The Warning

Virello Estate – Midnight

Belle couldn't sleep.

Luca's words echoed in her mind.

"You need to leave, Bella. Before he finds out the truth."

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her pulse steady but her mind racing. Luca Moretti had every reason to expose her. He had been loyal to her father, and now, he was playing a dangerous game.

Why protect her?

Belle had to know.

Sliding out of bed, she moved swiftly, careful not to make a sound. The estate was quieter now, the distant echoes of the gala long gone, leaving only the occasional patrol of guards.

She had memorized the security shifts.

Avoiding them was easy.

She slipped through the dimly lit halls, making her way toward the east wing, where the Castellano family's guests were staying.

Luca's room was near the end of the corridor.

She knocked once. Twice.

No answer.

Belle exhaled sharply. If he wasn't in his room, then—

"Looking for me?"

She spun.

Luca stood at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, watching her like he had been expecting this.

Belle clenched her jaw and stepped closer. "Why didn't you tell him?"

Luca's expression remained unreadable. "Tell him what?"

"Don't play games with me, Luca. You know exactly who I am."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, Bella. And I know exactly what happens if Dante Castellano finds out."

Belle's fingers twitched at her side. "Then why are you protecting me?"

Luca studied her for a long moment.

Then he smirked.

"Because you're my boss's daughter."

Belle's breath caught.

"And whether you like it or not, that still means something."

Her chest tightened. It shouldn't. Not anymore.

Her father had been a powerful man once. Before the Castellanos wiped out their family. Before she had been forced to hide in the shadows, living a life that wasn't hers.

But Luca still saw her as his boss's daughter.

And apparently, that was enough for him.

Belle swallowed hard. "Luca, if Dante finds out—"

"Then you're dead." Luca's voice was firm. "And I don't think you're ready to die just yet."

Belle's throat tightened, but she said nothing.

Luca's gaze darkened. "Get out while you still can, Bella. Before it's too late."

She wanted to argue.

To tell him she had a plan, that she was in control.

But the truth was—she wasn't.

Because right now, Dante Castellano held all the power.

And he didn't even know it.

Yet.