After Lucian’s not so subtle threat, the Concord decided that it was time to step in before things got more out of hand. They had tried to pretend it was possible for the two to find peace without their interference, and now they couldn’t imagine how wrong they were. That morning, the city’s diplomats and Concord leaders emerged from the shadows and gathered in the large event hall. The conversations were only towards one topic this time, “reform” and “restoration,” as if those were real things. As if they didn’t already choose a side behind closed doors.The peace gala had begun. But Aria Carpi wasn’t here for peace. She entered the ballroom like smoke, quiet, graceful, but impossible to ignore. Her gown was made of crimson silk, flowing softly down her body, and in her eyes, there was no warmth. Just calculation.John followed a few steps behind, scanning the crowd.’“We shouldn’t be here too long,” he murmured. “There are eyes everywhere, and we don’t need this much attraction now.

After Zion left Aria’s house that day, his mind was made up. There was nothing that he could say to convince her or make her accept his help. He was tired of watching from the sidelines while she kept hurling herself into danger. That morning, he watched the headlines from his apartment window and saw another fire, another protest, and in all of this, he could see clearly that Aria’s grip on the city was slipping, and fast.But even though he tried to keep his mind clear, he knew it wasn’t just the city that bothered him. It was her. The way she’d kissed him… and then pushed him away like it meant nothing. Like they were two strangers playing a dangerous game.But he wasn’t playing anymore, and he was done waiting for her permission. With that flowing through his mind, he threw on his coat and picked up his phone. He knew what Lucian was planning. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. He knew Lucian was preparing for war, and if Aria was too proud to ask for help, then fine. He’d help i

The wind was sharp that morning. It was cold, but not from the weather. Rather, from a place of loss and grief. Aria had requested to see her father’s grave that morning. She felt she needed something to remind herself, particularly now that she was fighting alone, that she could do it. She could make her vision for this city come true. John had come to pick her up as early as 7 a.m., and in a few minutes, they were already at his tombstone. John stopped and gave Aria some distance. He knew whatever she was looking for here, she wouldn’t find it with him hovering around her. Aria proceeded towards Peter’s grave alone and knelt in front of the marble headstone, her black coat dragging slightly across the morning dew on the grass. Her fingers brushed against the engraved letters like they could somehow bring him back. Her father’s name. His legacy. “I used to think this city was broken, unfair, and cruel,” Aria whispered to the headstone. “But you… You believed it could be better. Yo

Despite Aria’s attempts at forcing Zion to shut down his mayoral campaign by smearing his image publicly, Liam wasn’t backing out that easily. He decided to give her one more chance by writing her a final letter, allowing him to handle this or risk losing her to war. It was worth a try even when he knew this message would not resonate with Aria.Aria had organized another dinner party, and Zion could tell that something about this was not ordinary. Aria hadn’t invited him, and so he decided to crash the party. Everything was going just fine, even when Aria practically avoided him all evening. Still, Zion lingered around, hoping to later steal a moment to have a conversation with her.Meanwhile, Aria was busy meeting with every elite member of the city, trying to win the poll back. But after she was done with Travis Maguire, one of the city’s senators, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach a few moments after taking a sip from her wineglass. The dinner party was quiet, civil, too calm

Although Aria had decided to enjoy a moment of peace that night, she could tell it was the quiet before the storm. In a few hours, they’d have to end this once and for all. She was still unsure about letting Zion assist her in this, but he was right; things had gotten out of hand, and she needed all the help she could get.Aria leaned against Zion, her body still weak, and exhaled slowly, the firelight reflecting off her damp skin. She was alive, but her near-death experiences had changed something inside her. This time, she wasn’t going to wait to be the next victim. She was going to strike first and finish what she started.“We finish this,” she said, turning towards Zion. “Tonight.”Zion didn’t argue even though he was intrigued by the urgency in her voice. But he saw it in her eyes and knew that until Lucian was behind bars, this war wasn’t over. At this point, there was nothing he could say or do to change her mind, and deep down, Zion knew there was no reasoning this out anymore