Captured by shadows

The ride back to the Corsini estate was silent.

Alessandra sat beside Luca in the sleek black car, her body tense as the city lights blurred past them.

She could still feel Riccardo's gaze lingering on her skin, his words curling around her like a noose.

"Everything inside my house is worth monitoring."

Her fingers curled into her dress.

Riccardo wasn't a man who threw words carelessly. That was a warning.

Or worse—a challenge.

Luca, on the other hand, had said nothing.

Had barely looked at her since dinner ended.

But his silence?

It was too calculated. Too controlled.

And that was far more dangerous than his words.

Alessandra knew she should say something. Defuse whatever this was before it exploded.

Instead, she turned her gaze to the window and watched the city pass.

They were playing a game of patience now.

And Luca Corsini was very, very patient.

Villa Rosa – Matteo's Penthouse

Matteo didn't sleep that night.

He stood by the window, a cigarette burning between his fingers, his mind tangled in the night's events.

The Corsinis were closing in on Alessandra.

Luca wasn't stupid.

And Riccardo?

He was worse.

Matteo exhaled, the smoke curling around him.

He had two options.

Pull Alessandra out before she got herself killed… or let her drown in this mess.

The latter wasn't an option.

Not when Luca was circling her like a predator.

Not when Riccardo was testing her like a pawn on a chessboard.

And certainly not when Matteo had already claimed her as his.

His phone buzzed.

A message from one of his men inside the Corsini estate.

"She's back. Luca didn't say a word to her."

Matteo crushed the cigarette.

That was worse than if he had.

Luca Corsini's silence wasn't indifference.

It was a storm waiting to break.

And when it did—Alessandra wouldn't survive it.

Unless Matteo moved first.

The Corsini Estate – Alessandra's Room

Alessandra locked her door and exhaled.

She peeled off her dress, letting it pool at her feet as she stood in nothing but her lingerie.

The night had left a tension in her bones that refused to settle.

Riccardo's words still echoed in her head.

But Luca?

His silence had been the loudest part of the night.

She knew he was watching her.

Waiting.

For her to slip.

For her to break.

And she couldn't afford to do either.

She moved toward the vanity, brushing her fingers through her dark waves when—

A knock.

Alessandra's breath hitched.

It wasn't a soft, tentative knock.

It was Luca.

She turned slowly, pulse thrumming.

For a moment, she considered ignoring it.

But Luca Corsini wasn't the kind of man you ignored.

With a steady breath, she crossed the room and unlocked the door.

The second it opened—

Luca stepped inside.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Alessandra swallowed.

He was still dressed in his suit, the top buttons of his shirt undone, his sleeves rolled up.

His jaw was clenched. His dark eyes held something unreadable.

Something dangerous.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked lightly, forcing herself to sound unaffected.

Luca didn't answer.

Instead, he took another step forward.

And another.

Until there was barely any space between them.

Alessandra's back hit the vanity.

Luca braced a hand beside her, trapping her in place.

Her pulse pounded, but she refused to look away.

Don't blink. Don't break.

Finally, he spoke.

"Tell me the truth."

Alessandra's stomach tightened.

This was it.

He wasn't playing anymore.

"I don't know what you mean."

Luca's gaze flickered to her lips. Then back to her eyes.

She could feel the tension between them—sharp, electric.

"You know exactly what I mean, Alessandra." His voice was low, edged with something lethal.

Her nails dug into the vanity.

Think.

She had two options.

Lie. Keep playing the game.

Or—

She tilted her chin, forcing a smirk. "Are you jealous?"

Luca's expression didn't change.

Didn't crack.

But his jaw ticked.

And that?

That was enough.

She leaned in, her lips barely a breath away from his.

"You're so desperate to catch me in a lie," she murmured. "But tell me, Luca—why do you care so much?"

Silence.

For a split second, something flickered in his eyes.

Something dark. Something dangerous.

Something possessive.

And then—

Luca stepped back.

Just far enough for the tension to snap.

His gaze dropped, sweeping over her bare legs, the lace of her lingerie.

Something in his expression shifted.

And then—he smirked.

"You should get some rest, cara."

He turned.

Opened the door.

And then—

He left.

Leaving her with the weight of his silence.

And the slow, terrifying realization that Luca Corsini wasn't playing anymore.

Villa Rosa – Matteo's Office

The clock struck three a.m.

Matteo stood at his desk, his mind already planning his next move when his phone buzzed again.

Another update.

He read it once.

Twice.

And then, for the first time all night—he smiled.

A slow, cold smirk that meant someone was about to lose.

He reached for his jacket, his gun, and his car keys.

It was time.

Luca thought he had the upper hand?

He was dead wrong.