Chapter 10 A Message Too Close
••Luciana••
The hush of the library enveloped me like a soft velvet glove as I flipped through a pile of alliance documents, wedding drafts, and security assessments that my father insisted I 'review as a fitting future Don’s wife.' They were all spread out on the expansive mahogany table. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting a golden glow over the ink and paper.
This room had always been my refuge — the only place in the villa where the walls didn’t feel like spies.
My pen lingered over a line in the proposed engagement itinerary, which read: 'An heir must be produced within a year of the marriage.' With a sigh, I drew a red line through it.
I refuse to let him touch me after this marriage; the thought churns my stomach.
At that moment, my phone buzzed beside me..
I reached for it without thinking… and froze.
Unknown Number:
“Meet me before it’s too late.”
The pen fell from my hand.
The room suddenly felt too small, too still, like the air had stopped breathing with me.
A haunting memory of that folded note flickered back in my mind, the one tucked into my coat, the one I didn’t answer because Matteo had warned us. My heartbeat thudded like boots on concrete.This wasn’t random, it wasn’t someone messing around. This person knew I ignored the meeting. They knew.
I dialed Matteo immediately.
He answered on the second ring. “Luci? I’m driving. Antonio’s here.”
“I got another one,” I said, my throat tightened. “Another message.”
Silence.
Matteo must have covered the speaker, because I heard a muffled exchange, then Antonio’s sharp inhale.
“We’ll be there in thirty minutes,” Matteo said, and he hung up.
Thirty-two minutes later, the library door swung open. Matteo entered first, his face set in stone; Antonio was behind him, adrenaline still clinging to his features.
I shoved the phone toward them. “Look.”
They read the messages. Antonio’s jaw clenched hard enough to crack.
“This is getting bold,” Matteo muttered. “Too bold.”
Antonio paced once, twice. “It has to be someone inside one of the families. How else did they get close enough to slip the note? How else would they know you didn’t show?”
Matteo frowned. “It could be a warning from an ally. Could be a trap from an enemy, or could be someone testing you.”
I sank onto a stool. “I’m going. Tonight.”
Antonio stopped pacing. “You’re not going alone.”
“Absolutely not,” Matteo interjected. “We’ll keep our distance while tracking her in two vehicles, opting for a dark, less-traveled path. When she arrives, we’ll monitor the area closely. If anyone approaches, we'll strike first.”
Antonio exhaled. “We should also call Roman. This involves—”
“No.” The word snapped out of me before he finished. “What are you thinking? We keep this between us.”
Antonio hesitated. “Luci, he—”
“No.”
He shut his mouth.
Matteo rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Alright. Midnight again. Pier Twelve. We will scout the area first."
A spark of relief flickered in my chest. There's a plan. Finally—
Then the door opened.
Vikoz walked in, impeccable as ever, his hands clasped behind his back like a messenger carved out of loyalty itself.
“Princess Luciana,” he said, bowing slightly. “Your father requests your presence at the main house tonight. Dinner at eight. It is mandatory.”
The moment the door shut, Antonio exhaled through his teeth.
“That won’t change anything,” Matteo said, already shifting back into planning mode. “Dinner or not, we still leave for the pier tonight.”
Antonio nodded. “We go after eight, that gives us time to scout, switch vehicles, and set up a perimeter before midnight.”
A small wave of relief warmed my chest.
“Good,” I murmured. “We stick to the plan.”
Matteo tapped his knuckles on the table. “Exactly. We eat, we smile, we play the perfect little family… then we disappear.”
Antonio smirked. “Father won’t even notice when we’re gone.”
For the first time that day, hope felt like something I could breathe.
Dinner wouldn’t stop us. Not tonight.
Antonio squeezed my shoulder. “You won’t face this alone, sister. We're right here with you."
The night moved on whether I was ready or not.
\---
Dinner at the main house felt heavier than usual. My father sat at the head of the long table, rings gleaming under the chandelier light, his eyes were cold and unreadable.
He poured himself a glass of red wine, swirling it slowly.
I sat to his right, attempting to maintain a composed demeanor, even though the tension gnawed at my heart. Opposite us sat Matteo and Antonio, both unnaturally rigid. Their attempts to appear innocent only made them seem more suspicious.
My father raised his glass of wine but didn’t take a drink. Instead, he scrutinized me over the edge.
“Luciana,” he finally spoke, the atmosphere growing thick with tension.
“Yes, Father?”
His hand dropped, yet his gaze remained locked on mine.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” he inquired.
My heart raced, but I managed to keep my expression neutral. “Of course not.”
He reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and carefully laid a small folded note on the table, its edges sharp and precise.
Panic washed over me, draining the color from my face.
My fingers twitched nervously as Matteo and Antonio went stone-still.
My Father maintained his stare, his voice cold but steady.
“When were you planning to tell me about this?”
I looked down at the paper. It was the exact same note.
Meet me at Pier Twelve, midnight.
Come alone.
My breath caught.
How did Father get this?
If the original was still in my room… then this was a copy.
Someone had taken it, someone close enough to enter my space. Close enough to betray me.
I lifted my eyes to Father, his gaze was an iron cage.
“Luciana,” he said softly, almost dangerously, “tell me who gave you this.”
My heartbeat thudded in my ears. I could feel Matteo tense beside me. Antonio’s hand curled slowly into a fist.
I swallowed.
Because I didn’t know which was more frightening—
The stranger calling me to the pier…
or the traitor inside my own house.