The world stopped. The gentle lap of waves against the cliffs, the hum of the villa’s climate control — it all vanished, sucked into the vacuum of that single, devastating word.
LISTENING.
Isabella stared at the microscopic slip of paper, her mind a roaring static of betrayal. The bracelet. The symbol of his trust, the armor he had given her to keep her safe, had been a lie. A beautiful, platinum-plated snake coiled around her wrist, whispering their every secret to the enemy.
Alessandro’s face was a horrifying blank canvas, every ounce of color drained away. He reached for the bracelet, his movements slow, disbelieving. He picked it up, his fingers tracing the now-exposed cavity where the listening device lay like a malignant egg. The grim admiration he’d shown for Gabe’s forgeries was
