Signed to the Devil :THE MAFIA'S CONTRACT BRIDE

Chapter 11 – Shadows Within the Walls

The morning after the attack, everything felt off. The city outside the mansion walls had gone strangely quiet, but inside, Aria could almost taste the tension in the air. Matteo hadn’t said a word all night. He just stood out on the balcony, watching the sunrise, his face unreadable. Still, Aria knew him well enough to sense the storm brewing behind his eyes. Whatever the attack proved, it had changed something between them—something he wasn’t ready to talk about.

Aria didn’t waste time getting dressed, just grabbed something practical. Still, the silk and lace clung to her in ways she hadn’t noticed before. In this place, she’d learned, appearances were everything. So was strength. And trust? Trust was the most dangerous thing of all.

Walking to the breakfast room, she picked up on it right away—the guards moved differently. Tighter, more on edge. More whispers, more glances over their shoulders. The youngest guard wouldn’t even look at her. That, she noticed.

Matteo showed up a few minutes later in his usual dark suit. The second he walked in, everyone straightened up, bowed their heads, started whispering. He ignored them, eyes scanning the room. When he looked at Aria, there was nothing gentle about it. He was sizing her up, making calculations.

“Sit,” he said, pointing to the chair across from him. No room for argument there. Aria sat down, keeping her curiosity in check.

“I want a report. Every detail from last night. Who stepped up, who froze, who failed.”

Her heart started pounding. He wasn’t here for small talk. This was about finding weaknesses. “There were no failures on my end,” she said, careful with her words. “Everyone stuck to protocol. We secured the safe rooms, got Sofia out, and held the attackers off until backup arrived.”

He nodded, slow and deliberate. “Good. But I need to know if anyone here let them in, even by accident.”

Aria’s stomach flipped. Only one way to figure that out, and it started with the guards. Especially the youngest—the one avoiding her.

“Bring him in,” she said, surprised at the authority in her own voice. Matteo just raised an eyebrow, looked almost pleased.

The young guard came in, looking even smaller with both of them watching him. “Sir,” he stammered, “what’s going on?”

“Last night,” Aria said, steady, “you were at the east corridor. Did you see anything strange?”

The kid glanced at Matteo, then back. “No… I mean, yes. I saw someone leave the west wing with a small bag. It was late. I just thought it was normal.”

Aria’s mind raced. That shouldn’t have happened unless someone had inside knowledge. That bag could’ve held anything—documents, weapons, gear to take out the cameras. She glanced at Matteo. His jaw clenched; his eyes went dark and cold.

“Who was it?” she pressed.

He hesitated. “I think… it was Lorenzo, sir. He left the office before the attack. Said he was checking inventory, but I’m pretty sure he went out. Alone.”

Lorenzo. The name had come up before, always in whispers. Matteo had never openly mentioned him as a traitor, but now the evidence was staring them in the face.

Matteo’s hands curled into fists. In one smooth, controlled move, he stood. “Show me the surveillance.”

Aria led him to the monitor room. The footage from the night of the attack played on the screen. There it was—Lorenzo, leaving his office with that small bag, moving quickly and quietly. Then, another shadow appeared from the east wing. Someone Aria didn’t recognize. Someone who wasn’t on the staff roster.

Matteo froze, just for a second, then hit a button and zoomed in. His face didn’t show much, but Aria could feel the heat of his anger.

“Who is that?” she whispered.

He didn’t answer right away, just rewound the footage and watched again. The stranger handed Lorenzo another bag before slipping away. Whoever this was, they knew their way around the mansion. This attack had been planned, inside and out.

Aria swallowed hard. The betrayal ran deeper than she thought. They were in real danger—again.

“Lock every entrance,” Matteo said, his voice low and dangerous. “No one leaves. Everyone gets searched. I want every camera reviewed.”

She nodded. Part of her admired how fast he took charge, but part of her was scared. She’d never seen him like this—so quiet, so deadly.

Then her phone buzzed.A text from an unknown number flashed onto her screen.

We know your weakness. The girl.

Aria’s heart skipped. She glanced at Matteo. He read the message in an instant—face impossible to read, but his fingers locked around hers, tight and unyielding.

“She’s talking about Sofia,” Aria whispered as it hit her.

Matteo’s eyes burned. “Then they made a mistake.”

Before she could ask, alarms shrieked through the mansion. Doors slammed. The lights flickered, stuttering. Someone had tripped the security system—someone was already inside.

Matteo didn’t waste a second. He yanked her behind the desk. “Stay down,” he said, voice rough.

Gunshots cracked, echoing closer this time, and Aria pressed herself against the desk, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. The attackers were inside now. No more hiding behind locked doors or thick walls.

A shadow flickered in the hallway. She caught a glimpse—black clothes, covered face, moving silent and fast.

Matteo moved, quick and sure, gun up and firing before Aria could blink. The intruder dropped. Aria just stared, frozen, as the body hit the ground and the mask came off.

She recognized the face. One of the staff—a person she’d trusted, joked with, trained only days before.

Matteo’s voice sliced through the haze. “I told you, Aria. You can’t trust anyone completely.”

Her thoughts spun out. How deep did this go? Who else was in on it? And why would someone throw everything away for this?

Another alarm screeched, this one from the west wing. More intruders. They were already moving through the house.

Matteo grabbed her hand again, pulling her toward the hidden corridor they’d found after the last attack. “Move. Now.”

They ran. Her foot caught on something—a small device blinking red on the floor.

She froze.

Matteo saw it too, eyes narrowing. “Aria—”

The explosion hit before she could move. The world shook. Dust rained down, the hidden corridor trembling around them. She grabbed onto Matteo, barely staying upright as heat and noise slammed into her.

He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the blast. When the smoke started to clear, fire blocked the passage ahead. Matteo’s hand tightened on hers, his jaw clenched in a mix of fury and fear.

And suddenly, it clicked. The betrayal wasn’t just in the house. It wasn’t just Lorenzo. It was someone closer. Someone who knew every weak spot and exactly how to hurt them.

Matteo’s voice rumbled, low and lethal by her ear: “They want me to lose everything. Including you. If they touch you, they’re dead. All of them.”

Her pulse hammered. She’d survived two attacks, unmasked a traitor, seen Matteo’s darkness up close. But this—this was different. The real danger was still hiding, closer than either of them could see.

Then, in the thick shadows of the corridor, a third figure stepped forward—tall, silent, holding something that made Aria’s stomach turn cold.

Matteo stopped dead.

Aria’s breath caught.

And just like that, she knew: This wasn’t over. It was only the beginning.