Chapter 15

Chapter 15  

Lines That Cannot Be Crossed  

The boardroom finally emptied an hour later. Arguments had gone on endlessly. Votes had almost happened. Lawyers had been called. But Damon had walked out before any decision could be made. Now the hallway outside the executive floor felt unusually quiet. Luca followed a few steps behind him. They didn’t speak until they reached Damon’s private office. The door slammed shut behind them. Silence filled the room. Damon stood near the window, looking out at the gray Milan skyline. 

“You were hired to kill me.” The words sounded calm, but Luca could hear the anger beneath them. “Yes.” Damon rubbed his forehead slowly. “And you decided halfway through the job that protecting me was a better idea.” “That’s one way to describe it.” Damon laughed bitterly. “That’s not comforting.” Luca didn’t try to defend himself. Damon had every right to be furious. Instead, he said quietly, “You’re alive.” 

Damon turned. “Barely.” The tension between them felt sharp enough to cut. “You should have told me,” Damon said. “And said what?” “That someone hired you to assassinate me!” “You would have fired me immediately.” “Yes.” “And then you would have been alone.” Damon opened his mouth, then stopped. Luca wasn’t wrong. Luca continued carefully. “Someone powerful wanted you dead.” “I figured that out.” “And if I had walked away…” Luca’s voice dropped. “…someone else would have taken the contract.” The truth settled heavily in the room. Damon exhaled slowly. “So you stayed.” “Yes.” “To protect the man you were supposed to kill.” “Yes.” 

Damon stared at him. “You realize how insane that sounds.” “I’m aware.” For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Damon asked the question that mattered most. “Do you know who hired Adrian Kessler?” “No.” “But you spoke to him.” “Yes.” “Describe the job.” 

Luca leaned against the desk. “It was simple.” “Nothing about this is simple.” “From the client’s perspective, it was.” Luca crossed his arms. “The instructions were clear: observe you for a week, identify weaknesses in your security, then eliminate you in a way that looked natural.” Damon’s stomach tightened. “Natural how?” “Stress-related heart failure. Overdose. Something that would blend with the pressure you were already under.” Damon felt a cold wave of realization. “The media attacks.” “Yes.” “The board pressure.” “Yes.” “They were building a narrative.” 

Luca nodded. “So when you died…” “It would look like I collapsed under the weight of everything.” “Exactly.” Damon turned away again. His reflection stared back at him from the glass. Someone had spent months building this trap. And he had walked straight into it. “Matteo,” Damon muttered. Luca didn’t respond, but the silence was telling. 

Across the city, Matteo sat in a private restaurant lounge. The room smelled faintly of expensive wine and polished wood. Adrian Kessler sat across from him. “Things escalated today,” Adrian said. Matteo swirled the wine in his glass. “They did.” “You didn’t warn me Damon would discover the contract.” Matteo smiled faintly. “I didn’t plan for that part.” Adrian frowned. “You don’t seem concerned.” “Why would I be?” “Because the board now knows someone hired an assassin.” 

Matteo leaned back comfortably. “And who do they suspect?” Adrian hesitated. “Not you.” “Exactly.” Matteo’s eyes sparkled. “They suspect Luca.” Adrian shook his head slowly. “You’re playing a dangerous game.” “Every game worth playing is dangerous.” Adrian studied him carefully. “And Damon?” Matteo took a sip of wine. “He’s exactly where I need him.” “Which is?” Matteo’s smile returned. “Confused. Angry. Distrustful.” 

Adrian frowned. “That could make him unpredictable.” Matteo chuckled. “Not Damon.” “Why not?” “Because Damon Moretti believes he’s the smartest man in every room.” Matteo set his glass down. “And that makes him easy to guide.” 

Back at the penthouse, Luca sat at the kitchen counter with a laptop open. Damon paced the living room. “You’re wearing a hole in the floor,” Luca said. Damon ignored him. “What do we know about Adrian Kessler?” “Former military contractor. Private security consultant.” “Yes, yes, I know the public version.” Damon stopped pacing. “I want the real one.” Luca typed rapidly. “That’s what I’m looking for.” Minutes passed. Then Luca’s expression changed. “Interesting.” Damon walked over immediately. “What did you find?” “Financial transfers.” “From who?” 

Luca zoomed in on the screen. “A shell corporation.” “That’s helpful.” “Wait.” Luca’s eyes narrowed. “This corporation was created two months before your mother died.” Damon felt a chill. “Who owns it?” “That’s the strange part.” “What?” “There’s no direct owner listed.” Damon frowned. “So it’s a ghost company.” “Yes.” “But the payments to Adrian Kessler came from this account.” Damon leaned closer. “And?” “And the account was accessed from inside Moretti Holdings.” 

The words hung in the air. Damon’s pulse quickened. “Someone in my company hired the assassin.” “Yes.” “And the same person probably killed my mother.” Luca nodded. “That’s the most likely scenario.” Damon ran a hand through his hair. “How many people have access to those systems?” “Senior executives.” Damon’s jaw tightened. “Which includes Matteo.” “Yes.” 

Silence settled again. Damon stared at the laptop screen. “If Matteo did this…” Luca watched him closely. “…what will you do?” Damon’s voice turned cold. “I’ll destroy him.” 

Later that night, Luca stood alone on the balcony again. He checked his phone. One new message from Adrian. “You complicated things today.” Luca typed a reply. “You lied to me.” The response came quickly. “About what?” Luca’s fingers hovered over the screen. Then he sent the message. “The client.” A pause. Then Adrian replied. “You were never meant to know.” Luca’s stomach tightened. “Why?” 

The typing bubble appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. Finally, the message came through. “Because the client is closer to Damon than you think.” Luca felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could reply again, another message arrived. This time with a photograph attached. Luca opened it and froze. The image showed Damon leaving the office building earlier that evening. A sniper’s red crosshair rested directly over his heart. The message below read: “You had your chance to finish the job. Now someone else will.” 

Inside the penthouse, Damon poured another drink. He was still staring at the financial records on the laptop, trying to figure out who had betrayed him. Behind him, Luca burst through the balcony door. “Damon.” Something in his voice made Damon turn immediately. “What is it?” Luca held up the phone. “They’ve activated another assassin.” Damon’s eyes darkened. “Who?” Luca shook his head. “I don’t know yet.” “But they’re already watching you.” 

Damon walked slowly toward him. “Good.” Luca frowned. “That doesn’t concern you?” Damon’s voice turned ice cold. “No.” “Why not?” Damon looked out at the dark city skyline. Because if someone else was coming to kill him, it meant the real enemy was getting desperate. And desperate enemies made mistakes. “Let them come,” Damon said quietly. But neither of them realized something terrifying. The assassin was already inside the building and moving closer.