Chapter 1 - The Weight of Silence
Emma shook her head slowly, her small curls bouncing against her cheeks.
“No, sir.”
“She didn't look behind the chair.”
“I held my breath until she left the room.”
Aleandro exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
If Isabella had seen the child, Emma might not be standing here right now.
The thought alone made the blood freeze in his veins.
He reached out and gently patted the little girl’s shoulder.
“You are a very brave and smart girl, Emma.”
“You did the right thing by telling me this.”
“Now, I need you to go back to your mother and color your pictures.”
“Do not tell anyone else about the clock, do you understand?”
Emma nodded solemnly, clutching her stuffed rabbit tighter.
“I promise, Mr. Moretti.”
Aleandro watched her small figure disappear through the heavy oak doors of his study.
Once the door clicked shut, the silence of the room became suffocating.
He looked back at the small, black device resting on his desk.
Isabella.
The name echoed in his mind like a funeral bell.
She was the woman who slept in his bed, the woman who wore his grandmother's diamond ring.
Why would she plant a listening device in his most private sanctuary?
Aleandro pulled his encrypted phone from his tailored suit jacket.
He dialed a number that only three people in the world possessed.
“Marco,” Aleandro said, his voice stripped of all emotion.
“Bring the sweeping team to my study immediately.”
“And find Isabella.”
“I don't care if she is at her dress fitting or having lunch with her sister.”
“Bring her to the estate now.”
He ended the call and poured himself three fingers of amber whiskey.
He didn't drink it.
He only stared at the liquid, watching the desk lamp reflect off the crystal glass.
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In his world, betrayal was punishable by death.
There were no exceptions, not even for the woman he loved.
