Chapter 2 Men in Black at Midnight

Elena didn't sleep.

The room they gave her was too perfect for rest-wide windows sealed shut, silk curtains drawn tight, a bed so large it felt like a mockery. Nothing here bore fingerprints of life. It was a showroom, not a sanctuary.

She sat on the edge of the mattress, arms wrapped around herself, listening.

The house breathed around her. Soft footsteps somewhere far away. The muted hum of generators. The quiet click of doors opening and closing. Every sound reminded her she was not alone-and not free.

A discreet knock came at the door.

Elena's spine stiffened.

"Yes?" she called.

A woman entered, older than Elena by at least twenty years. Her dark hair was streaked with gray, her posture straight and unyielding. She wore a plain black dress and carried herself like someone who had seen too much to be afraid anymore.

"My name is Mara," the woman said. "I manage the household."

Elena nodded slowly. "Am I allowed to leave this room?"

Mara studied her for a moment. Not unkindly. Not warmly either.

"You are allowed to walk the east wing during daylight hours," she said. "You are not allowed near the gates, the west wing, or the lower floors."

"Why?"

"Because you don't want to see what happens there."

Elena swallowed. "What do you want from me?"

Mara's expression softened-just slightly. "To survive."

She gestured to a tray placed neatly on the table. "Eat. You'll need your strength."

After Mara left, Elena stared at the food but couldn't bring herself to touch it. She stood instead, approaching the window, parting the curtain just enough to peer outside.

Guards. Everywhere.

Men in black moved like shadows across the grounds, rifles slung over their shoulders, earpieces gleaming faintly. No laughter. No idle chatter. This was not a home. It was a fortress.

Her chest tightened.

She was a prisoner in a war she didn't understand.

Across the estate, in a room designed for strategy rather than comfort, Alessandro De Luca watched her on a silent screen.

The camera angle showed her standing by the window, her reflection faint against the glass. She looked small. Out of place. Too human for the world she'd been dragged into.

"She hasn't eaten," one of his men said quietly.

Alessandro didn't look away. "She will."

"Should we be worried?"

He finally turned his gaze, sharp and assessing. "About what?"

"That she'll try to escape."

Alessandro's mouth curved faintly. "Let her try."

The man hesitated. "And if she becomes... inconvenient?"

Alessandro's eyes hardened. "She won't."

Because he wouldn't allow it.

The next morning came too quickly.

Mara returned, escorting Elena through the east wing as promised. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, revealing opulence Elena had only ever seen in magazines. Gold-trimmed mirrors. Sculptures carved from stone older than nations.

"Why is he doing this?" Elena asked as they walked.

Mara didn't answer immediately. "Because he believes control is safer than mercy."

Elena stopped. "And do you?"

Mara met her gaze. "I believe you should be careful. You have his attention."

That chilled her more than any threat.

Later that afternoon, Elena heard gunfire.

The sound cracked through the estate like thunder.

She froze mid-step, her heart leaping into her throat.

Another shot. Then another.

She pressed her hands to her ears, panic surging. Screams followed-muffled but unmistakable.

Mara appeared beside her, calm as stone. "Inside. Now."

They moved quickly, but Elena glanced back just in time to see men dragging a body across the marble floor, a dark trail staining the white stone.

Her stomach lurched.

"Who was that?" she whispered.

"A traitor," Mara replied.

That night, Elena couldn't stop shaking.

The gunfire echoed in her mind, each shot a reminder of where she was-and who held her fate.

She sat on the bed again, trying to steady her breathing.

A knock sounded.

Different this time. Softer. Controlled.

The door opened before she could answer.

Alessandro stepped inside.

He didn't wear a suit tonight. Just a dark shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms. There was blood on his cuff. Not his.

Elena stood instinctively. "You killed him."

Alessandro regarded her calmly. "Yes."

"You didn't have to say it like that."

"I don't soften truths."

She swallowed hard. "Was it my fault?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "Why would it be?"

"Because I'm here. Because everything seems to be unraveling since-"

He crossed the room in three long strides, stopping in front of her.

"Look at me," he said.

She did.

"You are not the cause of my chaos," he said quietly. "You are merely standing in it."

She shivered. "Then why keep me?"

Alessandro studied her face-the fear she tried to hide, the strength beneath it. The way she hadn't cried. The way she still met his eyes.

"Because people underestimate innocent things," he said. "And that is dangerous."

"For who?"

"For everyone."

Their gazes locked, something electric passing between them-fear braided with something far more dangerous.

Before she could speak again, Alessandro stepped back.

"Get some rest," he said. "Tomorrow, you learn the rules."

"What happens if I break them?" she asked.

He paused at the door.

"Then," he said softly, "you learn how unforgiving this world can be."

The door closed.

Elena sank onto the bed, her heart racing.

Outside, gunfire echoed once more-distant, relentless.

And somewhere beneath the terror, a terrifying realization took root:

Her survival might depend not on escaping Alessandro De Luca...

...but on understanding him.