Chapter 9 Enemies Wear Familiar Faces

Elena sensed the shift before anyone spoke of it.

It crept through the estate like a change in weather-subtle at first, almost imperceptible, but undeniable once it settled in her bones. Smiles no longer reached eyes. Conversations stopped too quickly. Doors closed a second faster than usual. The air itself felt suspicious, as though every breath carried an unspoken warning.

Visibility, Alessandro had called it.

Elena was learning what that truly meant.

She was no longer just watched-she was measured.

At breakfast, a woman she had never seen before studied her openly from across the long dining table. She was elegant in a cold way, dressed in cream silk, her hair pulled back tightly, her expression unreadable.

"That's Valeria Romano," Mara murmured under her breath. "One of Alessandro's oldest allies."

"Ally," Elena repeated quietly.

Mara didn't respond.

Alessandro arrived moments later, his presence instantly commanding attention. The room adjusted around him-postures straightened, voices lowered. He took his seat at the head of the table, his gaze flicking briefly to Elena, assessing.

"Today," he said calmly, "we finalize the Adriatic routes."

Valeria smiled faintly. "Before that, perhaps we should discuss... risks."

Elena felt it immediately-the subtle pivot of attention toward her.

Alessandro's expression didn't change. "Be specific."

Valeria's eyes settled on Elena with polite precision. "Your guest."

"I don't host guests," Alessandro replied. "I take responsibility."

"A dangerous distinction," Valeria said smoothly. "She is visible. Emotional attachments have a way of being exploited."

Elena straightened her spine. "I'm right here."

Valeria inclined her head slightly. "That's the problem."

The tension was sharp enough to cut.

Alessandro folded his hands on the table. "If you have concerns, bring them to me privately."

"I am," Valeria replied. "Publicly."

A few men shifted uncomfortably.

"This cartel survives because we eliminate weaknesses," Valeria continued. "Not decorate them."

Silence fell.

Elena's pulse thundered in her ears, but she refused to look away. She met Valeria's gaze steadily, letting the woman see what Alessandro already knew-she would not beg, shrink, or disappear.

Alessandro rose slowly from his seat.

"She is not a weakness," he said, his voice even, lethal. "She is a line."

Valeria arched an eyebrow. "Lines can be crossed."

"Only once," Alessandro replied.

The message was clear.

Breakfast ended shortly after, conversations clipped and tense. Elena followed Alessandro out, her thoughts racing.

"They're testing you," she said as soon as they were alone.

"They've always tested me," he replied.

"No," Elena said. "They're testing us."

He stopped walking.

"Be careful," he warned. "You're starting to see too much."

"I already see enough," she said. "Someone wants me gone."

"Yes."

The admission chilled her. "Who?"

"More than one person," Alessandro said. "That's the problem."

That afternoon, Elena was escorted to the inner garden again. Guards flanked her closely now, their hands never far from their weapons. She paced slowly, trying to calm the storm inside her.

She felt eyes on her.

Turning, she saw Valeria standing near the edge of the garden, watching with open curiosity.

"Walk with me," Valeria said, as if issuing a suggestion rather than a command.

Elena glanced at the guards. They hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

Valeria moved with practiced grace, her heels silent against the stone paths. "You don't look like what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Elena asked.

"A distraction," Valeria replied. "Something fragile."

"And now?"

Valeria smiled thinly. "Now I see the danger."

Elena stopped walking. "If you have something to say, say it."

"I admire courage," Valeria said. "But courage without strategy is suicide."

"Is that a threat?"

"A warning," Valeria corrected. "Alessandro is powerful, but power invites ambition. Men follow him because he is untouchable. You make him... reachable."

"That's not my intention."

"Intentions don't matter here," Valeria said. "Leverage does."

Elena felt the trap closing. "You think using me will control him."

Valeria didn't deny it. "Others think it too."

"And you?" Elena asked.

"I prefer outcomes," Valeria said coolly. "And outcomes require sacrifice."

The guards stepped closer, sensing the tension.

"Elena," Valeria added softly, "people like us don't survive by being protected. We survive by being feared."

With that, she turned and walked away.

That night, the estate erupted again.

Not with gunfire-but with absence.

Alessandro stormed into Elena's room, fury barely contained. "Where were you?"

"The garden," Elena said. "With guards."

"Not an hour ago," he snapped. "Ten minutes ago."

Her stomach dropped. "I didn't leave."

Mara entered, pale. "One of the guards is missing."

The implications were immediate and terrifying.

"He wouldn't abandon his post," Alessandro said grimly.

"No," Elena whispered. "He was taken."

The estate locked down within minutes. Gates sealed. Men deployed. Alessandro issued orders with ruthless efficiency, but Elena saw the tension beneath his control-the way his jaw clenched, the way his gaze kept returning to her.

"You're the message," she said quietly.

"Yes," he replied. "And they're escalating."

A radio crackled. Voices shouted. Then silence.

Moments later, a call came through.

"They have him," Alessandro said, listening intently. His expression darkened. "And they want you."

Elena's heart slammed against her ribs. "Me?"

"They want leverage," he said. "They think I'll trade."

"And will you?"

His gaze locked onto hers. "Never."

Fear surged-but beneath it, something fierce ignited.

"Then they'll kill him," Elena said.

"Yes."

She swallowed hard. "Then use me."

Alessandro's face hardened. "No."

"They already are," she argued. "At least let me choose."

He stepped closer, gripping her shoulders. "You don't understand what they'll do."

"I understand enough," she said steadily. "If I'm already the weapon, let me be sharp."

The room fell silent.

"You trust me?" she asked softly.

Alessandro closed his eyes briefly, as if bracing himself. "That's the problem."

Hours later, as plans were whispered and alliances weighed, Elena sat alone, the weight of impending violence pressing down on her.

Enemies wore familiar faces.

Some smiled at breakfast.

Some walked beside her in gardens.

Some spoke of loyalty while sharpening knives behind closed doors.

And somewhere in the shadows, someone had decided her fate was currency.

But Elena was no longer just something to be traded.

She was learning the game.

And she intended to survive it.