The Mafia Boss Is My Bodyguard

THE MAFIA BOSS IS MY BODYGUARD Chapter 1 — The Message Victoria Reyes had always believed that powerful people didn’t get scared. They got angry. They got lawyers. They bought companies, hired security, made phone calls, and destroyed whoever had the audacity to stand in their way. Fear was for people who had something to lose. Victoria had spent the last ten years making sure she had nothing to lose. At twenty-nine, she was the founder and CEO of Reyes Technologies, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the country. She had built it from nothing. No inheritance. No investors handing her a company. No powerful family name opening doors. At least, that was what she had always believed. The glass walls of her office overlooked the city, where thousands of lights glittered beneath the darkening evening sky. Victoria stood behind her desk, arms crossed, staring at the presentation displayed on the enormous screen. Project Aegis. Three years of research. Hundreds of millions invested. And the most important project Reyes Technologies had ever created. Aegis wasn’t just another cybersecurity system. It was designed to predict and neutralize digital attacks before they happened. Governments had shown interest. International banks had offered partnerships. Private security companies were practically begging for access. And Victoria had refused all of them. Because she knew exactly what Aegis could become in the wrong hands. “You’re staring at it like you want to kill it.” Victoria turned. Her chief technology officer, Daniel Cruz, stood near the conference table holding two cups of coffee. “I might,” Victoria said. Daniel laughed. “You’ve been looking at those numbers for twenty minutes.” “Because they’re wrong.” “Which numbers?” “All of them.” He walked toward her. “That’s encouraging.” Victoria took the coffee he offered. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Daniel glanced at the screen. “The development team says the final security architecture was completed yesterday.” “It was.” “So what’s wrong?” Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Someone accessed the project server last night.” Daniel’s smile disappeared. “What?” “I checked the logs myself.” “Could be a system error.” “No.” “Victoria—” “Someone accessed the encrypted folder at 2:13 in the morning.” Daniel stared at her. “Was anything downloaded?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” “Because the access record was erased.” Silence settled between them. Daniel slowly placed his coffee on the table. “That’s impossible.” “Exactly.” Victoria picked up a tablet and turned it toward him. “I hired some of the best cybersecurity engineers in the country. Our internal network has six levels of encryption and biometric authorization.” Daniel studied the screen. “So you’re saying someone bypassed all six.” “Yes.” “From outside?” Victoria shook her head. “That’s the problem.” Daniel looked at her. “It came from inside.” The room suddenly felt colder. “You’re sure?” “I wouldn’t be standing here if I wasn’t.” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “Who has access?” “Senior executives. Project leads. Me.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.” Daniel’s expression hardened. “Then someone on that list is working against you.” Victoria didn’t answer. She already knew. The question was who. Her phone vibrated. She glanced at it. Unknown number. Victoria ignored the call. It rang again. She frowned. “Don’t answer that,” Daniel said. “I wasn’t planning to.” The ringing stopped. For a moment, neither spoke. Then her phone buzzed again. A message. Victoria stared at the screen. One sentence. You should have stayed out of your father’s business. Her fingers went cold. Daniel noticed her expression. “What is it?” Victoria didn’t answer. “Victoria?” She handed him the phone. Daniel read the message. His face changed. “What does that mean?” “I don’t know.” “Your father?” “My father died fifteen years ago.” Daniel looked at her carefully. “I know.” “Then whoever sent this has the wrong person.” “Maybe.” Victoria took the phone back. She read the message again. Something about it bothered her. Not the threat. The mention of her father. Nobody talked about her father. Not anymore. Manuel Reyes had died when Victoria was fourteen. A heart attack, according to the doctors. A tragic but natural death. Afterward, Victoria’s mother had raised her alone. Her mother had died several years later. Victoria had inherited enough money to live comfortably, but she had never wanted the business world her father had once occupied. Instead, she had built her own company. Her own life. Her own identity. She had never looked into her father’s old business dealings. Perhaps she should have. Daniel’s voice pulled her back. “You need security.” “I’m fine.” “Someone just threatened you.” “People threaten CEOs.” “Not with messages about dead fathers.” Victoria sighed. “I’m not hiring a bodyguard.” “Why?” “Because I don’t need someone following me everywhere.” “You absolutely do.” “No.” “Victoria.” “I’m going home.” Daniel stared at her. “You can’t be serious.” “I have a meeting tomorrow at eight.” “You might not make it to tomorrow.” She gave him a flat look. “That’s comforting.” “I’m being serious.” “So am I.” Victoria grabbed her handbag. Daniel followed her toward the door. “At least let me arrange temporary security.” “No.” “Then call the police.” “No.” “Why not?” “Because I don’t know what this is yet.” “That’s exactly why you should call them.” Victoria stopped. She looked back at him. “Someone accessed my company’s most secure system without triggering an alarm. They erased the evidence and then sent me a message about my father.” She lowered her voice. “If I go to the police without knowing what I’m dealing with, whoever did this will know I’m investigating.” Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Then what are you going to do?” Victoria looked toward the city. “I’m going to find out who they are.” Two hours later, Victoria was driving home alone. She knew Daniel would be furious when he discovered she had refused the driver too. But she needed the silence. The city blurred around her. She kept thinking about the message. You should have stayed out of your father’s business. Her father. What business? Victoria had spent years believing Manuel Reyes had been nothing more than a successful businessman. She remembered very little about him. His expensive suits. His black car. His quiet voice. And the way people always seemed nervous around him. When she was a child, she had assumed that was what happened when someone was rich. Now she wasn’t so sure. Her phone rang through the car speakers. Victoria pressed the answer button. “Hello?” “Victoria?” Her mother’s old friend, Elena Santos. Victoria frowned. “Elena? It’s late.” “I know. I’m sorry.” “Is everything okay?” There was a pause. “Did you receive anything today?” Victoria’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. “What do you mean?” “A message.” Victoria’s heartbeat quickened. “Why?” “Just tell me.” “Yes.” Silence. “Elena?” “You need to listen to me carefully.” Victoria slowed the car. “Why?” “Your father wasn’t the man you thought he was.” Victoria’s breath caught. “What are you talking about?” “I shouldn’t have called.” “Elena.” “I was wrong to contact you.” “Tell me what you know.” “I can’t.” “Then why did you call?” Another pause. “Because they know about Aegis.” Victoria’s blood ran cold. “What?” “They’ve been waiting for you to finish it.” The call suddenly ended. Victoria stared at the screen. “Elena?” No response. She tried calling back. Nothing. Victoria’s instincts screamed at her. Something was wrong. She looked into the rearview mirror. A black SUV had been following her for the last five minutes. Her pulse accelerated. She changed lanes. The SUV followed. Victoria turned onto another street. So did the SUV. “Okay,” she whispered. She accelerated. The SUV did the same. Victoria’s hand moved toward her phone. Before she could call anyone, headlights suddenly appeared beside her. A second black vehicle. It swerved toward her. Victoria slammed on the brakes. The car behind her accelerated. The impact came seconds later. Her vehicle spun. Glass shattered. Metal screamed. Victoria’s head slammed against the steering wheel. For several seconds, there was nothing. Then she heard footsteps. Someone was approaching her car. Victoria’s eyes opened. Blood ran down the side of her face. Her airbag had deployed. She tried to move. Pain shot through her shoulder. A man’s voice came from outside. “She’s alive.” Another voice answered. “Finish it.” Victoria’s heart stopped. She reached for the door. Locked. Her fingers trembled as she searched for her phone. Nothing. Then she saw a shadow through the broken window. A man raised a gun. Victoria screamed. A gunshot exploded. But the bullet didn’t hit her. The man outside suddenly dropped. Another gunshot. Then another. Victoria froze. Someone was shooting back. Three men appeared from the darkness. They moved with terrifying precision. Within seconds, the attackers were down. One of the strangers approached her vehicle. “Ma’am, don’t move.” Victoria stared at him. “Who are you?” He ignored the question. Instead, he looked over his shoulder. A black sedan had stopped several meters away. The rear door opened. A man stepped out. Tall. Broad shoulders. Black suit. No tie. His face was unreadable. He walked toward the wreckage without rushing. Without fear. The other men immediately stepped aside. Victoria watched him approach. There was something about him that made the entire street feel quieter. He stopped beside her broken window. Their eyes met. Dark eyes. Cold. Dangerous. But strangely calm. “Are you Victoria Reyes?” She swallowed. “Who wants to know?” One corner of his mouth almost moved. Almost. “My name is Sebastian Rivas.” The name meant nothing to her. But the men around him reacted differently. They stood straighter. One of them lowered his head. Sebastian looked at Victoria. “You’re coming with me.” Victoria stared at him. “Excuse me?” “You’ve just been targeted by professional killers.” “I noticed.” “You can’t go home.” “That’s not your decision.” Sebastian’s expression hardened. “It is tonight.” Victoria glared at him. “You don’t know me.” “No.” He looked at the bodies scattered across the road. “But I know the men who attacked you.” Victoria’s stomach tightened. “What do you mean?” Sebastian leaned slightly closer. His voice dropped. “They weren’t trying to scare you.” Victoria’s breath caught. “They were trying to make sure you never discovered what your father left behind.” Her blood ran cold. Before she could ask another question, Sebastian straightened. “Get in the car.” “No.” His eyes returned to hers. “You don’t understand.” “Then explain.” “I will.” “When?” “When you’re alive long enough to hear it.” Victoria stared at him. She should have been afraid. Instead, she was angry. “Who the hell are you?” For the first time, something flickered in Sebastian’s eyes. Not fear. Not anger. Recognition. As if he had expected this question. He looked toward his men. “Take her.” Victoria immediately stepped back. “Don’t touch me.” Sebastian raised one hand. The men stopped. He looked directly at her. “I won’t force you.” Victoria blinked. “Then why are you here?” Sebastian was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, “Because someone is coming for you.” “Who?” His jaw tightened. “I don’t know yet.” Victoria stared at him. “Then how do you know?” Sebastian’s eyes darkened. “Because they came for me first.” Before Victoria could understand what he meant, Sebastian’s phone rang. He answered it. “Speak.” A man’s voice came through the speaker. Sebastian listened. His expression changed. “How many?” A pause. “Understood.” He ended the call. Victoria watched him. “What happened?” Sebastian looked at her. “They know you’re with me.” Her stomach dropped. “And?” His gaze shifted toward the dark road behind them. “They’re coming.” Victoria heard distant engines. Sebastian opened the passenger door of his sedan. This time, his voice was different. Not cold. Not commanding. Urgent. “Get inside, Victoria.” She hesitated. Sebastian looked at her. “Trust me.” Victoria almost laughed. She had known the man for less than ten minutes. She didn’t trust him. Not even a little. But another vehicle appeared at the end of the street. Then another. Sebastian stepped between her and the approaching cars. His men immediately drew their weapons. Victoria stared at him. Who was this man? And why did everyone obey him? Sebastian turned his head slightly. “Stay behind me.” Victoria’s heartbeat thundered. The first vehicle stopped. Its doors opened. Armed men stepped out. Sebastian’s expression became terrifyingly calm. “Welcome,” he murmured. Then he looked at Victoria. “Now you’ll see why they should have been more afraid of me.” And Victoria realized something she couldn’t explain. The men who had attacked her had been hunting her. But the men who had just arrived? They were afraid. Not of her. Of Sebastian. And somehow, that frightened her even more.