Chapter 80

**ARIA**

The scent of fresh coffee and warm pastries drifted through the dining room as Adam and I walked in. The long wooden table was already half-filled—Cassius, Leila, Rosalie, and Sasha were seated, deep in conversation, but they looked up as we approached.

"Good, you’re finally awake," Sasha teased, grinning as he spread jam over his toast. "I was about to send a search party."

I rolled my eyes, slipping into my chair. “It’s barely past nine, Sasha. Not exactly sleeping the day away.”

“Debatable,” he mused, taking a bite.

Adam sat beside me, casually pouring himself coffee as Cassius leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He looked tense.

“So,” Leila said, brushing a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “I got a response from Lord Ambrose. He’s agreed to meet me.”

The dining room went still.

Cassius straightened abruptly, his entire demeanor shifting from composed to on edge in an instant. “Absolutely not.”

Leila blinked at him, frowning. “What?”

“You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

Leila scoffed, setting her fork down with a clatter. “Cassius, you don’t get to—”

“You’re pregnant, Leila.”

Silence.

A heartbeat passed. Then two.

Leila’s expression froze, her eyes widening in realization.

Cassius swore under his breath. He hadn’t meant to say that.

The entire table took a moment to process. Sasha, ever the easygoing one, looked between them, clearly unsure how to react. Finally, he shrugged, lifting his coffee mug.

“Well. Congrats.”

Leila, however, wasn’t having it. She whirled on Cassius, her voice sharp. “That's not how I wanted to share...”

“I wouldn’t have needed to share it if you weren’t planning on doing something reckless,” he shot back.

“I was planning on doing something useful.”

"You can’t just—”

“Oh, I can’t?” She folded her arms. “Because I’m pregnant?”

Cassius exhaled sharply, clearly trying to rein in his frustration. “Yes. Because you’re pregnant. I won’t risk you like that.”

Leila looked ready to throw something at his head.

Adam, meanwhile, had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, sipping his coffee. He leaned over to me and murmured, “They should settle this themselves.”

Leila whipped her head toward him. “Oh, no, don’t you start, Adam. You don’t get to stay out of this.”

I bit back a laugh. When Leila was pissed, there was no such thing as ‘staying out of it.’

Adam sighed, setting his mug down. "Fine. But he’s not wrong. Going to meet Lord Ambrose in your state is dangerous."

Leila looked to me, exasperated. I took my chance.

"Then I’ll go in her place. With you," I said to Adam.

He didn’t hesitate. “No.”

I stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You’re not going either, Aria."

I folded my arms. "Why not?"

"Because it’s dangerous," he said, voice calm but firm.

"Leila is pregnant," I pointed out. "I am not."

"You’re still not going."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?"

"Because if Austin were here, he’d refuse too."

That did it.

I shoved my chair back, standing up. "Oh, so now Austin makes my decisions for me?"

"That’s not what I said," Adam replied, his voice cool. "I said he’d agree with me."

"Which is just a nicer way of saying you think I need to be told what to do."

His jaw tightened. "That’s not—"

I didn’t let him finish. I turned on my heel, heading for the door.

Leila was right behind me, just as pissed.

Rosalie scrambled to follow. "Wait for me!"

I didn’t stop walking. Neither did Leila.

The sound of Cassius and Adam’s voices faded as we stepped outside into the crisp morning air.

We had better things to do.

**ADAM**

The door slammed behind Aria and Leila, leaving a thick silence in their wake.

I exhaled sharply and threw my napkin onto the table, the frustration simmering just beneath my skin.

“They’re impossible,” I muttered.

Cassius let out a low growl, running a hand through his hair. “Tell me about it. Leila acts like I’m the unreasonable one when she’s the one who wants to risk our child for some damn meeting.” He leaned back, shaking his head. “I don’t get it. Doesn’t she understand what’s at stake?”

Sasha, as always, found amusement in the situation. He grinned from across the table, leisurely finishing his coffee. “To be fair, Cass, she probably understands perfectly. She just doesn’t care what you think.”

Cassius turned his glare on my younger brother. “You think this is funny?”

Sasha shrugged, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth. “A little.”

Cassius’ chair scraped loudly against the floor as he stood up, and before Sasha could react, Cassius and I both reached for him at the same time.

“What the—hey!” Sasha yelped as we lifted him right off his chair.

His protests were useless. With one swift motion, we dumped him onto the floor, sending his plate clattering beside him.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, staring up at us from the ground, still holding a fork in his hand.

"Finish your breakfast somewhere else," I said, unimpressed.

Sasha scowled but took his half-eaten plate of food with him, grumbling under his breath as he walked off.

Cassius sat back down, rubbing a hand over his face. "She won't listen to me, Adam."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Yeah, welcome to my world."

The truth was, I understood Leila and Aria’s frustration. But it didn’t change the fact that they were both wrong.

Leila couldn't take this risk—not while pregnant.

And Aria?

She was far too valuable to be thrown into the unknown.

I drummed my fingers against the table, mind already calculating.

If Leila couldn't go… and if Aria couldn't go…

Then that left me.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone.

Cassius frowned. “What are you doing?”

I pressed the screen to my ear. "Calling Austin."

His brow furrowed. "Why?"

I met his gaze, voice steady.

"To tell him that Aria and I are leaving for Europe."