LOGINAs they resumed walking, Aurelio quietly slowed beside Matteo."She's hiding something." He muttered. “I’ve been watching her for quite a quite.”"I know." Matteo answered back."Should we separate them?"Matteo shook his head."No.""Why?" Aurelio asked tightly."Because she's doing exactly what Alessandro expected."Aurelio frowned."And?"Matteo smiled."If we chase her..." He answered calmly, "she wins."*By late afternoon, the tour finally ended and the guests retired briefly to their assigned rooms.Dominic closed the bedroom door.The instant it clicked shut, Althea pulled the folded napkin from her bag and spread it across the writing desk.Dominic stared at her and first shook his head at her, telling her to stop what she is doing. He then started to scan the room and without telling Althea what he will be doing, he started to feel the room.After twenty minutes, Dominic finally walked towards her.“I just wanted to make sure that there were no devices here.” He informed pat
The sound beneath the floor never came again, as if the estate itself regretted revealing that it was alive.No one moved or spoke from among the occupants in the western gallery.Even Matteo's security personnel, who had immediately dispersed through the western wing, disappeared into the corridors without another word.The silence they left behind was heavier than the noise itself.Althea remained standing before Alessandro's portrait.To everyone else, she looks to be captivated by the painting.However, Dominic noticed the subtle change.Her breathing had become slower and her pupils no longer focused on the portrait itself.She wasn't looking but is already calculating, thinking and remembering.Matteo folded his arms."You seem fascinated by my brother, Dr. Althea."Althea smiled politely."I've always admired his appreciation for architecture after hearing things from Dominic." She only answered calmly. “Dominic always tells me about him.”Matteo chuckled."I thought you admire
No one spoke as they finally entered the manor.The great oak doors closed behind them with a deep, resonant thud that echoed through the entrance hall.For Dominic, it was a sound so familiar, that he had heard thousands of times growing up.For everyone else, it sounded almost ceremonial, like the house itself had acknowledged their arrival.The entrance hall remained exactly as he remembered the last time he was there.The black-and-white marble floor stretched beneath the grand staircase. Portraits of Valtieri patriarchs watched silently from the walls. The scent of polished wood and old books lingered faintly in the air.Time had moved but the house had not.Eduardo walked ahead. "If you would follow me,” he formally told them, gesturing towards the direction of the dining room, “breakfast has been prepared."Matteo stood several paces behind the steward, his hands casually resting behind his back."As much as our circumstances are unusual," Matteo said pleasantly, "it would be u
The courtyard fell silent when the sound of the main front doors opened.Even the wind seemed reluctant to disturb the moment.Dominic stood at the foot of the broad stone staircase, one hand resting lightly at his side while Althea remained beside him. Behind them, Seraphina, Sebastian, Enzo, and the six guards waited without moving.Across the courtyard, Matteo descended the front steps alone.Aurelio remained just inside the entrance hall, leaning casually against one of the massive columns, watching with the confidence of someone convinced the game had already been won.Matteo stopped three steps above Dominic.Dominic noticed that Matteo did it deliberately and his face remained calm, not showing any reaction at the height difference.Althea noticed and so did Seraphina but no one commented.Matteo smiled first."It has been a long time, Dominic." He said patiently.Dominic's expression remained composed."It has.""I was beginning to think you had forgotten where home was." Matt
The convoy finally left Blackstone without ceremony.No flashing lights, escort vehicles or tactical formations.The convoy only had two dark vehicles disappearing quietly through the wrought-iron gates as though they were headed to nothing more consequential than a family visit.Exactly as Alessandro would have wanted.Inside the lead sedan, Dominic drove in silence with Althea sitting beside him, Alessandro's leather journal resting on her lap.Behind them, the second vehicle carried Seraphina, Enzo, Sebastian, and the six trusted guards.No one spoke over the encrypted radio.Even Enzo, the one who is driving the SUV, usually unable to resist filling silence with sarcasm, remained quiet.Each passing kilometer brought them closer to the place where nearly every thread of their lives had begun.Althea looked out the passenger window and watched the fields rolling past as well as the small villages and old churches being passed along the way.The familiar landscape slowly transformed
The Valtieri Estate awoke before the sun started casting its rays through the windows.Long before the first rays reached the centuries-old stone walls, gardeners were already tending to the eastern lawns. Housekeepers quietly polished the marble floors that had reflected generations of Valtieri footsteps. The kitchens came alive with the aroma of freshly baked bread and strong coffee, following routines that had remained almost unchanged for decades.To the staff, it’s just another ordinary morning.To the estate itself, something had changed.There was a strange tension in the air.An anticipation no one could explain.The old house seemed to be waiting.Matteo Valtieri stood alone and in silence on the western balcony overlooking the central courtyard. He had chosen this balcony deliberately.It was the place where Alessandro used to stand every morning before leaving for Valtieri Holdings.Matteo could still remember watching his older brother from afar.Always calm.Always compos
The room didn’t disperse immediately because no one wanted to be the first person to step away from what they had realized in their discussion.The map between them wasn’t just strategy anymore.It was a living thing.A system that had already begun moving before they ever saw it.Dominic stood sti
Morning didn’t arrive immediately, creeping slowly with the light filtering through the gaps from the board up windows, touching the edges of the room that carried the quiet aftermath of the night before.The bed was a mess.Sheets twisted and half-drawn, pillows displaced, the fabric marked by the
This chapter contains sexual content. Please read with caution.“I need this, Dom.” She murmured against him.It was not an explanation but more of the truth and Dominic didn’t question it.He understood because he needed it too.Not to escape but to feel some grounding and connection.Proof that t
The next impact didn’t sound like testing.Stone shuddered around them and more dust fell in a thin veil from the chapel ceiling, catching the dim light like ash.Everyone stilled more on focus instead of fear.“They’re f8cking mapping the structure.” Michael said quietly, already moving toward the







