The estate was silent, save for the occasional rustle of wind and the faint hum of the security systems. Isla stood at the large window of the guest room, staring out into the darkness. The weight of everything that had happened tonight pressed down on her chest. She was in a place she didn't know, surrounded by walls of stone, with no idea of what came next.
Alessandro had led her here, but he hadn't shared everything. Not yet.
She could still feel the sharp tension in his shoulders from the moment he'd said Adrian Costa's name. It had been the first time she'd seen him falter. The first time she'd seen the mask crack just enough to let her catch a glimpse of the man beneath. And it scared her.
The man who wants me dead.
Those words echoed in her mind, sending chills through her body. She had heard enough to understand that this wasn't just a business rivalry. This wasn't about money or power. This was something darker. Something personal. And now, she was stuck in the middle of it.
She turned away from the window, her eyes landing on the door. It was as though Alessandro had disappeared the moment they'd arrived—gone to deal with his own demons, leaving her to stew in her confusion and fear.
She couldn't wait any longer. She had to know what was going on.
Determined, she left the room and made her way down the hall, her footsteps quiet on the polished floors. She knew where Alessandro would be—his office. The one place he would seek refuge when he needed to think, when he needed space.
The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack, she could see him. He was standing by the desk, his back to her, staring at something on the screen. His body was tense, rigid, like a coiled spring.
She didn't knock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Alessandro didn't move, didn't even acknowledge her presence at first. His jaw was set, and his fingers hovered over the keyboard, though he wasn't typing. His mind was elsewhere.
"Alessandro," Isla said, her voice softer than she intended. "Tell me about Adrian Costa."
He froze. For a long moment, he didn't respond. Then, finally, he exhaled a sharp breath and turned to face her. His eyes were dark, heavy with something that looked a lot like regret.
"You don't want to know," he said quietly, his voice low, almost haunted.
Isla crossed her arms, standing her ground. "I think I deserve to know. I'm in this now, Alessandro. Whether you like it or not."
He stared at her for a beat, like he was measuring her resolve. Then, slowly, he gestured to the chair across from him.
"Sit down," he muttered. "I'll tell you everything. But understand, this... this is a story I've been running from for a long time."
Isla sat, her heart pounding in her chest. She had never seen him like this—this raw, this open. It was a side of him that he didn't show often. But she knew she wasn't getting out of this until she understood what had brought them here.
Alessandro leaned back in his chair, his fingers rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off a headache.
"Adrian Costa…" He said the name with a venom that made Isla's blood run cold. "He's someone I should have buried a long time ago. A ghost from my past that I've tried to keep buried, but... ghosts don't stay dead. Not for long."
Isla's gaze never left his, her voice quiet but insistent. "Who is he?"
"He's a man who used to be everything to me," Alessandro said, his voice almost wistful. "A brother. A partner. We built an empire together, Isla. But then... everything changed. Adrian became obsessed. His hunger for power grew too much, and he started making deals that I couldn't condone. Deals that were dangerous, even for us. He crossed lines, and I stopped him. I ended it."
Alessandro's eyes darkened, his hand tightening into a fist on the desk. "But Adrian doesn't forgive. He doesn't forget. And now, after all these years, he's come back for revenge."
"Revenge?" Isla whispered, the weight of his words settling heavily in her chest. "But why me? Why attack us now?"
"Because you're the one thing I have left," Alessandro said sharply. "You're the reason I've been staying alive, staying clean. He knows about you, Isla. He knows I've let my guard down with you. He's using you as leverage."
Isla felt her heart drop into her stomach. She had been a pawn in this twisted game from the very beginning, and she hadn't even known it.
Alessandro's gaze softened just a little. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to drag you into this."
"I'm not some innocent bystander anymore, Alessandro," she said, her voice firm. "I've already made my choice. I'm not going anywhere. But you're going to have to trust me if we're going to survive this."
There was a long silence before he nodded, slowly. He stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the night as though searching for answers that didn't exist.
"I don't trust easily," he murmured, almost to himself. "But with you... I don't have a choice."
Isla stood and walked over to him, her fingers brushing lightly against his arm. "Then let's fight this together."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Alessandro turned to her. His expression was no longer one of control, but of something deeper—something more human.
And for the first time, Isla felt like they were in this as a team.
The game had changed.
And now, they were fighting for their lives.