The Heiress' Revenge

Chapter 207: The Threat

Ariana’s POV

The door clicked shut behind Natasha, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding with my hands shaking. I pressed them flat against my desk, trying to steady myself.

She could have him.

I kept repeating it like a prayer or a curse, like something I needed to believe before it destroyed me.

I walked to my chair and sank into it, and the leather was cold against my skin. I stared at the empty space where Natasha had been standing, her hand on her belly, her eyes burning with desperation and hatred all tangled together.

I reached for my phone, my thumb hovered over Dante’s name. I’d deleted his contact twice already, but I still knew the number by heart. I still knew every curve of his name, every scar on his face, every single detail about him was engraved in my head.

Don’t call him.

I put the phone down.

Don’t do it, Ariana. You signed the papers and have promised to walk away. I shouldn’t go back on my word.

I picked it up again.

One call just to hear his voice and beg him to come back to me, that I couldn’t do this without him, I need help... I don’t think I could do this, just to—

No.

I threw the phone across the desk. It skidded to the edge and stopped, screen still glowing.

And then it buzzed.

I froze, hoping it was Dante, but it wasn’t; it was an unknown number.

I stared at it for a long moment, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t recognize the area code as my thumb hovered over the notification, a sick feeling settling in my stomach.

I opened it.

Unknown: You think you can just waltz back into his life? You think we don’t see you? Stay away from Dante, or your kids are dead meat, all of them. Asher, Alan, Sophia, and Isabella don’t test us.

The world stopped.

I read it again and again, making my vision blurred as my hands started shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone.

Your kids.

All of them.

Dead meat.

I felt the air leave my lungs. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think...I just stared at the screen at the names of my children, my children spelled out like a shopping list.

I don’t know how long I sat there.

Minutes.

Hours.

Time didn’t exist anymore.

Then my phone buzzed again.

Unknown: Stay away from Dante, and your kids might just make it alive...one wrong move and you’ll be picking up pieces. Understand?

I opened my mouth to scream, but came out.

My fingers fumbled over the keyboard, typing and deleting, typing and deleting.

Finally, I managed to send something.

Me: Who is this?

The reply came instantly.

Unknown: Doesn’t matter, just know we’re serious. Stay away from Dante, no calls, texts, meetings, nothing at all, or they’re gone.

I dropped the phone like it was on fire. It clattered against the desk, screen still lit, those words burned into my retinas.

Dead meat.

Gone.

I scrambled to grab it again; my hands were clammy, and I dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Levi," I choked out when he answered. "Levi, I need you to listen to me."

Levi is our company’s private investigator.

"Ariana? What’s wrong? You sound—"

"Someone just threatened my children. They sent me a text with their names. They said if I go near Dante, they’ll kill all of them."

Silence on the other end.

"Levi, did you hear me?"

"I heard you. Are you sure it’s not a prank?"

"I’m not sure of anything, but they named them; they named all four of them. How would someone know unless they’ve been watching?"

Levi’s voice dropped. "Send me the number. I’ll trace it, and Ariana doesn’t do anything. Don’t call Dante or anyone about this.., okay?"

"No," I said quickly. "No, don’t come here. What if they’re watching? What if they see you and think I’m trying something?"

"Ariana—"

"Just trace the number and see what you can find, please... please I-" I couldn’t finish the sentence cause voice cracked.

"I’ll handle it, but you need to stay calm."

"Calm?" I laughed, and it sounded hysterical even to my own ears. "Someone just threatened to murder my children, and you want me to stay calm?"

"I want you to stay alive," Levi said firmly. "Now send me the number and don’t respond to any more messages."

I ended the call and stared at my phone again.

Another message.

Unknown: Tick tock, Ariana... telling your private investigator won’t help you "

How? How do they know?

I spun around, my eyes darting to the windows, the door, and every corner of my office. Was someone out there? Was someone in the building? In the parking lot?

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I typed back with shaking fingers.

Me: Please stay away from my kids. I signed the papers and walked away. What more do you want from me?

Unknown: make him understand that you no longer want him cause he still hasn’t accepted the fact that you’ve moved, so make him believe.

Me: Who sent you? Was it Natasha?

Unknown: Doesn’t matter who sent us, but rather what happens next.

I stared at the screen, my mind racing.

Natasha couldn’t have done this.

She was desperate, yes.

Bitter, yes, but she’d just been in my office crying about how much she loved Dante. She’d begged me to help her and apologized for everything.

Or could it be Dante’s mother? Of course, it could be her. But why would she do this?

Or maybe it wasn’t her.

Maybe Dante had other enemies; someone else was trying to push me out of the picture.

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. I couldn’t stay here, I needed to get out of here before I lost my mind... I couldn’t sit in this office like a sitting duck, waiting for someone to make good on their threat.

Maybe I should return to New York

My phone buzzed again as I reached for the handle.

Unknown: Don’t even think about it. We’re watching the school too... One wrong move and we’ll know. Don’t test us.

I froze.

They knew.

They knew I was thinking about leaving.

How? How could they possibly—

What the hell is going on?