54

54
Alaric’s POV
I was in my study, going over the details of our latest shipments, when the knock came-two sharp raps, a pause, then a third. Allesio’s signal. I set down the file I’d been reading, already feeling the prickling sensation of unease.
“Come in,” I called, pushing away from the desk.
Allesio entered, his face set in a grim line, holding a small, nondescript brown package. It wasn’t the kind of thing you’d pay attention to in a pile of mail-ordinary, almost insignificant. But the stiffness in his shoulders told me everything I needed to know.
“Found this at the front gate, sir,” he said, placing the package on my desk. “No return address.”
I met his eyes. “Did you check it?”
He gave a curt nod. “No explosives. It’s just paper inside, but it feels wrong.”
Wrong. That single word was enough to send a jolt of cold rage through me. I grabbed a letter opener from the desk, slicing through the tape quickly, and pulled the flaps apart. Inside, there was a plain white envelope. I could feel Allesio’s gaze on me as I slipped it out and opened it.
The photos spilled out onto the desk, one after the other. I felt the blood drain from my face as I took in each image-Emilia walking through the park with Francesca on her hip, the two of them laughing outside a cafe, Emilia bent over to tie Francesca’s shoe on the sidewalk. They were candid, taken from a distance. Not just one or two, but dozens of them, spread out like a grotesque collection of someone’s private, stolen moments.
I gripped the edge of the desk so hard my knuckles turned white. “How the hell did these get taken?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
Allesio’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know. Whoever did this, they were careful. They didn’t leave a trace.”
“Not good enough,” I snapped, shoving the photos back into the envelope. “I want every single person who was supposed to be watching them questioned. Find out how this slipped through.”
“Understood,” he said, already turning on his heel to carry out the order.
“Wait,” I called, stopping him just as he reached the door. “Initiate a full lockdown. No one leaves the mansion unless it’s absolutely necessary. I want increased patrols, eyes on every entrance, and double security at the gate.”
Allesio didn’t argue; he knew better. He gave a short nod and disappeared down the hall, leaving me alone with the evidence of my failure scattered across the desk.
I sank into the leather chair, my mind a chaotic storm. This wasn’t a simple threat anymore. It was a declaration of war, a line crossed. Whoever was behind this was getting bold, toying with me, using Emilia and Francesca as their weapons. The thought of them being watched, their privacy invaded so brazenly, made my blood boil.
I grabbed the nearest photo, staring at it like I could burn it to ashes with my gaze alone. Emilia was smiling, holding Francesca close, the sun glinting off her hair. It was a moment of pure happiness, and seeing it violated this way twisted something deep in my chest. I couldn’t protect them, not the way I thought I could. And now the game had changed. They weren’t just collateral-they were targets.
There was a soft knock on the door, pulling me from the dark spiral of my thoughts. I didn’t answer at first, staring at the door as if I could will whoever it was to go away. But the knock came again, more insistent.
“Alaric?” Emilia’s voice drifted through, hesitant.
I shoved the photos back into the envelope and stood, crossing the room in three quick strides to open the door. She stepped inside, her face pale, her eyes wide with concern.
“I heard the guards talking,” she said quietly. “Something about a lockdown. What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” I bit out, the words sharper than I intended.
Her expression faltered, hurt flickering in her eyes before she squared her shoulders. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out. I deserve to know if something’s wrong.”
“Not this time, Emilia,” I snapped, turning away from her, running a hand through my hair. “Just stay in the mansion. Stay with Francesca. I’ll handle it.”
“You’re handling it?” She stepped closer, her voice rising slightly. “Like you handled the letter? You can’t just keep me in the dark when it concerns me and Francesca. I need to know-”
“It’s because it concerns you that I can’t tell you,” I interrupted, finally turning to face her. My anger had nothing to do with her, but it spilled over anyway, raw and uncontrollable. “Do you understand? I can’t risk it. Not with you. Not with her.”
She flinched at the intensity of my words but didn’t back down. “So what? I’m supposed to just sit here and wait while you keep everything from me? I’m not a child, Alaric. I deserve to know what’s going on. You don’t get to keep me in the dark. Not now. Not like this.”
Her words stung, but she was right. She deserved to know.
“They sent a package this morning. Photos of you and Francesca. They’ve been watching you-watching us. From a distance, but enough to catch every little moment. It’s not just a threat anymore, Emilia. It’s personal.”
She blinked, taking a step back. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she didn’t say anything right away. She didn’t have to. The silence was enough.
“You’re telling me they’ve been watching us… this whole time?” she asked after a moment, her voice tight. Her gaze flickered down, as if trying to process the reality of it, but I could see her trying to maintain control, not letting the fear slip through. It was a quality I admired in her.
I nodded. “It’s been happening for weeks, Emilia. And now they’ve crossed a line.”
She inhaled sharply, then let out a slow breath. “But why? Why are they targeting us? Is it… because of you?”
I hesitated, not knowing how to explain it all. The tangled web of past enemies, the secrets buried deep, the connections that ran too close to the heart of everything I’d built. But I knew I couldn’t hide from this. Not anymore.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But whoever is behind this, they’re trying to get to me. Through you. Through Francesca. It’s the most vulnerable place they could strike. And I-” I stopped myself, looking at her with an intensity that almost burned. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure they don’t get any closer.”
Emilia’s eyes softened for a brief moment. She stepped closer, her gaze steady. “We’ll handle it together,” she said firmly, almost like a vow. “I’m not going to hide. Not from this. I can’t just wait in the dark.”
“Emilia…” I started, but her hand shot up, a signal to stop. She didn’t want my sympathy, didn’t want me to coddle her. She was more than capable of standing her ground in this world of mine.
“I’m not asking for you to protect me from this. I’m asking you to let me in. Let me help,” she said, her voice hard. “You can’t fight everything alone, Alaric.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. She was right again. I couldn’t do it alone. And the sooner I accepted that, the better.
“Fine,” I said, finally meeting her gaze. “But promise me this: you stay alert. You don’t let your guard down. I won’t risk your safety for anyone. Not even for the sake of what we have here.”
“I promise,” she whispered, her voice steady.
“Alright,” I said, forcing the tension out of my body. “We’ll figure this out. But first, you stay with Francesca. No going anywhere without me knowing. And don’t make any sudden moves, understood?”
She nodded, though I could see the concern still clouding her expression. “I’m not going anywhere. But I’m not sitting in the dark either.”
The game had changed, and whoever was pulling the strings behind this, they had no idea what they were truly dealing with. They’d made a mistake.
And now, I would make sure they paid for it.
“You should rest,” I told Emilia, softer this time. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you or Francesca.”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. But I’m not backing down.”
“Neither am I,” I said, with finality.
As she left, I felt everything pressing down on me. The game was no longer something I could control from the shadows. It had come to light, and I couldn’t keep Emilia and Francesca hidden from it forever.
This fight? It would be different. And I wasn’t sure yet how it would end.