Second chance

Chapter11

Chapter 11:The Anatomy of a Betrayal

The heavy oak door of the side entrance clicked shut behind Sofia with a soft, muffled thud.

The transition from the cold, damp fog of the garden back into the climate-controlled luxury of the Castellano estate felt like walking from a freezing lake into an active furnace. Sofia stood in the private hallway for a long, agonizing moment, her back pressed against the wood, her lungs burning as she fought to regulate the ragged rhythm of her breathing.

In her palm, the small metal drive Liam had given her felt like a live coal.

She shoved it deep into the pocket of her cardigan, closed her eyes, and forced the trembling in her hands to subside. The panic clawing at her throat had to be buried beneath a mask of absolute, impenetrable calm.

Sofia forced her posture to straighten, smoothed the fabric of her skirt, and walked down the hall toward the kitchen.

As she entered, the bright, airy space was alive with activity. Aria was sitting at the marble island, wrapped in an oversized cashmere sweater, cradling a mug of hot chamomile tea between both hands. Her hair was messy, falling across her cheek in soft, golden waves.

"You disappeared," Aria said, looking up. "I woke up and you were gone. I thought you got kidn*pped by a rogue squirrel."

"Just needed some fresh air," Sofia said, her voice remarkably steady despite the violent storm raging beneath her ribs.

Aria slid her phone across the marble counter toward Sofia.

"Good morning, Aria. Hope you sleep as softly as you laugh."

"He's... he's very sweet," Sofia murmured, every syllable tasting like ash on her tongue.

"Are you okay? You look pale. Is it your mom? Do you need to go to the hospital today? Dad said we could arrange whatever you need."

"She's stable," Sofia managed to say. "Don't worry about me."

"When does your father leave for his meetings today?" Sofia asked, keeping her tone casual.

"He has an executive board meeting downtown at ten, then he comes back for a quick review at four before he packs for his trip."

"His trip," Sofia echoed. "Right. Singapore, isn't it?"

"Yeah, some massive logistics acquisition. He leaves tomorrow night."

Victor didn't just want to know where Leonardo was going; he wanted the precise timeline so his operatives could intercept the shipments.

12:30 PM. Leonardo left for his downtown board meeting.

2:15 PM. The household staff retreated to the lower wings.

3:45 PM. Sofia excused herself under the pretext of retrieving a forgotten book from the guest library on the third floor.

The third floor was a different world, paneled in dark mahogany. At the far end stood the massive double doors of Leonardo Castellano's private study.

The door was reinforced with a heavy electronic keypad and a retinal scanner. But over the past month, Leonardo had added her biometric profile so she could freely retrieve books for Aria. It was an act of absolute, trusting hospitality.

And she was about to use it to betray him.

She raised her right index finger to the biometric reader.

Blink.

Click.

The heavy deadbolts retracted. Sofia pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling it shut quickly behind her.

She rushed across the room and hit the power key on the encrypted terminal.

Enter Security PIN.

She froze.

With trembling fingers, Sofia typed: Aria04121998-Seawind

The screen flashed red for a microsecond. Then, the interface vanished, replaced by a clean, white dashboard bearing the seal of Castellano Global Logistics.

Sofia let out a sharp gasp. She was in.

She opened the master file for the Singapore deployment. Every single detail Victor had demanded was right there.

Flight numbers. Departure times. Hotel accommodations. Names and security clearance codes of the six bodyguards. The secondary cargo manifest.

Sofia pulled her phone and began snapping rapid photos.

Click. Click. Click.

She snapped the final page just as a heavy, mechanical sound echoed from down the hallway.

Clack.

The front security elevator on the third floor was ascending.

Sofia's blood ran ice-cold. She looked at the terminal clock.

3:58 PM.

Leonardo was early.