Chapter 6 - The Leak
860 Words
The message changed everything.
Alessia read it twice.
Then a third time.
Internal betrayal confirmed. Financial transfers traced to DeMarco Holdings. Evidence suggests someone inside the organization is feeding information to an external party.
Her pulse steadied — not with excitement, but focus.
This was it.
Not rumors nor speculation.
Proof that Luca DeMarco’s empire wasn’t untouchable.
She stood from her desk and moved toward the window of her apartment, overlooking the city lights.
Somewhere out there was a crack.
And cracks meant opportunity.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
Silence.
Breathing on the other end.
Her grip tightened.
“Who is this?” she demanded.
A familiar voice responded.
Calm. Low. Controlled.
“You shouldn’t ignore messages from dangerous men.”
Her stomach dropped.
Luca.
Of course.
“I don’t take threats seriously,” she replied evenly.
“I didn’t threaten you.”
“You told me to lock my doors.”
A pause.
“I was being considerate.”
Her jaw tightened.
“You’re playing games.”
“Yes,” he said simply. “And you walked into the field first.”
Her heart beat harder.
She refused to let him hear the effect he had on her voice.
“What do you want?”
“To warn you.”
“About what?”
There was a slight shift in his tone — less playful, more serious.
“There are people inside my organization who don’t like the attention you’re bringing. They see you as a problem.”
“I am a problem,” she answered confidently.
A faint exhale on his end — almost like amusement.
“That’s what concerns me.”
The line went quiet for a moment.
Alessia frowned.
“Are you saying you can’t control your own men?”
“I control them,” he corrected. “But loyalty weakens when fear grows.”
“And you’re afraid?”
A subtle pause.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
But there was something beneath it.
Not fear.
Calculation.
“Then why call me?” she pressed.
Another silence.
Longer this time.
Because Luca DeMarco didn’t call people without reason.
Finally, he spoke.
“Because if someone inside my empire is leaking information… they will try to remove you before you reach them.”
Her throat tightened slightly.
“So this is protection?”
“It’s strategy.”
Of course it was.
Nothing with him was simple.
“I don’t need protection,” she replied.
“You do,” he said calmly.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
The arrogance returned — but softer now.
“I won’t kneel to you,” she said.
There was a faint shift in his breathing at the word.
“I know.”
The reply surprised her.
It wasn’t anger.
It wasn’t challenge.
It was certainty.
“And I don’t expect you to,” he continued.
That unsettled her more than a threat would have.
“Then why are you involved in my safety?” she asked.
A brief pause.
When he answered, his voice lowered slightly.
“Because if someone harms you before I decide what to do with you… it would be inconvenient.”
Her pulse stuttered.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said slowly, “you are not finished in my world yet.”
The line disconnected before she could respond.
Alessia stared at her phone.
Her mind raced.
Was he protecting her?
Or positioning her?
Either way — the investigation had just escalated.
She returned to her desk, opened the case files, and began connecting the financial transfers.
The pattern wasn’t random.
The leak wasn’t just internal.
It was strategic.
Someone was manipulating Luca’s organization from within — possibly to destabilize it.
Which meant this wasn’t just a mafia war.
It was a power takeover.
And if she played this correctly, she could use the betrayal to expose everything.
But one thought refused to leave her mind.
Luca hadn’t sounded angry.
He hadn’t denied the betrayal.
He had acknowledged it.
Which meant he already suspected someone.
And if that was true…
Then he wasn’t as blind as the evidence suggested.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, a single message.
From Luca.
“Be careful who you trust.”
Alessia exhaled slowly.
The war had officially shifted.
Not just between prosecutor and mafia.
But inside the mafia itself.
And somehow, in the middle of it all—
She was becoming the center of both battles.
Across the city, in his penthouse office, Luca stood by the window, staring at the skyline.
His men were moving.
Quietly.
Efficiently.
He had already identified three potential traitors.
But he hadn’t told anyone.
Not yet.
Because this betrayal was useful.
Very useful.
And Alessia Romano?
She was the key to exposing it.
He set his phone down.
His jaw tightened slightly.
She was intelligent.
Strategic.
Too sharp to be dismissed.
And if anyone inside his organization thought they could eliminate her without his permission—
They would learn quickly how dangerous that mistake was.
Luca’s expression darkened.
Let them try.
Because no one touched what he was watching.
Not without consequences
- Writer
