ARYA'S POV

The moment I crossed the threshold of the villa, I knew something was terribly wrong

At least three guards ran past me without recognizing me, their faces tense. The metallic smell of blood hung in the air, mixed with antiseptic, and my heart leaped into my throat.

I followed the commotion into the living room, my feet moving before my mind could fully process what was happening. The scene that greeted me left me frozen in the doorway.

Giovanni lay sprawled on the leather sofa, his white shirt soaked with blood on the left side. A man I didn't recognize was bent over him, frantically working on his shoulder as Giovanni lay unconscious.

Around him, some guards were shouting orders into their phones, others were checking weapons, and one was pressing gauze against what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

A gunshot wound?! Did that mean Giovanni had been shot?

Part of me wanted to go upstairs, close my bedroom door, and let him face the consequences of the violence he had gotten h