Episode Nine
950 Words
The Traitor
The room fell into silence.
A traitor.
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Amara watched as Lucien stared at the tablet in his hand. His expression revealed nothing, but the tension in his shoulders told a different story.
Someone inside his organization had betrayed him.
Someone had given Nikolai access.
For the first time since arriving at the Moretti Estate, Amara saw something she never thought possible.
Lucien looked vulnerable.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
"Who knows about the east wing?" he asked.
Adrian frowned.
"Very few people."
"Names."
Adrian immediately listed them.
"Marta. The head of security. Me. The estate manager. A few trusted guards."
Lucien's jaw tightened.
"Then start with them."
"You think one of them did this?"
"I think somebody did."
The room grew quiet again.
Amara looked down at the tablet.
The image of her bedroom was still frozen on the screen.
Whoever had filmed that video had been standing inside her room.
Inside her private space.
Watching her life.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"This is insane."
Lucien turned toward her.
"No."
His voice was cold.
"This is war."
The way he said it made her realize something.
He had lived like this for years.
Always watching.
Always calculating.
Always expecting betrayal.
Suddenly, she understood why the estate felt less like a home and more like a fortress.
A knock sounded at the door.
Adrian opened it.
Marta entered carrying a tray with tea and sandwiches.
The older woman's smile faded immediately when she noticed the tension.
"What happened?"
Nobody answered.
Her eyes moved from Lucien to Adrian.
Then to Amara.
Concern filled her face.
"Is everything alright?"
Lucien's gaze lingered on her for a second longer than necessary.
Not enough to accuse.
Just enough to observe.
Amara noticed it.
So did Marta.
A flicker of hurt crossed the older woman's face.
"You think I would betray you?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
Lucien remained silent.
Marta's eyes glistened.
"I helped raise you."
The room felt uncomfortable.
Painful.
Amara suddenly realized that this woman wasn't just an employee.
She was family.
At least as close to family as Lucien seemed capable of allowing.
Finally, Lucien spoke.
"I trust you."
Marta nodded.
But something in her expression suggested she wasn't entirely convinced.
After a few more moments, she quietly left the room.
The silence returned.
Amara looked at Lucien.
"You really trust her?"
"Yes."
"Then why look at her like that?"
His gaze shifted to hers.
"Because trust gets people killed."
The answer sent a chill through her.
Before she could respond, Adrian's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression darkened.
"Security found something."
Lucien immediately straightened.
"What?"
"A hidden transmitter."
The room went still.
"Where?"
Adrian hesitated.
Then looked directly at Amara.
Her stomach dropped.
"Where?" Lucien repeated.
Adrian swallowed.
"It was found in Miss Rossi's luggage."
Shock exploded through the room.
"What?"
Amara stared at him.
"No."
Adrian looked uncomfortable.
"The device was hidden inside the lining of one of your suitcases."
Her heart began racing.
"I didn't put anything there."
"I know."
But did he?
Did any of them?
The thought made her feel sick.
Lucien held out his hand.
"Give it to me."
A few moments later, Adrian placed a tiny black device on the table.
It was no larger than a coin.
Almost impossible to notice.
Lucien examined it carefully.
His expression became darker with every passing second.
"What is it?" Amara asked.
"A tracker."
Her stomach twisted.
Someone had been tracking her.
For how long?
Days?
Weeks?
Months?
The possibilities made her nauseous.
Then a horrifying thought struck her.
"What if it was in my luggage before I came here?"
Adrian looked at Lucien.
Neither man spoke.
Which was answer enough.
Nikolai may have known where she was long before she ever arrived at the estate.
Lucien stood abruptly.
Without warning, he walked to the desk containing her mother's letters.
His gaze settled on them.
A strange look crossed his face.
Almost as though he had remembered something.
"What is it?" Amara asked.
Lucien picked up one of the letters.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Then he opened it.
Several sheets of paper slid out.
One of them landed on the floor.
Amara bent down to pick it up.
The moment she saw it, her breath caught.
It wasn't a letter.
It was a photograph.
A photograph of her mother.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing beside her was a little boy.
No older than ten.
Dark hair.
Dark eyes.
A familiar face.
Amara stared.
Her pulse quickening.
No.
It couldn't be.
Slowly, she looked up at Lucien.
Then back at the picture.
The child was unmistakably him.
A young Lucien Moretti.
On the back of the photograph, written in her mother's handwriting, were four words.
Protect him like family.
The room suddenly felt very small.
Very quiet.
Amara looked at Lucien.
"She really cared about you."
Something softened in his expression.
Only briefly.
Then Adrian's phone rang again.
This time, he answered immediately.
His face went pale.
"Boss."
Lucien's attention snapped toward him.
"What now?"
Adrian lowered the phone.
For the first time that night, genuine alarm filled his eyes.
"The traitor just made contact."
Every muscle in Lucien's body went rigid.
"With who?"
Adrian swallowed hard.
"With Nikolai Volkov."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then Adrian delivered the worst part.
"The call came from inside the estate."
Amara's heart nearly stopped.
The traitor wasn't somewhere out in the city.
They weren't hiding in another building.
They weren't watching from a distance.
They were here.
Inside the Moretti Estate.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
And at that very moment, they knew exactly where Amara was.
- Writer
