CHAPTER SIX: A WARNING IN THE SHADOWS

Isabella was beginning to enjoy life at the Moretti mansion.

For the first time in years, she could eat breakfast without someone criticizing her, read a book without being interrupted, and walk through a house where nobody treated her like a burden.

That morning, she sat at the breakfast table laughing at Lorenzo's complaints about his older brother.

"Alessandro once threw me out of a meeting because I laughed," Lorenzo said.

"What did you do?"

"I laughed!"

Isabella shook her head, smiling. "Perhaps you deserved it."

Lorenzo placed a hand over his heart. "And here I thought we were friends."

Before she could respond, Marco entered.

"Signorina Rossi, Mr. Moretti wants to see you in his study."

Her smile faded, but she stood immediately. She had agreed to marry Alessandro, not spend the rest of her life avoiding him.

When she entered the study, he was standing behind his desk, looking at a piece of paper.

"Sit down," he instructed.

She took the chair opposite him.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone has threatened you."

Alessandro placed the paper before her. Isabella picked it up and read the message.

A wife is a weakness, Alessandro. Let's see how long you can keep this one alive.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

"Who sent this?"

"We don't know yet."

"And you believe they're talking about me?"

"Unless you know another woman marrying me, I suggest you take the threat seriously."

She ignored his sarcasm. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because I wanted to establish whether it was credible."

"And now?"

"Now, two guards will accompany you whenever you leave the estate. You'll inform Marco before going anywhere outside the main house."

Isabella placed the paper on his desk.

" You promised I wouldn't be treated like a prisoner."

His expression hardened. "I promised you freedom with reasonable security. Your safety now requires additional precautions."

"Then explain the danger to me instead of simply issuing orders."

Alessandro studied her for a moment.

"Agreed. But if the guards tell you a location is unsafe, you will listen."

"I will, provided they explain why. And if someone threatens me again, I expect you to tell me."

"Agreed."

She rose to leave, then paused.

"I'm not asking you to reveal every secret you have, Alessandro. But if I'm going to be your wife, I deserve to know when my life is in danger."

He watched her walk out, surprised by how calmly she had challenged him.

She was still frightened, but she was no longer willing to let fear make every decision for her.

Later that afternoon, Lorenzo found Isabella in the library, staring at the same page of her book.

"You're not reading," he observed.

"I'm thinking."

"That sounds dangerous."

She gave him a small smile before showing him the threatening letter.

His expression changed.

"Alessandro showed you?"

"Yes. Who would want to hurt me just because I'm marrying him?"

"Someone who believes hurting you will hurt my brother."

"Does Alessandro have many enemies?"

"Enough to make caution necessary."

Isabella closed her book.

"Then I need to understand the world I'm entering. I can't spend twelve months hiding behind curtains and waiting for someone else to decide what's safe for me."

Lorenzo looked at her with unexpected approval.

"That's a good attitude. Just don't confuse courage with recklessness."

"I won't."

"And if anyone approaches you claiming to know Alessandro, tell Marco. Don't trust them simply because they know his name."

She nodded.

For the first time, Isabella understood that staying at the mansion meant more than enjoying a comfortable room. She was entering a dangerous world, and she needed to learn how to protect herself within it.

That evening, Alessandro found her in the sitting room.

"Tomorrow, you'll attend a family dinner. My aunt and several relatives want to meet you before the wedding."

Isabella sat straighter. "Will they know about my father's debt?"

"Some of them. You don't owe anyone an explanation about your private circumstances."

She hesitated before asking, "Will you stay beside me?"

"Why?"

"Because I'll be meeting your family for the first time. I don't want to be left alone while everyone decides whether I'm good enough to marry you."

Something shifted in his expression.

"I'll stay beside you."

"Thank you."

He loosened his tie and sat across from her.

"One more thing. Don't underestimate my enemies. If your guards tell you to leave somewhere, you leave immediately."

"That sounds like a third rule."

His eyebrows rose. "A third rule?"

"We agreed on two."

Despite himself, Alessandro laughed quietly.

"You are determined to make this marriage difficult."

"No. I'm determined to make it fair."

He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"Fine. Two rules."

"Good."

"Don't make me regret agreeing to them."

She met his eyes. "Then don't make me regret staying."

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Alessandro had expected a frightened woman who would obey whatever he demanded. Instead, Isabella was slowly learning to speak for herself, and he found that he respected her for it.

She wasn't pretending to trust him. She was simply giving him the opportunity to earn it.

That evening, as he prepared to leave the sitting room, she stopped him.

"Alessandro?"

He turned.

"Thank you for telling me about the threat."

He nodded. "I'd rather have a wife who understands the danger than one who walks blindly into it."

Then he left.

Isabella watched him disappear down the corridor, wondering why his words had comforted her more than they should have.

At 10:36 that night, Marco entered Alessandro's private office carrying a photograph.

"We found something."

Alessandro took the photograph. It showed Isabella sitting beneath a tree in the mansion's garden, reading her book. The picture had been taken from outside the estate walls.

Someone had been watching her.

"When was this taken?" Alessandro asked coldly.

"This afternoon. We traced the account where it was sent, but the sender used intermediaries."

His expression turned dangerous.

"Double the security. Nobody approaches this estate without being identified. Find the person responsible before tomorrow's dinner."

Marco nodded. "And Isabella?"

Alessandro looked toward the window overlooking the gardens.

"She attends the dinner. I'll be beside her."

"Sir, if they're targeting her to get to you, bringing her into a room full of relatives could be risky."

"Then we'll make certain she's protected."

Alessandro locked the photograph in his desk.

He had entered this marriage for strategic reasons, expecting Isabella to remain quietly in the background. But she had challenged him, negotiated her own rules, and refused to surrender her voice.

He respected her more than he had expected to.

And now someone had decided to use her against him.

They had watched her, photographed her, and discovered where she lived.

Tomorrow night, Isabella would meet the Moretti family.