I couldn't sleep.
No matter how hard I tried.
I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, the sound of that gunshot replaying in my head again and again.
It had echoed through the mansion like thunder.
Loud.
Final.
And the worst part?
No one reacted.
No shouting.
No panic.
Nothing.
Just silence.
My fingers curled into the sheets beneath me.
This place was terrifying.
Earlier tonight, Marco had been walking these same halls like he belonged here. Confident. Smug. Untouchable.
Now he was somewhere downstairs.
Beaten.
Broken.
And possibly—
I squeezed my eyes shut.
No.
I couldn't think like that.
But Dante's voice kept echoing in my head.
Traitors don't get second chances.
I sat up suddenly.
My chest felt tight.
I needed air.
Or maybe I just needed answers.
Before I could change my mind, I slipped out of bed and walked quietly to the door. My hand hovered over the handle for a moment.
This was a bad idea.
I knew it.
But curiosity pushed me forward anyway.
I opened the door slowly.
The hallway was dimly lit and empty.
Too empty.
The silence pressed against my ears.
My eyes slowly drifted toward the end of the hallway.
Toward the staircase.
The one the guards had dragged Marco down earlier.
My stomach twisted.
I shouldn't go there.
Luca had warned me before about certain areas of the mansion. Places that were off limits.
Places I wasn't supposed to see.
But something about tonight felt different.
Like the truth was hiding just beyond those stairs.
Before my brain could stop me, my feet started moving.
Each step felt louder than the last.
The marble floor felt cold under my bare feet as I moved carefully down the hall.
When I reached the staircase, I paused.
The lower level was darker.
A faint yellow light glowed somewhere below, barely illuminating the concrete steps.
The air felt colder down there.
Heavier.
I wrapped my arms around myself before taking the first step.
Then another.
The further down I went, the stronger the smell became.
Damp concrete.
Metal.
And something else I couldn't quite place.
Halfway down the stairs, I heard it.
A voice.
Weak.
Broken.
"Please…"
I froze instantly.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Marco.
I knew that voice.
I gripped the railing tightly, leaning slightly closer so I could hear better.
"Elena…" he croaked weakly.
My breath caught.
He sounded horrible.
Like every word hurt him.
"Please… I didn't mean to—"
A sharp sound cut him off.
The sickening thud of a punch landing.
Marco cried out in pain.
My stomach twisted violently.
I shouldn't be here.
I knew that.
But my feet wouldn't move.
More footsteps echoed from the room below.
Slow.
Controlled.
And then I heard the one voice that made the air feel colder.
Dante.
"You're still talking," he said calmly.
His voice was quiet.
Controlled.
But something about it made chills run down my spine.
Marco coughed painfully.
"Dante… please…"
"You should have thought about begging before you betrayed me."
The words hit like ice.
I swallowed hard.
Marco's breathing sounded ragged now.
"I didn't betray you," he rasped.
A chair scraped loudly across the concrete floor.
"You passed information to my enemies," Dante replied.
"That's not—"
Another hit.
Harder this time.
Marco groaned.
I pressed my hand over my mouth to stop myself from making a sound.
"You had access to my shipments," Dante continued. "My contacts. My accounts."
Marco wheezed.
"You think you're the only one with enemies?" he spat weakly.
Footsteps moved again.
Slow.
Deliberate.
I could almost picture Dante walking across the room.
Calm.
Composed.
Like this was just another business meeting.
"Who else was involved?" Dante asked.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then Marco laughed.
A weak, broken laugh.
"You already know," he said.
The air in the basement seemed to grow even colder.
Dante's voice dropped lower.
"You betrayed the wrong man."
The words made my skin crawl.
Marco started speaking faster now.
Panicked.
"Listen to me, Dante. This isn't what you think. If you kill me you'll never—"
Something crashed loudly.
Marco gasped.
"Please… please don't do this…"
My heart pounded harder.
The desperation in his voice was unbearable.
"Ten years," Dante said quietly.
Marco wheezed.
"What?"
"You worked for me for ten years."
His voice sounded almost… thoughtful.
"I trusted you."
Marco laughed again.
But it sounded hollow.
"You trust no one."
Silence followed.
Then Marco spoke again.
Softly.
"You're still the same," he whispered.
A pause.
"Ever since she died."
I frowned.
Who?
Dante's voice came out colder than before.
"Don't say her name."
Marco chuckled weakly.
"You never moved on, did you?"
My grip tightened around the railing.
What were they talking about?
"Elena looks like her," Marco continued quietly.
My breath caught.
My name echoed through the basement.
"That's why you bought her."
The words made my stomach drop.
For a moment there was no response.
Just silence.
Then Dante spoke again.
"You talk too much."
A metallic sound echoed.
A sharp, unmistakable click.
My heart nearly stopped.
I knew that sound.
A gun being cocked.
Marco knew it too.
His voice immediately turned frantic.
"No— wait— Dante— please—"
The gunshot exploded through the basement.
I flinched violently.
The sound echoed off the concrete walls, ringing in my ears.
Then everything went silent.
Completely silent.
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
I waited.
For another voice.
Another movement.
Anything.
But nothing came.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Slowly, carefully, I stepped backward.
Then another step.
My legs felt weak as I turned and hurried up the stairs.
I didn't stop until I reached the hallway again.
My hand shook as I closed the basement door quietly behind me.
Marco was dead.
I hadn't seen it happen.
But I had heard enough.
Dante Moretti had just executed one of his own men.
And he hadn't hesitated.
Back in my room, I locked the door and leaned against it, sliding slowly to the floor.
My hands were still trembling.
Marco's last words echoed in my head.
Elena looks like her… that's why you bought her.
My chest tightened.
Who was he talking about?
Who was she?
And why did Dante react like that when Marco mentioned her?
I dragged a shaky hand through my hair.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
And the answer had to be somewhere inside this mansion.
Maybe in Dante's office.
Maybe in that file I saw earlier.
The one he tried to hide from me.
The one with my name on it.
ELENA ROSSI.
My breathing slowly steadied as a new thought settled in my mind.
If Dante was hiding something about me…
I was going to find out what it was.
No matter what it took.