aria. But I also made choices. Business choices. That included Dominic. And yes… that included you.”
Her heart thudded.
“And now?”
“Now,” he said slowly, “someone in this house thinks you’re still Dominic’s weakness. That if they expose you, he’ll fall. Or react. Or kill.”
She stepped back. “You knew. You let me walk into it.”
“I didn’t know it would go this far.”
You always say that.
She turned to leave, but his next words stopped her.
“Be careful who you trust.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“There are eyes on you that don’t belong to me anymore.”
Aria didn’t respond.
She walked out, back straight, but inside her mind raced.
If the leak didn’t come from Dominic’s side…
If her own family had factions…
Then this was no lon
ger about protection.
It was about power.
And Aria was caught in the middle.
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