Ariana's deception cuts deeper than she ever imagined. Nick's fury radiates through the penthouse as tears stream down her face—she's shattered the trust of the man she loves. "After everything between us, I loved you, I fuckin trusted you," he growls, his voice breaking with betrayal. The silence that follows is suffocating, a fleeting moment where forgiveness seems possible before it crumbles. "Leave," he commands in a voice so dangerous it barely registers. Then louder, rawer: "Leave before I do something I'd regret for the rest of my life." His fist crashes against the desk, sending the nearly empty brandy bottle trembling. In that devastating instant, Ariana realizes the horrifying truth—she hasn't just seduced and manipulated the most powerful man in the city. She's destroyed him completely, and there's no taking it back.