CHAPTER 12

Andrea Romano was gone. Matteo had no assistant. And the entire organization was feeling the weight of the void.

Deadlines missed. Messages delayed. High-priority deals stuck in limbo because no one was competent enough to handle the chaos.

Sasha watched it all unfold with quiet amusement.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

She had taken her time—moved the right pieces, manipulated the right moments. Matteo's empire was already cracking at the foundation. But now?

Now she was ready to step inside.

The moment Andrea was gone, whispers spread like wildfire.

"Matteo fired him."

"The boss was furious."

"No second chances."

Fear settled into the organization's ranks.

But fear wasn't the only thing growing.

So was doubt.

Andrea had been competent, skilled, and incredibly loyal. If even he could be discarded so easily, who was safe?

The executives felt the tension. The managers felt the weight.

And through it all, Sasha watched, waited.

And then, at the perfect moment—she made her move.

It happened in the middle of a chaotic morning.

Meetings were delayed because no one knew who was running Matteo's schedule.

Emails were piling up with urgent contract revisions that no one had access to.

And the phone?

It rang. And rang. And rang.

Until finally—

"Enough."

One of the executives—tall, sharp-eyed, always on edge— turned towards Sasha's desk.

"Rossi."

She looked up, expression calm, almost amused.

"Sir?"

"You're the most competent person in this entire department. Step in. Temporarily. Until we find someone to replace Andrea."

Sasha blinked. Feigned hesitation.

Let them think she wasn't expecting this.

Then, she let out a small, thoughtful sigh.

"I suppose… I could help. Just temporarily, of course."

The moment the words left her lips, the decision was made.

There was no time to question it.

No time to second-guess.

Because the truth was—Matteo's empire couldn't afford to waste another second.

When the decision reached Matteo's ears, he didn't argue.

Didn't question it.

Didn't demand to know who had stepped in.

Because right now, all he cared about was results.

"Fine," he muttered, voice clipped as he signed off on another contract. "As long as the job gets done."

And with that—

Sasha was in.

She had infiltrated Matteo's world without him ever seeing her.

Moved into a position of power without him even realizing.

Now, with access to his most private dealings, his schedules, his business intelligence—

Sasha had everything she needed to destroy him from the inside.

And the best part?

He still had no idea who she was.

Sasha leaned back in her chair, eyes flicking over the list of upcoming meetings, the confidential reports now at her fingertips.

Her lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.

"Checkmate, Matteo."