THE MAFIA KING BROKEN ROSE novel Chapter 181

hapter 181

Chapter 181

Aria’s POV

I was glad I was no longer some prisoner to Dominic. I had a phone, a laptop. Technically, I had a life outside of him. So it’s best to use it.

I sat cross–legged on the leather couch in what Dominic called the “sitting room,” scrolling through news articles on my laptop. The morning sun streamed through the floor–to–ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Everything in this mansion screamed wealth and power. but right now, it felt more like a gilded cage.

Luca stood by the door, his arms crossed, watching me with those sharp gray eyes of his. He’d been assigned as my shadow again, which meant Dominic was handling something dangerous. Something he didn’t want me involved in.

I looked up from my screen and met his gaze. “I see you are my babysitter today again.”

“Protection detail,” he corrected, his voice flat and professional.

“Same thing.” I closed the laptop and stood up, smoothing down my silk blouse. “Look, Luca, I need to go out today. Just for a few hours.”

“No.”

“I haven’t even told you where I want to go.”

“Doesn’t matter. Boss’s orders. You stay in the house.”

I walked closer to him, putting on my most innocent expression. “Please? I just want to visit Carmen at the club. She moved here recently for a job and lucky me we can chat. Girl talk, you know? I promise I’ll be careful.”

“No.”

“Luca, come on. I’m going crazy in here. I need to see my friend, talk to someone who isn’t paid to watch me.”

His jaw tightened slightly, but his answer remained the same. “No.”

My God. This fucker. He didn’t even budge.

I tried a different approach, letting my voice crack slightly. “Please. I’m begging you. I feel so isolated, so cut off from everything. Carmen is the only real friend I have left, and I just… I need to see her. To feel normal for a few hours.”

For a moment, I thought I saw his resolve wayer. But then he shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, Miss Montel. But my orders are clear.”

I slumped back onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. “Fine. I get it. I’m a prisoner again.”

But as I sat there, pretending to sulk, my mind was racing. Last night’s events had changed everything. The tension in the suite was suffocating when Dominic left, and the fact that he’d doubled my security told me everything I needed to know. Victoria and her allies were making their move.

I’d been gathering information for hours now, piecing together conversations I’d overheard, phone calls I’d accidentally listened in on, documents I’d glimpsed on Dominic’s desk. Nico’s growing resentment. Victoria’s connections to the Bratva.

The mysterious Fletcher situation that everyone seemed to dance around.

Dominic thought he was protecting me by keeping me in the dark, but he was wrong. I could help him. I could be an asset instead of a liability. But first, needed to get out of this house. Carmen was promoted and she could now go to different places for dancing. Lucky for me, she was in one of the clubs here.

I waited until Luca stepped out to make his security check, then quickly dialed Carmen’s number.

“Aria? Girl, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you after he took you back. Ugh I missed you like mad.‘

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Chapter 181

“I know, I know. Listen, I need your help with something. Can you meet me somewhere private?”

“Sure, but when? I’m working tonight.”

“That’s okay. But I need to talk to you about work stuff. About the club. About some of the… clientele.”

There was a pause. Carmen was smart; she understood coded language. “You talking about dangerous clientele?”

“The most dangerous kind.”

“Shit, Aria.That’s the vvip and it’s fucking dangerous. It’s fire kinda dangerous.”

“The fire’s already burning, Carmen. I’m just trying to make sure it doesn’t consume everything I care about.”

Another pause. “Okay. But we do this smart. I’ll arrange a private room during my break when you come. Tell your boyfriend’s guard dog that you’re having lady problems and need to see me urgently. Men never question that shit.”

I almost smiled. “You’re brilliant.”

“I’m stupid for helping you, but yeah, I’m brilliant too.”

After hanging up, I put my plan into motion. When Luca returned, I was curled up on the couch, holding my stomach and looking appropriately

miserable.

“Luca? I… I need to ask you something embarrassing.”

He looked immediately uncomfortable. “What?”

“It’s… female stuff. Medical stuff. I need to see Carmen. She’s the only person I trust to help me with this kind of thing.”

His face went red. “I… what kind of medical stuff?”

“The kind men don’t want to hear about.” I winced dramatically. “Please. This is really urgent, and I can’t deal with it alone.”

He shifted from foot to foot, clearly out of his depth. “Can’t you call a doctor?”

“For this? Luca, trust me, this is something only another woman can help with. Please. I’m begging you.”

Twenty minutes later, we were in the car heading toward the club/I’d won that battle, but the war was just beginning.

The club looked different during the day–smaller, seedier, with harsh fluorescent lights revealing stains and worn spots that the romantic evening lighting usually hid. Carmen met us at a side entrance, her expression serious.

“Luca, right?” She extended her hand. “I’m Carmen. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

She led me to one of the private rooms, a small space with plush seating and mirrors on the walls. Once the door closed, her demeanor changed completely.

“Okay, talk. What kind of shit are you mixed up in?”

I told her everything. About Victoria, about Nico’s betrayal, about the Fletcher documents and the growing war between the families. Her eyes grew wider with each revelation.

“Jesus, Aria. You’re talking about taking on the most dangerous people in the city.”

“I’m not taking them on. I’m outsmarting them.”

“How?”

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Chapter 181

“Information. These people think I’m just Dominic’s pretty little pet, but I’ve been watching, listening and learning through my eyes and ears. I know things about their operations, their weaknesses, their plans.”

Carmen leaned back in her chair. “And you want to what, exactly?”

“Turn the tables. Use what I know to protect Dominic and destroy them before they destroy us.”

“Us? Aria, honey, you’re talking like you’re part of this world.”

“I’am part of this world. Whether I wanted to be or not.”

She was quiet for a long moment, studying my face. “You love him.”

It wasn’t a question. It was something I knew for a long time after I survived the first cancer.

So I nodded.

“Okay.” She sighed. “What do you need from me?”

“Information. You see everything that happens in this club. You know which girls work for which families, who’s been asking questions, who’s been making moves. I need eyes and ears outside Dominic’s circte.”

“You still work here, you must know something, right?”

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