Chapter 13 A Deal With The Devil

The car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion.

Aria's fingers twitched against her thighs.

She wasn't sure what she expected from Killian Laurent's home.

A fortress, maybe. Something cold and calculated, just like him.

But what stood before her was a beast of a mansion, its towering iron gates gleaming under the dim streetlights. The architecture was sleek yet imposing—black steel and stone, modern yet somehow timeless in its dominance.

The place felt like a king's domain.

Or a monster's lair.

The driver stepped out first, moving with precision as he opened Killian's door.

Aria didn't move, her fingers curled into the leather seat.

Then Killian turned to her.

"Are you coming in, or are you going to sit there all night?" His voice was smooth, but there was something underneath it.

A challenge.

Aria exhaled, pushing away the last tendrils of hesitation.

She had already made her choice.

Now, she had to live with it.

She stepped out of the car.

The night air was thick with the scent of rain and something else—gunpowder, metal, danger.

Killian walked ahead, his movements calculated, effortless.

Like he belonged to this world more than he belonged to himself.

The doors opened before they even reached them, two men in black suits bowing their heads as Killian strode past them.

Aria followed, her steps slow, measured.

She didn't need to look around to know the place was filled with eyes.

Watching. Assessing.

Judging her.

Killian didn't stop until they reached the grand hall.

The ceiling stretched high above them, adorned with intricate chandeliers. The walls were lined with sleek black-and-gold decor, the entire place exuding power. Control. Wealth.

But there was no warmth.

This was not a home.

It was a throne.

Killian turned to her.

"Welcome to my world, Aria."

The Weight of a Name

She folded her arms. "What now?"

Killian's lips twitched, but it wasn't quite a smile.

"You're here because you want the truth."

Aria nodded, her jaw tight. "And you're finally going to give it to me?"

Killian watched her for a long moment.

Then—he laughed.

The sound was low, almost amused.

"You still think this is about answers."

Her fingers curled into fists. "That's what you promised."

He took a step closer, his presence pressing against her like a shadow.

"I promised to show you," he corrected. "Not to hand you easy truths on a silver platter."

Aria narrowed her eyes. "Then show me."

His gaze darkened.

"Be careful what you wish for."

She didn't waver.

Killian tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he was deciding whether or not to solve.

Then, finally—

"Fine."

He turned toward one of the guards.

"Bring him in."

Aria's spine straightened.

Who?

She didn't have to wait long for the answer.

A moment later, the doors swung open again.

And the man they dragged in was barely breathing.

A Lesson in Blood

Aria stiffened as the guards hauled the man forward.

He was in his late thirties, his face swollen with bruises, blood dripping from his split lip. His expensive suit was torn, the fabric darkened with sweat and something thicker.

He looked like he had been through hell.

The guards threw him to his knees.

Killian stepped forward, his expression unreadable.

"Aria," he said smoothly, "meet Damian Cross."

Her stomach clenched.

That name—she knew it.

Cross.

A weapons dealer. Someone rumored to supply half the criminal underworld.

The man coughed, spitting blood onto the marble floor.

Then—he looked up at Killian.

His lips curved into a bloody smirk.

"Well, well," he rasped. "If it isn't the puppet master himself."

Killian didn't blink.

Aria's pulse pounded.

"Why is he here?" she asked.

Killian glanced at her.

"Because he thought he could betray me."

Her breath caught.

She looked back at Damian, his shoulders trembling as he tried to steady himself.

"I don't work for you," Damian sneered. "I sell to everyone."

Killian's expression didn't change.

"That was your first mistake."

The room felt colder.

Aria forced herself to breathe.

She had seen criminals arrested. Had seen men thrown behind bars.

But this?

This wasn't justice.

This was something else.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked.

Killian finally looked at her.

"Because you need to understand what kind of world you've stepped into."

Her fingers twitched.

She had spent years trying to take down men like Damian Cross.

Now—she was standing in front of one.

And the man she had spent so long chasing—Killian Laurent—was deciding his fate.

The Point of No Return

Killian reached into his coat.

The silver glint of a gun caught the light.

He handed it to her.

Aria froze.

"Kill him," Killian said.

The words hit her like ice water.

Her pulse roared.

"What?"

Killian's eyes didn't waver.

"If you want to be in my world, you need to prove it."

Her fingers tightened at her sides.

She could hear Damian's breathing, ragged, waiting.

Aria swallowed.

"You want me to execute him?" she whispered.

Killian didn't blink.

"I want you to make a choice."

She stared at the gun.

It felt like a trap.

If she refused—what then?

Would Killian still trust her?

Would she even be allowed to walk away?

But if she pulled the trigger…

She would become something else.

Something she wasn't sure she could come back from.

Damian let out a bloody chuckle.

"She's not one of us, Laurent," he rasped. "She won't do it."

Aria's fingers brushed the gun.

She wasn't sure what part of her reached for it—the detective, or the woman Killian had been slowly pulling into his darkness.

Killian watched.

Waited.

And in that moment, she realized—

This was the real test.

Not just of loyalty.

But of who she was willing to become.

She gripped the gun.

Her breath shuddered.

One choice.

One shot.

She lifted it—

And—