The moment the system activated, the entire Valentino estate changed.
Steel shutters slammed down across hallways.
Heavy security doors locked automatically.
Hidden barriers rose from the floors, sealing off entire sections of the mansion like pieces of a shifting puzzle.
Inside the underground control room, the giant screen showed the transformation in real time.
Red dots—representing the intruders—suddenly scattered.
Confusion.
Panic.
"They didn't expect that," Luca said with a faint grin.
Adrian stood in front of the monitor, watching every movement.
"No one ever does."
Elara folded her arms, studying the map.
"You turned your own house into a trap."
Adrian didn't look away from the screen.
"I turned it into a weapon."
One of the red dots suddenly disappeared.
Then another.
Luca tilted his head.
"Our security team?"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
He zoomed in on the camera feed.
A dark hallway appeared.
Two attackers moved cautiously down the corridor, rifles raised.
Then—
A panel in the ceiling opened.
A hidden turret dropped down.
Two suppressed shots.
Both men collapsed before they even understood what happened.
Luca chuckled.
"Okay, that's impressive."
Elara blinked.
"You installed automatic defense turrets in your house?"
"Only in the corridors that lead to the vault."
Another red dot vanished.
Then another.
The attackers were being eliminated one by one.
But Adrian's expression didn't change.
Something about this attack still bothered him.
Elara noticed.
"You're thinking too much again."
He glanced at her.
"Leon never sends men to die without purpose."
Luca nodded slowly.
"He's right."
Elara looked back at the screen.
"So what's the real move?"
Adrian zoomed the map out again.
Every intruder was moving toward the same section of the estate.
The eastern wing.
Elara noticed it first.
"Why are they all heading there?"
Luca frowned.
"There's nothing important in the east wing."
Adrian's eyes darkened.
"Yes there is."
"What?"
"The server hub."
The room went silent.
Luca straightened immediately.
"You think they're trying to wipe the estate's security system?"
"No."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"They're trying to steal it."
Elara looked confused.
"Why would Leon want your house security software?"
Adrian tapped another command.
The central screen shifted.
A new layer of data appeared.
Financial accounts.
Corporate holdings.
Encrypted communications.
The entire Valentino empire's operational network.
"This system doesn't just run the house," Adrian said quietly.
"It runs the empire."
Elara's eyes widened slightly.
"So if they access it…"
"They gain control of everything."
Luca swore under his breath.
"That explains the attack."
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
Both of them looked at him.
"This explains the distraction."
Before they could respond—
One of the cameras flickered.
Then went dark.
Another feed died.
Then another.
On the map—
Three red dots suddenly vanished.
But not like before.
They hadn't been eliminated.
They had gone invisible.
Luca leaned closer to the screen.
"That's not possible."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"They're using signal jammers."
Elara's voice dropped.
"So now you can't track them."
"No."
Adrian tapped another key.
The estate's thermal sensors activated.
Three glowing shapes appeared moving through a hidden service hallway.
Straight toward the central network room.
Luca shook his head.
"These guys came prepared."
Adrian stared at the screen.
"Yes."
Then he grabbed his jacket.
Luca looked up.
"You're going after them."
"Yes."
Elara stepped forward immediately.
"So am I."
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
"I'm not staying in a bunker while your house turns into a battlefield."
"This isn't an argument."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You said I wasn't someone you cage."
Silence filled the control room.
Luca looked between them carefully.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"You stay behind me."
Elara nodded.
"Deal."
Luca checked his rifle.
"Then let's go hunting."
—
The eastern wing of the mansion was darker than the rest of the estate.
Most of the lights had been destroyed during the attack.
Broken glass covered the floors.
Smoke drifted through the air from earlier explosions.
Adrian moved first.
Silent.
Precise.
Every step measured.
Elara followed closely.
Her pistol steady in her hands.
Luca covered the rear.
They reached the entrance to the service hallway.
The door had been forced open.
Luca crouched beside it.
"Three of them."
"How do you know?" Elara asked.
"Footprints in the dust."
Adrian studied the corridor.
Then he whispered—
"They're not amateurs."
Luca smirked.
"No kidding."
They moved forward slowly.
The hallway twisted through the inner structure of the estate.
Pipes ran along the ceiling.
Old maintenance lights flickered faintly.
Halfway down the corridor—
Adrian suddenly stopped.
Elara nearly walked into him.
"What is it?"
He pointed downward.
A thin wire stretched across the hallway.
A tripwire.
Connected to a small explosive charge on the wall.
Luca crouched.
"Nice trap."
Adrian carefully cut the wire.
The explosive disarmed silently.
Elara frowned.
"They expected someone to follow them."
Adrian nodded.
"They expected me."
Luca stood again.
"Well… they're about to get what they wanted."
The corridor ended at a heavy reinforced door.
Behind it—
The estate's central network server.
Adrian placed his hand against the door.
Warm.
"They're inside."
Luca positioned himself beside the frame.
"On three."
Elara took a steady breath.
Adrian nodded once.
"One."
Luca tightened his grip on the rifle.
"Two."
Adrian kicked the door open.
"Three."
Gunfire exploded instantly.
The room beyond was filled with servers and cables.
Three masked attackers turned toward them.
Bullets ripped through the air.
Adrian fired first.
One attacker dropped instantly.
The second dove behind a server rack.
The third fired toward Elara.
Luca shot him before he could aim again.
Two attackers down.
One left.
The final man moved fast.