Unveiling the Past.

“We’ve talked enough in the open; let's head somewhere more private; this isn’t a public matter.” Those were the words that had now brought us into our room to continue to discuss. 
The room was heavy with silence, the kind that lingers after an important discussion. The plan had been set in motion, and now all that was left was execution. I sat there, my mind racing, trying to process the weight of everything.
I was going to the docks.
Not just that—I was going under surveillance. Raven would be watching, hidden somewhere, ready to cover me if anything went wrong. My escort, someone unknown to the public, had to blend in perfectly. Evander had suggested Sofia.
That’s where I had drawn the line.

“No. Absolutely not.” I had spoken before I could even think.
Evander and Sebastian both turned to look at me, amused.
Evander chuckled, shaking his head. “You have no idea, do you?”
I blinked. “No idea about what?”
Sebastian leaned forward, studying my expression. “Sofia is more skilled than you think. I mean, she was in the military at some point; she’s just calm and doesn’t talk much.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but... I had no argument. I had underestimated Sofia. All this time, I thought she was just surviving in this house the same way I was, but apparently, there is more to her.
I let out a slow breath. “So she… can fight?”
Evander smirked. “Fight? She can break a man’s arm in under five seconds if she needs to.”

I was speechless.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, watching me process everything. “You trust her, don’t you?
I nodded slowly. “Yes, I do. It’s just… surprising.”
Sebastian exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. “Good. You’ll need that trust.”
I sat there, the reality of the mission settling in. This wasn’t a game. This wasn’t some low-level job where I was just tagging along. This was dangerous. If El Rado or Pedro were anywhere near the docks, this could turn bad in a matter of seconds.
And I will be in more danger because of the presence of my past.
But I had agreed.
Since there wasn’t much to talk about, Evander stepped out of the room.
But my heart troubled me; the mission was a serious one, a mission where errors or mistakes may be costly.
Still, there was something else. A weight in my chest that had been sitting there for too long.

Something I had never told anyone—not even Raven.
Something Sebastian deserved to know.
I shifted uncomfortably, clearing my throat. "Sebastian, there’s something I need to tell you.”
His sharp eyes locked onto mine. “What is it?”
I swallowed hard. “My past.”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I haven’t always been... like this,” I started, my voice softer than usual.
Sebastian didn’t interrupt. He just watched me, patiently waiting.
“I used to have everything,” I admitted. “Wealth, power, security. My father was one of the most influential men in Los Angeles, and I lived in the most prestigious neighborhood. I had the best cars, the best education, and friends that everyone envied.”
Sebastian arched an eyebrow. “And yet, you ended up here.”
I let out a bitterchuckle. “That’s the irony, isn’t it?”
I shifted, looking down at my hands. “I was arrogant. Nonchalant. I thought I had my whole life planned out, that nothing could go wrong. My biggest concern was which dress to wear for the next gala or which car I wanted to drive next. And... I had a weakness.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “A weakness?”
I nodded, feeling the sting of old memories. “Love. Or at least, what I thought was love.”
Sebastian stayed silent, but I could feel his curiosity burning.
I licked my lips, trying to steady my voice. “Mateo.” The name alone made my stomach twist. “I met him in school, the guy everyone’s eyes were on. He was everything I thought I wanted—rich, charming, confident. He had this way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. And I fell for it. I was head over heels."

I clenched my fists, remembering the way I used to worship the ground he walked on. “I thought he loved me too. I thought we were perfect together. Until I caught him.”
Sebastian tilted his head slightly. “Caught him?”
“There is this person in my life. She was like a sister to me; she was like my very own blood; she gets me; she liked what I liked; she was more than a friend. She was one of the key reasons me and Mateo became a thing; she was so cool," I said as the memories of my past came flooding back.
 “But I caught him with someone else. But not just anyone.” My voice wavered as I forced out the words. “Mireya.”
Sebastian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes darkened. “Your best friend?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. The one person I trusted more than anyone. Turns out, she had been sleeping with him behind my back for months. And I—” My throat tightened. “I was stupid. So stupid.”

Sebastian reached out, placing a hand on my knee. It was a small gesture, but it grounded me.
“I planned to expose them,” I admitted. “I wanted revenge. I wanted to humiliate them the way they humiliated me. I thought I had everything under control, that I could get the last laugh.”
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “But they knew. They knew I had found out. They played along, acting like nothing was wrong, pretending to be my friends until the very last second. And then…”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Then they cornered me.”
Sebastian’s grip on my knee tightened. “Cornered you?” His voice was dangerously low.
I nodded, my voice barely above a whisper. “The staff I had hired for my plan? They weren’t mine to control. They were Mateo’s. He had planned everything from the start. It was never me playing them—it was them playing me.”
Sebastian’s face was unreadable, but the tension in his jaw was clear.
I let out a shaky breath. “That’s when Pedro came in. He knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was already being transported. Days on the road, changing locations, passed from one hand to another until I ended up here.”
The room was suffocatingly quiet.
I hadn’t realized I was crying until Sebastian reached out, brushing a tear from my cheek. His touch was gentle, almost reverent.
For the first time since I started speaking, I looked directly into his eyes. “That’s my story, Sebastian. That’s how I got here.

His jaw was tight, his knuckles white as his hands curled into fists. “Mateo. Mireya. Pedro.” He said their names like a vow, like a promise.
I sniffled, trying to compose myself. “I don’t want your pity. I just… I just wanted you to know.”
Sebastian stared at me for a long time before exhaling through his nose. He moved closer, his hand cupping the back of my neck, his thumb brushing over my skin.
“You think I pity you?” He asked, his voice low and rough.
I hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t.” His fingers tightened slightly. “I’m furious.”
I blink up at him, surprised.
“I’m furious that they did this to you. That they got away with it. That you had to go through all of that alone.” His voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “But pity? No. Never.”
A lump formed in my throat.
Sebastian exhaled slowly, rubbing his hand down my back in slow, soothing circles. “You’re stronger than you think, Ariella.”
I bit my lip, feeling the weight of his words.
For a moment, we just sat there, the silence no longer suffocating but comforting.
Then he spoke again, his voice softer this time. “I won’t let them get away with it.”
I looked up at him, eyes widening. “Sebastian—”

He silenced me with a look. “I want to deal with them,” he said.
The way he said it, so matter-of-factly, sent a chill down my spine.
Sebastian wasn’t just saying words.
He meant them.

But this was my war; this was my fight.
“I appreciate you honestly; I always knew you would say that, but I can’t let you deal with them,” I said as his eyebrows came together in confusion.
“I will deal with them myself; Pedro is linked to me, so I will leave him be for you, but Mateo and Mireya, they are mine to deal with,” I said, with a still look battling his look.
“Okay then, I understand,” he said as he let out a smile. “I told you, you are stronger now.”
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel powerless.
I felt protected, yet powerful on my own.

I felt safe.
And for now, that was enough.