Chapter 2 2

Morning arrived in Milan without apology.

The city woke loudly, tram bells clanging, scooters snarling beneath Isabella's windows, life continuing as if nothing had shifted in the night. Isabella lay awake long before her alarm, staring at the pale ceiling, replaying every word from the phone call and every look Matteo had given her.

You've been noticed.

The thought clung to her like damp fabric.

From the living room came the muted sound of movement. Footsteps. A drawer opening, then closing softly. Isabella's body tensed before she remembered, she was not alone.

She sat up and wrapped her robe around herself, padding into the hallway. Matteo stood by the window, phone pressed to his ear, voice low.

"No, not yet," he was saying. "I want confirmation first."

He ended the call and turned as she approached. In daylight, he looked different, less shadowed, more human. There were faint lines near his eyes, the kind that came from vigilance, not age.

"You don't sleep much," Isabella said.

"Not when I'm working."

"Are you working now?" she asked.

His gaze held hers. "Yes."

She went to the kitchen and put water on for coffee. The routine steadied her hands. "Then you should tell me what the job is."

Matteo leaned against the counter. "Protecting you."

"That's vague."

"It's honest."

She scoffed lightly. "You showed up at my door in the middle of the night, told me my mother was involved in something dangerous, and now you expect me to just accept this?"

"I expect you to stay alive," he replied.

The kettle clicked off. Isabella poured the water, the steam fogging her glasses. "My mother died of a stroke."

"So they said."

The words landed like a blade. Isabella turned sharply. "You're suggesting she was killed?"

"I'm saying she knew things powerful people didn't want known," Matteo said. "And shortly after she stopped cooperating, she died."

"Cooperating with who?"

"That's what I'm trying to confirm."

Isabella carried her mug to the table, suddenly feeling exhausted. "You talk like this is normal."

"For me, it is."

She studied him. "Why are you really involved?"

Matteo was silent for a moment. Then, "Because I failed someone once. Someone who trusted me to keep them safe."

"That doesn't explain why you care about me."

"It does," he said quietly.

Her phone buzzed on the table. An email notification from work. Isabella hesitated before opening it.

We need to talk. Come by my office this morning.

-L.

Her stomach tightened. "They're calling me in."

Matteo's jaw clenched. "Expected."

"I can't just not go."

"I know," he said. "Which is why I'll be nearby."

Her eyes narrowed. "You can't follow me into Valenti Group."

"I don't need to," he replied. "Buildings like that leak information."

She exhaled slowly. "This is insane."

"Yes."

Yet when she dressed and prepared to leave, she chose a jacket with an inside pocket and wore flat shoes. Small changes. Subconscious ones. Matteo noticed but didn't comment.

They left the apartment separately.

Isabella took the tram toward the city center, watching reflections ripple across the windows. Every stranger felt suddenly significant. She wondered how long her mother had lived like this, aware, cautious, silent.

At Valenti Group, the glass tower gleamed with polished confidence. Isabella swiped her badge and rode the elevator up, heart pounding.

Lucia Ferraro's office overlooked the Duomo. Lucia herself stood by the window, arms folded.

"Close the door," she said without turning.

Isabella complied. "You wanted to see me?"

Lucia faced her, expression carefully neutral. "You've been accessing files outside your scope."

"I'm in compliance," Isabella replied evenly. "That is my scope."

Lucia sighed. "Isabella, you're good at your job. Very good. But there are...sensitivities."

"Illegal activities are sensitive," Isabella said.

Lucia's eyes sharpened. "You need to be careful."

"Why?" Isabella asked. "Because De Luca is a major partner?"

"Because De Luca is untouchable."

Isabella felt a chill. "No one is untouchable."

Lucia laughed softly. "You're young."

"I'm not naive."

"No," Lucia agreed. "Which is why I'm warning you as a friend. Step back."

"Or?"

Lucia's gaze flicked briefly to the door. "Or you'll attract attention you don't want."

Isabella thought of Matteo's words. Be careful what you notice.

"I can't ignore discrepancies," she said.

"You can," Lucia replied. "You're choosing not to."

The truth of it stung. Isabella straightened. "Then I choose not to."

Lucia studied her for a long moment. "You remind me of someone."

"My mother," Isabella said.

Lucia's face drained of color.

The silence that followed was confirmation enough.

Isabella left the office with her pulse racing. In the lobby, she paused, pretending to check her phone while scanning the crowd. Through the glass, she spotted Matteo across the street, leaning casually against a motorcycle, eyes alert.

Their gazes met. He gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

That afternoon, Isabella returned to her desk to find her system access partially restricted. Files she'd bookmarked were gone.

They were erasing her mother all over again.

When she got home that evening, Matteo was already there.

"They're tightening the net," she said before he could speak.

"Yes."

"They know."

"Yes."

She dropped her bag, anger flaring. "I lived my life carefully. I followed every rule."

Matteo watched her, something like respect in his eyes. "That's why you lasted this long."

She laughed bitterly. "Lucky me."

He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "We need to leave Milan."

"No," she said immediately.

"This city is compromised."

"So is every city if De Luca's reach is that wide."

"Lake Como," he said. "Your mother's villa."

Isabella froze. "How do you know about that?"

"Because she used it," he replied. "And because it's still off the radar."

Her chest tightened. "That place is...quiet."

"It needs to be."

She turned away, staring at the window. The lake was tied to her childhood, to safety, to her mother's rare laughter. It felt wrong to bring danger there.

But danger was already inside her life.

"When?" she asked.

"Tonight."

She nodded slowly. "I'll pack."

As she moved toward the bedroom, she stopped. "Matteo."

"Yes?"

"You told me answers come later."

"They do."

"When do I get them?"

He met her gaze. "When you're strong enough to hear them."

She didn't like that answer. But something told her it was true.

Outside, Milan glowed, unaware that a woman who had spent her life unseen was about to vanish, this time by choice.