Blood and Secrets

Gunshots exploded through the mansion.

Screams immediately followed.

The sound shattered the entire house into chaos within seconds.

Bianca gasped beside me while Alessio moved instantly.

One second he stood calmly outside the bathroom.

The next, he had a gun in his hand.

My heart nearly stopped.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered sharply.

Gone was the smooth, teasing man from earlier.

This Alessio Romano was cold.

Deadly.

Pure mafia heir.

More gunshots echoed downstairs.

Men shouted.

Glass shattered somewhere in the ballroom.

“Oh my God,” Bianca whispered.

Alessio grabbed both our wrists quickly and pulled us farther from the hallway.

“Inside. Now.”

We rushed into a nearby office while security alarms screamed through the mansion.

My pulse pounded painfully.

“What’s happening?” I asked breathlessly.

“Either an attack,” Alessio answered calmly, checking his gun, “or someone incredibly stupid.”

That did not make me feel better.

At all.

Bianca trembled violently beside me.

I wrapped an arm around her instantly.

“It’s okay.”

No it wasn’t.

Nothing about this was okay.

More shouting erupted downstairs followed by another gunshot.

Then suddenly—

my father’s voice roared through the mansion.

“LOCK THE EXITS!”

The sheer fury in his voice made my stomach twist.

Alessio moved toward the office door carefully before glancing back at us.

“Stay here.”

“You’re leaving?” Bianca asked fearfully.

“I’m finding out who’s stupid enough to start a war inside a Moretti house.”

The terrifying part?

He sounded almost calm about it.

Before either of us could stop him, Alessio disappeared into the hallway.

The second he left, Bianca grabbed my arm tightly.

“I’m scared.”

That broke my heart a little.

Because Bianca never admitted fear.

Not like this.

“It’ll be okay,” I whispered again.

But honestly?

Even I didn’t believe it.

Minutes passed painfully slowly.

The mansion remained loud with chaos.

Running footsteps.

Shouting.

Furniture breaking downstairs.

Then suddenly—

silence.

Heavy silence.

The kind that felt dangerous.

Bianca and I exchanged nervous looks.

“I hate this,” she whispered.

“Me too.”

Another few seconds passed before the office door suddenly opened again.

I nearly screamed.

But it was only Alessio.

Relief flooded me instantly.

Then I noticed the blood on his white shirt cuff.

“Oh my God.”

“It’s not mine,” he said immediately.

That somehow wasn’t comforting.

Bianca looked pale again. “What happened?”

“One of the Russian families sent a message.”

My stomach tightened instantly.

The Russians.

That couldn’t be good.

Alessio shut the office door behind him before continuing.

“One of their men got inside the ballroom disguised as catering staff.”

“Is he dead?” Bianca whispered.

Alessio looked at her calmly.

“Yes.”

My heart skipped painfully.

The casualness in his voice terrified me.

Not because he enjoyed violence.

But because he was used to it.

Very used to it.

“Why would the Russians attack tonight?” I asked quietly.

Alessio’s gray eyes shifted toward me.

“Because your father made enemies.”

That was definitely true.

My father practically collected enemies like expensive watches.

But still—

attacking a mafia engagement party felt insane.

“This alliance matters more than I realized,” I murmured.

Alessio’s expression darkened slightly.

“Yes.”

The room fell silent again.

Then suddenly Bianca swayed slightly beside me.

I caught her arm quickly.

“You okay?”

“I just feel dizzy.”

Alessio noticed immediately.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“She’s pale.”

“She’s stressed,” I answered too fast.

Big mistake.

Because Alessio looked directly at me after that.

Sharp.

Suspicious.

Dangerously observant.

“I’m fine,” Bianca added quickly.

Lie.

Very obvious lie.

Alessio clearly noticed too.

But before he could question it further, another knock sounded on the office door.

Three short knocks.

Alessio opened it carefully.

One of his men stood outside.

“The house is secure.”

“What about the shooter?”

“Dead.”

Again that word.

Dead.

Like it meant nothing.

The guard glanced briefly toward Bianca and me before lowering his voice.

“Roman wants everyone downstairs.”

Alessio nodded once.

“We’re coming.”

The guard disappeared immediately.

I exhaled shakily.

“I suddenly miss normal people problems.”

One corner of Alessio’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Normal people don’t interest you.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“You like dangerous things.”

His gray eyes held mine intensely.

And suddenly the room felt too small.

Too warm.

Too intimate.

Bianca cleared her throat loudly beside us.

Right.

My sister.

His fiancée.

God this situation was horrible.

Alessio stepped back smoothly like nothing happened.

“Let’s go.”

The ballroom downstairs looked completely different now.

Broken glass covered the floor.

Several guests looked shaken.

Security guards filled every corner.

At the center of the room stood my father and Roman Romano speaking quietly.

Both looked furious.

Dangerously furious.

The second my father saw Bianca and me, relief flashed briefly across his face before disappearing again.

“You’re safe.”

“Yes, Papa.”

His eyes moved toward Alessio.

“You protected my daughters.”

Alessio nodded once calmly.

“Of course.”

The two men stared at each other silently for a second.

Something unspoken passed between them.

Something important.

Then Roman stepped forward.

“This attack changes nothing.”

My father agreed instantly.

“The alliance stands.”

Bianca visibly stiffened beside me.

I noticed.

Unfortunately—

so did Alessio.

Again.

His gaze lingered on her carefully.

Too carefully.

God.

This was getting dangerous.

“Wedding preparations continue immediately,” Roman announced firmly.

My mother looked horrified. “After tonight?”

“Especially after tonight.”

Silence followed.

Because everyone understood what he meant.

The attack only proved how necessary the alliance had become.

Which meant Bianca was trapped even deeper now.

Her fingers trembled beside me.

I squeezed her hand gently.

Then suddenly Roman’s cold eyes shifted toward me.

“You handled yourself well tonight, Lucia.”

Surprise flickered through me instantly.

“Thank you.”

His expression remained unreadable.

“I can see why Alessio finds you interesting.”

The entire room froze.

My heartbeat stopped completely.

Oh my God.

Beside me, Bianca went rigid.

Across the room, my mother looked confused.

And Alessio—

Alessio looked completely calm.

Which somehow made everything worse.

Roman continued smoothly like he hadn’t just detonated a bomb in the middle of the ballroom.

“My son rarely pays attention to people.”

No one spoke.

No one breathed.

I physically couldn’t move.

Then slowly—

very slowly—

my father turned toward Alessio.

And asked the worst possible question.

“Is that true?”