Chapter 10 – The Hidden Flame
The mansion nestled along the cliffs of Amalfi was quiet that morning, save for the echo of heavy footsteps on the marble floor.
Leonardo Moretti, the billionaire with eyes like espresso and a heart trapped between duty and pain, stood shirtless at the balcony. The caramel gold of his skin caught the early rays of the sun, but his face held shadows that sunlight could never melt.
He hadn't slept.
Last night's dinner with Camellia had ended in silence. She had smiled for the cameras, touched his hand for appearances, and whispered sweet things she didn't mean. But when the limelight faded, she had curled away from him in bed like a stranger.
And all night… all he could see was her.
Aurora Valentino.
The new actress.
The girl with the fire in her eyes and a voice that trembled when she spoke his name. She wasn't meant to matter. She wasn't meant to unsettle his carefully structured life. And yet, she had.
Flashback to the studio—
"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," Aurora had said after accidentally colliding into him on set.
Leonardo had steadied her instinctively, his large hands gripping her forearms. There was something about her eyes—hazel blue like the sea meeting sky—that stopped him.
"It's alright," he had murmured, more to himself than to her.
Back to present—
He rubbed his jaw, as if trying to scrub away the thoughts of her.
Damn it, Leo.
He had built his empire with silence, blood, and sharp intuition. He had read men before they spoke, predicted betrayal before it happened. And yet, he had been blind to the one betrayal that mattered most.
Camellia.
His "love."
She was in it for the lifestyle. The headlines. The branded couture and movie premieres. She gave him sex, smiles, and lies. And now… she gave herself to someone else too.
He didn't have proof, not yet.
But in his gut, he knew.
Meanwhile – Milan Studio Grounds
Aurora leaned against the wall near the dressing van, clutching her script. Her heart had been racing all morning. Ever since yesterday, she had been catching Leonardo looking at her differently—not like a director, or a producer, but like… a man.
A powerful, dangerous man.
And that terrified her more than it thrilled her.
"Are you alright?" came a voice.
She looked up to see Sofia, her friend and makeup artist, watching her with concern.
Aurora nodded. "Yeah. Just… first major shoot nerves."
Sofia smirked. "Or CEO nerves?"
Aurora blushed furiously.
"Don't worry," Sofia said, lowering her voice. "That man doesn't look at anyone like he looks at you."
That wasn't comforting.
Not when she knew who he was dating.
Not when she knew who he was.
She wasn't completely blind to the whispers. Everyone in the industry knew Leonardo Moretti wasn't just a businessman. There were rumors—quiet, unspoken things. About how rivals disappeared, deals got closed without signatures, and enemies never returned from meetings.
Aurora didn't believe in mafia tales.
But she did believe in eyes that had seen too much.
And his… told stories with no happy endings.
Later That Evening – Camellia's Private Party
Camellia wore a blood-red gown that fit her like a second skin. The nightclub was packed, music pulsing through the velvet walls, but her eyes scanned only for one man.
Leonardo hadn't shown up yet.
She had planned this party to get his attention back. Recently, he had become… distant. Distant and silent. He wasn't the man she had seduced three years ago.
Worse, he was noticing someone else.
She had seen the way his gaze lingered on the little girl with the small waist and innocent eyes.
She had seen the danger before.
Camellia downed her champagne and pulled her phone out.
Camellia: Where are you, amore? The night's missing its star.
No reply.
She gritted her teeth.
Across the room, a man leaned in close. Handsome, charming, and foolish enough to believe he was the one.
"You're alone tonight?" he asked.
Camellia smiled sweetly. "Not for long."
Elsewhere – Leonardo's Office, Private Villa
He didn't go to the party.
Instead, Leonardo sat in front of the hidden monitor built into his wall—watching Camellia's party through silent surveillance footage.
Every corner of her world was under his eye.
He watched as she flirted with that man—Marcello Russo.
A rival producer.
He leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable.
A single button press, and he zoomed in.
Their hands touched. Her lips smiled. Her body leaned in.
A few moments later, she left with him.
No denials left now.
No doubts.
Leonardo closed the footage.
The flame he had for Camellia—burnt out.
Next Day – Shooting Set
Aurora sat quietly in the dressing room, heart pounding. She had a romantic scene today—with the male lead—but the tension wasn't coming from the script.
It came from the knock on the door.
And the man who entered.
Leonardo.
She stood immediately. "Mr. Moretti—"
"Leo," he said, stepping closer.
His tone was calm, but something smoldered in his gaze.
She swallowed. "What are you doing here?"
"You were brilliant in the last take," he said.
"Thank you."
Silence.
She fidgeted with her sleeves. "Was there something else?"
Leonardo took one more step, closing the gap between them.
He studied her face—every nervous twitch, every flutter of her lashes.
"Aurora… do you know what I see when I look at you?"
She shook her head slightly, heart thudding like a war drum.
"Someone real," he said. "Someone untouched by this world's poison. And I find myself wanting to protect that."
She froze.
"Why?" she whispered.
"I don't know yet. But I will."
And with that, he turned and left.
Leaving her breathless, confused… and burning.
Later That Night – Hidden Villa, Mafia Meeting
In a room beneath his private estate, lit by a single overhead light, Leonardo met with his most trusted lieutenants.
The world thought he was a businessman.
They weren't wrong.
They just didn't know the business he truly ran.
"All operations remain clean. No blood without my command," he said.
One of the men leaned forward. "Sir… your enemies are watching. You sure you want to play it safe?"
Leonardo's smile was lethal.
"I don't play it safe. I play it smart."
"Understood."
He stood up.
"One more thing," he added, "Camellia is no longer protected. If she steps into the shadows… let her deal with what lives there."
End of Chapter 10