Episode6
1052 Words
The storm outside mirrored the chaos brewing in Lorenzo’s mind.
He sat alone in the dimly lit study, rain lashing the tall windows behind him. Lightning flashed, illuminating the silent shadows of the De Luca mansion. His drink sat untouched on the desk. For the first time in a long time, Lorenzo De Luca — the man feared by many — didn’t know his next move.
Alessia Romano.
Her name felt like a poison in his veins and an ache in his chest at the same time.
She was still in the guest wing, probably asleep — or pretending to be. Since discovering her true identity, Lorenzo had every reason to kill her. And yet, here she was. Breathing under his roof. Untouched. Unharmed. And slowly, dangerously getting under his skin.
He stood, pacing the floor, the echo of his steps a haunting rhythm.
“I should’ve ended this the moment I saw that damned mark,” he muttered to himself, jaw tight.
But he didn’t.
And now it was too late.
There was a knock at the door. Sharp. Hesitant.
“Enter,” he said, without turning around.
Dano stepped inside, rain dripping from his coat. “We have a problem.”
Lorenzo turned slowly, expression unreadable. “Another one?”
Dano nodded grimly. “We got eyes on Carlo Romano. He’s here. In the city. Word is… he’s looking for his daughter.”
Lorenzo’s expression darkened. “She ran away from them. Now they want her back?”
“Or silence her,” Dano added. “They think she knows something she shouldn’t.”
Lorenzo’s blood turned cold.
What if Alessia wasn’t just another spoiled mafia princess trying to escape daddy’s control?
What if she had secrets?
Dangerous ones.
“What exactly does she know?” Lorenzo asked quietly, already dreading the answer.
“We don’t know. But Carlo has put a bounty on her head — not for retrieval. For disposal.”
Lightning cracked again.
And something inside Lorenzo snapped.
⸻
Elsewhere in the mansion…
Alessia stood by the window, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She watched the storm roll over the city, wind howling like a beast in mourning.
She could feel it.
Change.
Something dark was coming.
She hadn’t spoken to Lorenzo since the night they’d kissed again — a kiss full of fire and lies. He’d been distant. Cold. Watching her like a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
Alessia wasn’t stupid.
She knew he’d discovered something. Maybe not everything. But enough to start pulling threads.
And once he found the truth…
Would he kill her?
Her heart twisted painfully.
She walked to the bed and reached under the pillow, retrieving the small flash drive she’d hidden when she arrived. The very thing that had made her flee her father’s home. A secret that could destroy the Romano empire — and maybe the De Lucas too.
She should burn it.
Forget it.
Disappear.
But a voice whispered in her mind: Finish what Mama started.
Her mother had died for this. Murdered. Labeled a traitor by her own family. And Alessia had vowed to find out why.
⸻
Later that night…
Lorenzo found her in the hallway, her body stiffening as he approached.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, voice low, eyes sharp.
Alessia nodded. “Storm’s too loud.”
He stepped closer. “Or maybe your secrets are.”
She flinched, but didn’t look away. “You’ve been watching me.”
“Should I not?”
She swallowed. “What do you want from me, Lorenzo?”
He studied her for a long moment, then leaned in until their faces were inches apart. “The truth.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she said quietly, then turned and walked away.
But she didn’t make it far.
Lorenzo caught her wrist, spinning her back toward him. The flash drive dropped from her sleeve and clattered to the floor.
His eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that?”
Alessia’s face went pale.
Too late.
The study was a different world now — colder, darker.
Lorenzo sat behind his desk, flash drive in hand. Alessia stood before him, arms crossed like armor.
“I should kill you,” he said softly.
“You won’t.”
“Try me.”
Her lips trembled, but her voice held firm. “That drive… has evidence. Not just about my family. Yours too. Do you know how your father died?”
Lorenzo’s eyes flickered, his grip tightening. “They shot him. Your family.”
“That’s what they wanted you to believe.”
He froze.
Alessia continued. “There was someone else. Someone inside your father’s circle. A traitor. The hit was planned… not just by the Romanos. There was a De Luca on the kill list.”
“You’re lying.”
“Check the files.”
He plugged in the drive with shaking hands.
And what he saw shattered everything.
Emails. Wire transfers. Surveillance photos. Names.
One of them was his father’s most trusted advisor.
“I’ve spent the last year collecting proof,” Alessia whispered. “My mother died because she found out. And if I don’t move carefully… I’ll be next.”
Lorenzo stared at the screen.
His world tilted.
His enemy was inside his house.
But it wasn’t her.
⸻
Hours passed.
Neither spoke.
The only sound was the storm fading outside and the rapid clicking of Lorenzo’s fingers as he dug through the files.
When he finally looked up, his face was stone.
“You can’t stay here,” he said.
Alessia’s heart dropped. “You’re kicking me out?”
“I’m hiding you.”
She blinked. “What?”
He stood, pulling on his coat. “If Carlo put a bounty on your head, others will come. Hunters. Spies. Maybe even my own men.”
“And you care?”
“I care about the truth. And now you’re part of it.”
A pause. Then, more softly, “I also care about the girl who walked into my life like a curse and kissed me like salvation.”
Her throat tightened. “Lorenzo…”
“Don’t thank me.” He grabbed a pistol from the drawer and handed her a burner phone. “Just stay alive.”
- Writer
