CHAPTER 6: A DANGEROUS MISTAKE
382 Words
Back at the estate, the silence felt heavier.
The kind that pressed in.
Watched.
Waited.
Elize didn’t go straight to her room.
Instead, she moved carefully down a quieter hallway, her steps light, controlled.
She had memorized part of the house already.
Not all of it.
But enough.
Enough to know where not to be seen.
Her hand slipped into her bag, pulling out the small phone again.
Quick.
Efficient.
She typed:
They trust me more than expected.
The reply came faster this time.
Good. Find access to Luca’s private office.
Her jaw tightened.
Too soon.
A pause.
Then—
You don’t decide timing. I do.
Elize exhaled slowly, forcing her emotions back under control.
That was the problem.
It had always been the problem.
Adrian didn’t ask.
He commanded.
Even now.
Especially now.
She typed back:
I’ll handle it.
Before he could respond again, she turned the phone off.
Slipped it away.
And turned—
Straight into someone standing behind her.
Elize froze.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
“Interesting place for a late-night walk.”
Enzo Ricci.
Of course.
His eyes dropped briefly to her hand.
Then back to her face.
Calm.
Observant.
Too observant.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Elize said evenly.
“Mm.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“Most people who can’t sleep stay in their rooms,” Enzo said.
“Most people don’t find unfamiliar places comforting.”
A pause.
Then—
“You’re not most people,” he replied.
Their gazes held.
Measured.
Careful.
Then footsteps approached from the other end of the hall.
Luca.
His presence hit before his voice did.
“What’s going on?”
Enzo didn’t look away from Elize.
“Just a conversation.”
Luca’s eyes moved between them.
Then settled on her.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
She nodded.
“New place.”
Silence stretched.
Heavy.
Then—
“Go to bed, Elize,” Luca said.
It wasn’t harsh.
But it wasn’t gentle either.
It was an order.
Elize held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then inclined her head slightly.
And walked past him.
Calm.
Controlled.
But she could feel it now.
The shift.
Enzo had seen something.
Not everything.
But enough.
And Luca—
Luca wasn’t convinced.
Not yet.
But he would be.
Soon.
- Writer
