The corridors of the DeLuca estate were never truly empty.
Elize had learned that quickly.
So when she moved alone that night, she didn’t assume privacy—only distance from immediate eyes.
“You walk like someone mapping exits,” a voice said behind her.
Enzo.
She didn’t turn immediately.
“Habit,” she replied.
“Bad one.”
Now she looked at him.
Calm. Controlled.
“What would you recommend instead?”
“Stop acting like you’re trapped.”
A pause.
Elize tilted her head slightly.
“And if I am?”
Enzo didn’t answer right away.
That hesitation mattered.
“You’re being tested,” he said finally.
“I already know.”
“That’s not the part you should be focused on.”
Silence stretched.
Then footsteps echoed at the far end of the corridor.
Both of them shifted slightly.
Luca.
Of course.
He
