The villa had never felt so quiet.
Too quiet.
Not the comforting silence of safety…but the heavy kind—the one that sinks into walls and corners, watching.
Elena stood near the window, staring at the dark stretch of the driveway. Her hands were wrapped around her arms, shoulders tense. She hadn't slept well since the attack, and tonight, the unease was worse.
I knew why.
A message had arrived that morning.
No name.No signature.Just six words sent to her private number—a number hardly anyone knew.
"You don't belong in his world."
Elena had shown me the phone with shaking hands.
Now she stood there, pretending to be calm.
She wasn't.
And I wasn't either.
I watched her from the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Every second she stood near that window tightened something cold around my ribs.
"Elena."
She didn't turn.Her voice was soft, strained.
"He's watching me, Luca."
I pushed off the wall.In two long strides I was standing behind her, but not touching—not yet.
"He wants you afraid," I said. "He wants you off balance."
Her breath fogged the glass. "It's working."
I exhaled slowly, fighting the urge to punch straight through the wall.
"Elena," I murmured, "you're not alone in this."
She turned, finally looking at me.Her eyes were wide, a storm of fear and stubborn courage.
"I know," she whispered."But that's what scares me."
My jaw flexed.
"Why?"
"Because every time I get close to you," she said softly, "you get dragged into more danger."Her throat tightened."And now some stranger is following me."
"That's not your fault," I said.
"But it's happening because of me."
I stepped closer.
"Elena," I said, my voice low and quiet, "danger finds me whether you're here or not. But the difference is—when you're here, I actually care."
Her lips parted slightly.She didn't know what to say.
She didn't have to.
A sharp knock echoed through the hall before I could speak again.
Elena startled; I instantly stepped in front of her, blocking her from view.Enzo pushed open the door.
"Boss," he said, expression tight. "You need to see this."
I followed him to the study.Elena followed too, even though I didn't want her seeing what was inside.
When we entered, Enzo pointed at the laptop screen.
A security feed.Grainy.Night vision green.
But clear enough to show a figure standing at the very edge of the villa boundary line—motionless, hands in pockets, facing the house like he was waiting.
Elena gasped softly.
She stepped closer to the desk before I could stop her.
The man on the screen didn't move.Didn't tilt his head.Didn't shift.
Just watched.
"Who is he?" she whispered.
I clenched my teeth."We're trying to identify him."
Enzo zoomed in a little more.
Still no face—just the silhouette of a man dressed entirely in black.
A shadow with patience.
A shadow with focus.
A shadow with intent.
Elena took another step forward.
I immediately caught her wrist, pulling her back.
"Stay behind me."
She didn't argue this time.
Her voice was barely audible."Is this the first time?"
Enzo and I exchanged a glance.
I sighed. "No."
Her eyes widened in horror. "…How many times?"
"Three," Enzo answered before I could soften the blow. "That we caught."
Elena staggered slightly, and I reached out, steadying her by the waist.
My voice softened but held steel."He never crossed the boundary. He just… watches."
"That's worse," she whispered.
I couldn't disagree.
Enzo closed the laptop gently. "There's more."
Elena tensed.I felt it under my hands.
"What?" I asked.
"We ran a check."Enzo hesitated."He's not Moretti."
My pulse slowed.Darkened.A different danger.Not the rival syndicate.
"Then who—" Elena began.
A soft chime interrupted her.
Her phone.
She froze.I felt her body go rigid under my grip.
Slowly, she lifted the device from her pocket.Her fingers trembled as she unlocked the screen.
A new message.From the same unknown number.
"You looked beautiful tonight."
Elena's breath collapsed into her chest.
I snatched the phone from her hand, jaw tightening with a pressure that felt like it could crack bone.
My voice was a quiet, lethal whisper:
"He was close enough to see you."
Elena covered her mouth. "Luca—"
I turned to Enzo."Trace it. Now."
"I'm on it," he said, already moving.
I took Elena by the wrist—not harshly, but firmly—and guided her out of the study.
"Luca—wait—"
"No."
My voice wasn't loud.It wasn't angry.
It was terrifyingly controlled.
She stumbled slightly as I pulled her into the hallway.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To make sure he never gets this close again."
I stopped only when we reached the upstairs guest room I'd been keeping empty—just in case.
I opened the door.
"You're staying here tonight."
She blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because someone is watching you," I said, stepping inside and checking the windows myself. "Because someone thinks they can get close enough to tell you what you look like. And because I'm not giving them the chance."
Elena took a step toward me."Luca…"
I turned, meeting her gaze.
Her eyes were wet.
"You're scared," I said softly.
She nodded once—barely.
I walked toward her slowly until I stood right in front of her.
"Elena," I murmured, "I won't let anyone near you. Not him. Not Moretti. Not anyone."
She pressed her lips together, swallowing a rising wave of fear.
"Why me?" she whispered. "Why is he watching me?"
I didn't have the answer yet.But I knew one thing:
"He wants something," I said. "Something he thinks he can take."
"And what's that?"
"Your trust."I stepped closer."Your fear."Closer still."Your attention."
Her breath unsteady, she asked, "Why?"
I held her chin gently.
"Because he knows you matter to me."
Her eyes softened, her breath catching.
"And anyone who knows that," I said quietly, "becomes dangerous."
But Elena…Elena always felt the truth before I said it.
"Luca…" she breathed, "you think he's doing this to get to you."
"He is."
"And if he does?"Her voice cracked."What happens then?"
I rested my forehead against hers—just enough for her to feel the steady, unshakeable certainty in my next words.
"Then I become more dangerous than him."
She closed her eyes, leaning into me for a moment she didn't try to hide.
When she finally stepped back, her voice was small.
"What do we do now?"
I placed a protective hand at the small of her back and turned her toward the room.
"Now," I murmured, "you stay where I can find you."
"And you?" she asked.
I brushed a hand down her arm, letting my fingers linger for a moment longer than necessary.
"I go hunt the man who thinks he can watch what's mine."
Her breath caught.
"Luca—"
But I cut her off with a look—one filled with quiet promise and dangerous resolve.
"Elena," I said softly, "this stalker wanted my attention."
My voice dropped, dark and certain.
"Now he has it."