My Ruthless Mafia Zaddy King

Chapter 4: The Assassin Inside

The room fell silent.

Olivia stared at Luca, her fingers still clutching the silver necklace.

"What did you just say?"

Luca lowered his phone slowly, his face unreadable.

"Our enemies know you're here."

She frowned.

"So?"

"They've sent someone to kill you."

The words hit her like ice water.

She let out a nervous laugh.

"That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Luca..."

"I'm serious."

Her smile disappeared.

For the first time, she saw genuine fear in his eyes.

Not fear for himself.

Fear for her.

A loud alarm suddenly echoed throughout the mansion.

Red emergency lights flashed across the hallway.

Within seconds, armed guards flooded every corridor.

"Code Black!"

"Seal every entrance!"

"Nobody leaves the estate!"

The peaceful mansion transformed into a fortress.

Olivia looked around in confusion.

"What is happening?"

Luca walked toward the window.

"The assassin is already inside."

Her blood ran cold.

"What?"

"He wouldn't attack from outside. My enemies know the mansion is too heavily guarded."

He turned to her.

"He'll blend in."

"As who?"

"A servant."

"A guest."

"A guard."

"Anyone."

A shiver crawled down Olivia's spine.

She suddenly remembered every smiling face she'd seen since arriving.

Any one of them could be waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

A knock sounded at the bedroom door.

Three quick knocks.

Luca's expression darkened.

His hand slipped inside his jacket.

"Who is it?" he called.

"It's Marco, Boss."

Luca opened the door just enough to see his head of security.

Marco stepped inside.

His sharp eyes immediately swept across the room.

"The estate has been locked down."

"Any sign of the assassin?"

Marco shook his head.

"No."

"That worries me."

"It worries all of us."

He handed Luca a tablet.

"We've reviewed the security cameras."

Luca studied the screen.

Olivia watched his expression harden.

"What?"

He turned the tablet toward her.

It showed the mansion's main entrance.

A maid was pushing a cleaning cart through the hallway.

Nothing seemed unusual.

"I don't understand."

Marco zoomed in.

"The woman pushing the cart..."

Olivia looked closer.

"...isn't one of our staff."

"What?"

"We checked every employee."

"She doesn't exist."

Olivia's heart skipped a beat.

"Where is she now?"

Marco's answer was immediate.

"We lost her."

Silence.

Luca handed the tablet back.

"Find her."

"We're trying."

"No."

His voice became dangerously calm.

"You don't understand."

He stepped closer.

"If she reaches Olivia..."

His gray eyes turned ice-cold.

"...every person responsible for security tonight will answer to me."

Marco swallowed hard.

"Yes, Boss."

He hurried out.

Olivia noticed something.

Even the head of security feared Luca.

The door closed again.

She looked at him.

"You're frightening."

"I know."

"You weren't like this before."

"I couldn't afford to stay the man you loved."

"Why?"

"Because that man would've died."

His words lingered in the room.

Neither of them spoke for several moments.

Finally, Olivia whispered,

"You've changed."

"So have you."

She folded her arms.

"I had to."

"So did I."

A soft knock interrupted them again.

Luca's eyes narrowed instantly.

"Who is it?"

"It's Maria, sir."

A gentle female voice answered.

"I brought Miss Carter's dinner."

Olivia recognized the name.

Maria was one of the maids who had welcomed her earlier.

Luca slowly opened the door.

The elderly maid smiled kindly.

She pushed a silver food trolley inside.

"I thought Miss Carter might be hungry."

Olivia suddenly realized she hadn't eaten all day.

"Thank you."

Maria smiled warmly.

"I'll leave you two alone."

She turned to leave.

Then...

Luca noticed something.

One wheel of the food trolley was completely clean.

Every other wheel carried traces of dirt from the garden paths.

His eyes slowly lifted to Maria's shoes.

One shoe was muddy.

The other was spotless.

A tiny detail.

But enough.

"Stop."

Maria froze.

She smiled politely.

"Yes, Don Moretti?"

Luca's voice became deadly quiet.

"Who are you?"

The smile on her face disappeared.

For a split second, the room was completely silent.

Then—

Maria reached beneath the food trolley and pulled out a silenced pistol.

"Luca!" Olivia screamed.

The assassin fired.

Luca lunged toward Olivia, knocking her to the floor as the bullet shattered the mirror behind them.

The room exploded into chaos.

The assassin flipped the trolley toward Luca and sprinted for the door.

"She's escaping!" a guard shouted from the hallway.

Luca was already on his feet.

"Alive," he ordered.

"I want her alive."

The mansion erupted with the sound of pounding footsteps as guards chased the assassin through the corridors.

Olivia remained on the floor, her breathing ragged.

She looked at the shattered mirror, then at Luca.

He knelt beside her, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

He exhaled in relief and pulled her into a brief, protective embrace.

"You were almost killed because of me," he said quietly. "I swear on everything I have, Olivia... no one will ever get that close to you again."

Outside the bedroom, a gunshot echoed through the mansion.

Then another.

Marco's voice rang out from downstairs.

"Boss! We've cornered her!"

Luca's expression turned cold once more.

"Stay here," he ordered.

Olivia grabbed his wrist.

"No. Don't leave me."

For a moment, the ruthless mafia king disappeared, and the man she once loved looked back at her.

"I'll come back," he said softly.

Then he walked out the door.

Olivia stood alone, listening to the distant sounds of gunfire, wondering whether Luca—or the assassin—would be the one to survive the night.