Chapter 7 - The Trap Closes
Three days after the gala, the Moretti corporate headquarters in downtown Milan was thrown into absolute chaos. Financial regulators swarmed the lobby, accompanied by federal prosecutors bearing warrants for asset freezes and fraud investigations.
Rafael stood in his top-floor office, staring at the flashing red alerts on his trading terminals. Billions of dollars in international shipping contracts were being locked down under allegations of corporate embezzlement and falsified medical records.
The door burst open. Security Chief Marcus rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Sir, we traced the origin of the federal audit," Marcus reported, slamming a encrypted flash drive onto the mahogany desk. "It didn't come from external regulators. The digital signatures bypass our internal firewalls using master credentials that only two people in this company possess: you... and Madam Valeria."
Rafael didn't flinch. The cold realization settled into his bones like lead. "She's liquidating everything and running for the Swiss border."
"Worse than that, sir," Marcus added grimly. "She has Miss Leila. Her car was intercepted leaving the downtown design studio twenty minutes ago. Our tracking beacon shows her vehicle heading toward the old Moretti family dockhouse on the northern coast."
Rafael’s blood ran ice-cold. Every muscle in his body seized. "Get the tactical teams moving. Now."
"Sir, if we mobilize openly, Valeria’s security detail will eliminate Miss Leila before we cross the gates," Marcus warned.
Rafael stared at the flash drive on his desk. He thought of Leila’s hands—the scarred thumb, the paint beneath her nails, the way she had held his ring. He wasn't going to lose her a second time. Not to Valeria, not to the empire, not to the devil himself.
"I'm going alone," Rafael said flatly, pulling the Sig Sauer pistol from his desk holster and checking the magazine with a sharp click.
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"Mr. Moretti—"
"That's an order, Marcus. You follow ten minutes behind with the tactical unit. If I'm not out of that boathouse by midnight, burn the whole estate to the ground."
