Chapter 10: I'll protect you
1616 Words
The entire house was dark.
Aria stood frozen.
“Luca?”
“Stay behind me.”
His voice was different.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Alert.
Luca pulled out his phone and switched on the flashlight.
He moved toward the windows.
Nothing.
The garden lights were gone.
The security cameras had stopped working.
Aria's heart pounded.
“Did someone cut the power?”
“I don't know.”
He checked his phone.
“No signal.”
Aria swallowed.
“That's not normal, is it?”
“No.”
A loud sound came from somewhere outside.
Aria jumped.
Luca immediately turned toward her.
“Stay here.”
“Where are you going?”
“To check the house.”
“You just told me to stay behind you.”
“I changed my mind.”
He walked toward the hallway.
Aria followed.
“I'm coming with you.”
Luca stopped.
“No.”
“I don't want to be alone.”
He stared at her.
For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to argue.
Instead, he sighed.
“Fine. Stay close.”
They walked through the dark hallway.
Every step echoed.
Then the lights suddenly returned.
Aria covered her eyes.
Luca looked toward the security panel.
It had rebooted.
His phone vibrated.
The signal was back.
One message appeared.
You should have left Room 801 alone.
Luca's expression hardened.
He typed a reply.
Who are you?
No response.
Another message appeared.
Ask your family.
Aria noticed.
“What?”
He showed her the screen.
“Your family?”
Luca didn't answer.
He walked toward the security room.
Aria followed.
Inside, several monitors were coming back online.
Luca checked the footage.
Nothing.
Then he noticed something.
A camera outside the gate had captured a black vehicle leaving the property.
He zoomed in.
The license plate was hidden.
“Damn it.”
Aria stood beside him.
“Who would have access to your security system?”
“Very few people.”
“Your employees?”
“Not remotely.”
“Then who?”
Luca looked at her.
“My family.”
---
The next morning, Luca sat in his office.
He hadn't slept.
Neither had Aria.
Daniel stood across from his desk with several files.
“We traced the payment.”
Luca looked up.
“And?”
“It came from a private account.”
“Whose?”
Daniel hesitated.
Luca's eyes narrowed.
“Whose account?”
“Your stepbrother's.”
Silence.
Luca leaned back slowly.
“Adrian?”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
Aria looked at Luca.
“Your stepbrother?”
Luca's expression became unreadable.
“Adrian Moretti.”
Daniel placed the documents on the desk.
“The account paid for Room 801.”
Luca stared at the papers.
“Are you certain?”
“We checked it three times.”
“Who made the booking?”
“An assistant working for Adrian.”
Luca's fingers tightened around the document.
“What about the woman?”
Daniel opened another file.
“We found her.”
Aria looked up.
“Who was she?”
“An escort hired through a private agency.”
Luca's face darkened.
“Why was she there?”
Daniel looked at him.
“To meet you.”
Aria's eyes widened.
“What?”
Daniel continued.
“Adrian paid her to go to Room 801. She was supposed to keep you there long enough for the drug to take effect.”
Luca stared at him.
“Why?”
“We're still investigating the motive.”
Luca stood.
“And the drug?”
“The woman was given a drink containing the substance.”
“So she drugged me?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Not exactly.”
He placed another report on the desk.
“She was told the drink was harmless.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Then Adrian used her too.”
“Yes.”
Aria remained silent.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
The woman.
The wine glasses.
The missing security footage.
The mysterious messages.
Someone had planned everything.
And Aria had accidentally walked into the middle of it.
Luca looked at Daniel.
“Where is Adrian?”
“We don't know.”
“Find him.”
Daniel nodded.
“We're already on it.”
Luca picked up his phone.
“Call him.”
“We did. His phone is off.”
Luca's eyes became colder.
“He knew we'd find out.”
Aria looked at the documents.
“Why would your stepbrother do this?”
Luca didn't answer.
She looked at him.
“You don't know?”
“I know Adrian.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
Luca walked toward the window.
“Adrian has always hated the fact that my father chose me to run Moretti Holdings.”
“So he wants the company?”
“Maybe.”
“Then why drug you?”
Luca's eyes darkened.
“Because removing me would make everything easier.”
Aria's stomach tightened.
“You mean he wanted you dead?”
Daniel immediately looked toward her.
“We haven't confirmed that.”
Luca remained silent.
That silence was enough.
Aria's face paled.
“Luca…”
His phone rang.
He answered.
A voice came through.
Luca's expression changed.
“Where?”
He listened.
“Send me the location.”
He ended the call.
Daniel stood.
“What happened?”
“They found Adrian's car.”
“Where?”
Luca grabbed his jacket.
“Outside the old Moretti estate.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“But The estate hasn't been used in years.”
“I know.”
Luca turned toward the door.
Aria stood.
“I'm coming.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because this has nothing to do with you.”
Aria stared at him.
“That's not true.”
Luca stopped.
She continued.
“I was in that room.”
His expression hardened.
“And because of that, someone has been threatening me.”
“I'll protect you.”
“I don't need you to decide everything for me.”
“Aria.”
“You said you wanted the truth.”
She stepped closer.
“So do I.”
Luca stared at her.
Finally, he nodded.
“Stay beside me.”
---
The old Moretti estate looked nothing like Luca's modern mansion.
It was abandoned.
The windows were dusty.
The garden had grown wild.
Luca's security team surrounded the property.
Daniel checked his weapon before approaching the entrance.
Aria stayed beside Luca.
“Are you sure he's here?”
“No.”
“Then why come?”
“Because Adrian wants me to.”
She looked at him.
“What makes you say that?”
Luca stared at the dark building.
“He left his car where we'd find it.”
Aria's stomach tightened.
“So it's a trap?”
“Probably.”
“Then why are we going inside?”
“Because I'm not running from him.”
Luca pushed open the door.
The room was empty.
Then a voice came from upstairs.
“Brother.”
Luca stopped.
Aria's heart jumped.
Adrian.
Luca looked toward the staircase.
“Come down.”
A slow laugh echoed through the house.
“You’re always impatient.”
Adrian appeared at the top of the stairs.
He looked remarkably calm.
Luca stared at him.
“You drugged me.”
Adrian smiled.
“You finally figured it out.”
“You hired that woman.”
“Yes.”
“You deleted the hotel footage.”
“Yes.”
“You sent the messages.”
Adrian's smile disappeared.
“I had to.”
“Why?”
Adrian slowly descended the stairs.
“Because you were getting too close.”
“To The truth.”
Luca's eyes narrowed.
“What truth?”
Adrian looked past him.
His eyes landed on Aria.
For the first time, his expression changed.
“You brought her.”
Luca stepped in front of Aria.
“Don't look at her.”
Adrian laughed.
“That's interesting.”
“What?”
“You've never protected anyone like that before.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Stay away from her.”
Adrian's gaze returned to his brother.
“You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into.”
Aria's heart raced.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian looked directly at her.
“You weren't supposed to be in Room 801.”
Luca's expression hardened.
“What were you planning?”
Adrian smiled.
“I was planning to make you disappear for a few days. So I could take control of the company.”
Luca stared at him.
“You're insane.”
“No.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“I'm tired of watching you have everything.”
Luca shook his head.
“You could have built something yourself.”
“I tried.”
“I guess, You were never good enough.”
Adrian's face twisted with anger.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Adrian laughed quietly.
“But there's one thing I didn't plan for.”
His eyes moved toward Aria.
“Her.”
Aria froze.
Luca immediately turned toward her.
Adrian smiled.
“She changed everything.”
Luca's expression became cold.
“What do you know about her?”
Adrian's smile widened.
“More than you think.”
Aria's heart pounded.
Luca stepped forward.
“Adrian.”
“Yes?”
“If you threaten her—”
“I don't need to.”
Adrian looked at Aria.
“Because eventually, Luca is going to discover what you're hiding.”
Aria's blood ran cold.
Luca turned toward her.
“What are you hiding?”
Aria couldn't speak.
Adrian smiled.
And then he said the words that made her entire world stop.
“Tell him, Aria.”
TO BE CONTINUED
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD