Isabella woke to the sound of sirens as she sat up in bed, confused and disoriented. Red lights flashed outside her window, and she could hear men shouting in the distance.
She jumped out of bed and ran to the window. The mansion's grounds were lit up like daylight. Security guards were everywhere, some with dogs, others carrying guns.
A sharp knock on her door made her jump. "Isabella, open up. Now." It was Matteo's voice, but there was an urgency in it she'd never heard before.
She unlocked the door quickly as Matteo stood in the hallway with two of his men, all of them armed.
"Get dressed," he ordered. "Quickly."
"What's happening?"
"Someone broke into the house. We're moving you to a secure location." Isabella's blood went cold. "Who broke in?"
"I don't know yet. Just get dressed. You have two minutes."
Isabella quickly threw on jeans and a sweater. When she opened the door again, Matteo was waiting alone.
"Where are your men?"
"Searching the house." He took her arm, leading her down the hallway. "We're going to my office. It's the most secure room in the house."
They moved quickly through the mansion. Isabella could hear doors slamming and men calling to each other from different floors. The atmosphere was tense, almost electric.
Matteo's office had been transformed. Steel shutters covered the windows, and a wall panel had slid back to reveal a wall of monitors showing security camera feeds from around the property.
"Sit there," Matteo said, pointing to a chair in the corner. "Don't move."
Isabella sat down, watching as Matteo activated various security systems. The office felt like a bunker now, completely cut off from the outside world.
"Are we safe here?" she asked.
"Yes." Matteo checked one of the monitors. "This room is designed to withstand almost anything."
"Have you had break-ins before?"
"Never like this." His jaw was tight with tension. "Someone got past three security checkpoints and two sets of alarms. That takes skill and inside knowledge."
Isabella felt sick. "Inside knowledge?"
"Someone helped them. Someone who knows this house." Matteo's voice was cold with rage.
They sat in tense silence for several minutes. Isabella watched the security feeds, seeing guards with flashlights searching every corner of the grounds.
"Why would someone break in?" she asked quietly. "What were they looking for?"
Matteo glanced at her. "You."
The simple word sent ice through Isabella's veins. "Me?"
"The Moretti name carries weight in our world. If people know you're alive, they'll either want to use you or eliminate you."
Isabella hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't understand why. I'm nobody. I was just a servant until a few days ago."
"You're not nobody," Matteo said firmly. "You're Antonio Moretti's daughter. That makes you someone very important."
Before Isabella could ask more questions, one of the monitors showed movement. Rafael was approaching the office door.
Matteo buzzed him in. "Report."
"The intruder got away," Rafael said grimly. "But he left something behind."
He handed Matteo a folded piece of paper. Matteo read it, and his face darkened.
"What does it say?" Isabella asked.
Matteo handed her the note. In neat handwriting, it read: "We know the Moretti girl is alive. Give her to us, and no one gets hurt."
Isabella's hands shook as she read the words again. "Who are 'they'?"
"I don't know yet," Matteo said. "But I'm going to find out."
He turned to Rafael. "Any cameras catch the intruder's face?"
"Negative. He knew exactly where the cameras were. Professional job."
Matteo walked to his desk and opened a locked drawer. Isabella saw him pull out several files.
"Boss," Rafael said carefully, "maybe it's time to consider other options."
"What options?"
"We could move her. Get her out of the country until things calm down."
"No." Matteo's voice was sharp. "She stays here where I can protect her."
"But if word gets out that she's alive"
"Then we deal with it." Matteo's eyes were hard. "Isabella is under my protection. Anyone who wants to hurt her will have to go through me first."
Isabella felt a strange warmth in her chest at his words. But it was mixed with fear and confusion.
"I should call someone," she said. "My adoptive parents need to know I'm safe."
"Absolutely not," Matteo said immediately. "No contact with the outside world."
"But they'll be worried—"
"They'll be dead if the wrong people trace the call." Matteo's words were brutal but effective. Isabella's protest died in her throat.
Rafael cleared his throat. "Boss, there's something else. We found this on the intruder's escape route."
He handed Matteo a small device – some kind of tracker or transmitter.
Matteo examined it carefully. "Professional grade. Military issue."
"So we're not dealing with regular thugs," Rafael observed.
"No. We're dealing with people who have resources. People who don't give up easily."
Isabella stood up, pacing to the shuttered windows. "This is insane. A week ago I was living a normal life, and now people are breaking into houses trying to kidnap me."
"Your life was never normal," Matteo said quietly. "You just didn't know it."
Isabella turned to face him. "Then tell me the truth. All of it. Who was my father really? Why is everyone so interested in me?"
Matteo was quiet for a long moment. Then he walked to his desk and picked up one of the files he'd removed from the drawer.
"Your father wasn't just my father's second-in-command," he said. "He was the keeper of all our family's secrets. Financial records, business deals, information about our allies and enemies. Everything."
"So?"
"When he died, all that information disappeared with him. People assumed it was destroyed. But what if it wasn't? What if he hid it somewhere?"
Isabella's heart started beating faster. "You think he left it to me?"
"You were his daughter. His only child. If anyone would know where he hid our secrets, it would be you."
"But I don't remember anything!"
"Maybe you remember more than you think." Matteo set the file down and walked toward her. "Maybe that's why you're having the dreams and flashbacks. Maybe your mind is trying to tell you something."
Isabella felt overwhelmed. The room suddenly seemed too small, too hot.
"I can't... this is too much..."
"Isabella." Matteo's voice was gentle now. He reached out like he was going to touch her face, then stopped himself. "I know it's overwhelming. But I need you to try to remember. Our lives might depend on it."
Before Isabella could respond, the lights went out.
Emergency lighting kicked in a second later, bathing everything in an eerie red glow.
"What the hell?" Rafael muttered.
Matteo was already at the security console. "Someone cut the main power. We're on backup now."
"How is that possible? The power station is heavily guarded."
"This wasn't a random break-in," Matteo said grimly. "This was a coordinated attack."
One of the security monitors flickered back to life, showing the front gate. Isabella gasped.
A black van was parked outside the entrance. Men in dark clothing were setting up what looked like professional equipment.
"They're not giving up," she whispered.
Matteo pulled out his phone and started making calls. "This is De Luca. Code Red. I need all our people here now."
He hung up and turned to Rafael. "Get the cars ready. If they breach the house, we're leaving."
"Where will we go?"
"The safe house in Naples. It's off the grid."
Isabella watched the monitors, feeling like she was in a nightmare. These people, whoever they were, weren't going to stop until they had her.
"Matteo," she said quietly.
He looked at her.
"What if I went with them? What if I just surrendered? Then no one else would get hurt."
"No." His voice was fierce. "That's not an option."
"But if they just want information—"
"They don't just want information, Isabella. They want to make sure that any secrets your father hid die with you."
The meaning of his words hit her like a truck. These people didn't want to kidnap her.
They wanted to kill her.