Chapter 6 –The Art of War

A Warning from the Past

Sleep was a luxury I could not even think of.At least not for now,I still have a lot ahead of me.

I sat silently on the edge of my bed, the weight of my thoughts heavier than the cool metal of the gun resting under my pillow.

In my first life, I had been naïve. I had trusted the wrong people, let my heart make decisions my mind should have Made a lot of mistakes that cost be my life.

And for that weakness, I had paid in blood.

But that Isabella De Luca was dead.Was Killed in a cold blood.

And the woman I had become?

She was here to rewrite the ending.

A soft ping broke the silence.

I reached for my phone, my pulse steady as I read the message.

> Unknown Number: He's watching you.

I smirked. Good.

Deleting the text, I stood and walked toward the floor-length windows of my room.

The De Luca estate stretched before me, bathed in moonlight. High walls, iron gates, security cameras—meant to keep the world at bay.

But walls meant nothing when your greatest enemy was already inside.

Somewhere in the shadows, Lorenzo's men lurked, watching. Waiting.

He wanted to remind me that he still held power.That he is still in charge.

What he didn't realize was that I had already begun taking it from him—piece by piece.One after the other, without his knowledge.

I tilted my head, knowing full well they had eyes on me. Let them look. Let them watch.

Because soon, Lorenzo wouldn't be watching me.

He'd be busy watching his empire burn under his very watch.

---

The Game Begins

By morning, the message came.

Short. Direct.

> Lorenzo: Come see me. Now.

I ignored it.

I spent my morning with Alessia instead,sipping espresso in the Romano estate's private lounge, while Alessia twirled a knife between her fingers, amusement glinting in her dark eyes.

"He's going to be pissed and angry," she said while flicking the blade so it embedded itself into the wooden counter with a soft thunk.

I lifted my cup to my lips. "Let him be."

She smirked. "You're playing a dangerous game, Isabella."

I set the cup down, meeting her gaze. "The only games that is worth playing are the ones where you control the board."

Alessia studied me for a long moment before letting out a low whistle."You have truly changed Isabella,this is so unlike you,how, you just transformed totally overnight". Alessia said.

"And what happens when the king tries to strike first?"She asked.

I reached for the knife she had thrown, fingers tracing its hilt before pulling it free.

"Then I remind him that queens don't fall," I murmured. "They only rise."

---

A Dangerous Meeting

By noon, I decided it was time to face Lorenzo.

Not because I had to.Not because I feared him.

But because I wanted to see the fear in his eyes when he realized he had lost control.

His estate was a fortress,a very big sprawling compound guarded by men who had pledged their loyalty to him.

I can perceive the scent of rain lingering in the air as I stepped into his estate,with my heels clicking softly against the polished marble floor as I walked past security.

The moment I entered, they stared.

Men who had once dismissed me as a pretty, powerless thing.

Men who had underestimated me.

They didn't know it yet, but soon, they would learn the truth.

I wasn't a pawn anymore.

I was the storm.

Lorenzo was sitting leisurely in his office, he has a glass of whiskey in his hand and the air was thick with the scent of cigars.

He didn't look up immediately, taking his time as I walk towards him.

"I can see that you've been ignoring my calls," he said finally,while swirling the liquor in his glass.

I smiled. "I've been busy."

His gaze lifted, dark and calculating.

"Too busy to show respect?"

I tilted my head. "Respect is earned, Lorenzo. Not demanded."

A tense silence stretched between us.

Then—he laughed.

Low. Amused.

"I almost forgot how sharp your tongue could be," he mused. "Careful, Isabella. It could get you hurt."

I leaned in slightly, my voice a whisper of ice.

"So could yours."

His expression flickered. Just for a second.

But I saw it.

A crack. A moment of uncertainty.

He didn't know who I was anymore.

And that terrified him.

Good.

Because the Isabella he had once controlled was gone.

---

The First Move

I let Lorenzo talk.

About power. About loyalty. About family.

I had lead him on,let him think he still had the upper hand.

And then, I planted the first seed of doubt in his mind.

"Rumors are very dangerous,And I've been hearing a lot of them lately." I murmured, while tracing the rim of my glass .

Lorenzo raised a brow. "Oh?"

I met his gaze. "That someone within your own ranks is getting greedy."

A shadow crossed his face.

He masked it well.

But I had been watching.

Studying.

I had lived this war once before.

And I knew that Lorenzo's greatest weakness wasn't me.

It was his own paranoia.

---

A Queen in the Making

By the time I left, I knew I had done what I needed to.

Lorenzo didn't trust easily.

And now, I had ensured that he didn't even trust his own men.

The first crack in his empire had formed.

Alessia was waiting for me outside, perched on the hood of my car, arms crossed as she watched me with a smirk.

"Well?" she asked.

I slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine.

"Now," I murmured, "we watch him tear himself apart."

Alessia let out a low whistle.

"Remind me never to piss you off, cara mia."

I laughed softly as the gates of Lorenzo's estate disappeared in the rearview mirror.

"It's not personal, Alessia," I said, voice like silk.

"It's just war."