Cornered

Aaron

After settling Rebecca in and watching her fall asleep, I finally felt like I could breathe again. She was safe—for now—and I needed to keep it that way. I grabbed my phone and called Ettore, needing to update him and, more importantly, get answers.

"Ettore," I said, keeping my voice low so as not to wake Rebecca. "I need you to find out where Paolla and Eric are hiding. They’re behind all of this, and I’m done playing defense."

Ettore listened carefully, and I could hear the tension in his voice when he responded.

"Aaron, given everything that’s happened, I’ve already been monitoring them. But they’re smart—they’ve gone to ground. I’ll need more time."

Two days passed with no concrete leads. The waiting was eating at me, but I had to trust Ettore’s process. Meanwhile, Rebecca was recovering, and I did everything I could to keep her calm and protected.

By Monday, Leonel had returned to the estate. I found him in the library, seated in his dark leather armchair, frowning over som