CHAPTER FIVE -- SERPENTS IN THE GARDEN

Isabella Ricci had not survived twenty years in Rafael's world by ignoring her instincts. And every instinct screamed that Natalia De Luca was a threat.

She paced Rafael's office, waiting for him to return from his breakfast meeting. The Barcelona information had been tightly controlled,only she, Rafael, and Matteo knew the extent of the problem. Yet somehow this woman who'd been in Switzerland for two years had details no outsider should possess.Isabella paused at the window, her reflection ghosting over Milan's skyline. At forty-two, she was still beautiful,her blonde hair expertly colored to hide any gray, her body maintained with ruthless discipline. But she was no longer young. Not like Natalia De Luca, with her perfect face and lithe body. Not like Alina had been.

Alina. 

Even thinking the name brought a surge of hatred so intense it made her hands clench. Rafael had never looked at Isabella the way he'd looked at Alina,with that fascinated devotion, that all-consuming passion. Even now, two years after Isabella had rid them of the architect, Rafael kept her memory like a shrine.

The door opened, and Rafael entered, his expression thoughtful. Seeing her, he frowned. "Isabella. I don't recall scheduling a meeting."

"I thought we might discuss what happened last night." She moved toward him, deliberate, graceful. "And this morning's unexpected breakfast date."

Rafael placed his briefcase on the desk, his movements controlled. "If you have concerns about the De Luca shipping proposal, we can discuss them at the appropriate time. With Matteo present."

Isabella bristled at the dismissal. "This isn't about business, Rafael. It's about the way you looked at her."

"I didn't realize my facial expressions required your approval." His voice was cold, the voice he used with underlings who had disappointed him. Never, until Alina's death, had he used that tone with Isabella.

"Don't." She stepped closer, close enough to smell his cologne, to see the fatigue lining his eyes. "Don't pretend this is nothing. I saw you watching her. Like you were seeing a ghost."

Something flickered in his expression. "You're imagining things."

"Am I?" She reached for him, but he stepped back, maintaining distance. The rejection stung, as it always did. "First this woman appears out of nowhere, knowing details about Barcelona that only the three of us knew. Then you agree to meet with her alone,"

"In a public café," he interrupted."And now she's working her way into the Barrett project." Isabella's voice rose slightly. "The same project Antonio Greco is invested in."

At Antonio's name, Rafael's expression hardened further. Antonio Greco,wealthy, ambitious, and dangerous, had become Rafael's business partner eighteen months ago, despite Isabella's careful behind-the-scenes maneuvering against the alliance.

 Antonio knew too much about Alina's death, had helped Isabella create the evidence framing Alina for betrayal. His involvement with the organization created constant risk.

"I'm well aware of Greco's involvement." Rafael moved to his desk, putting the furniture between them like a barrier. "What's your point, Isabella?"

"Don't you find it convenient? Natalia De Luca returns to Milan just as the Barrett project hits complications. She immediately seeks you out, offering solutions to problems she shouldn't know about."

"Your paranoia is noted." Rafael began removing papers from his briefcase. "If you're concerned about security leaks, investigate. That's your job."

Isabella felt her temper rising. After everything she'd done for him, after standing by him through Alina's death, after managing the complicated aftermath, this was how he treated her? Like an employee? 

When she had been by his side for decades, when she had given him everything, when she had eliminated his weakness?

"Matteo reports she's asked for a meeting about the Barrett project," Isabella said, trying another approach. "Let me handle it."

Rafael looked up, his gaze sharp. "No."

"Rafael,"

"I said no." The finality in his tone brooked no argument. "Now, if there's nothing else, I have calls to make."

Dismissed, like some common underling. Isabella's hands trembled with suppressed rage as she turned to leave. At the door, she paused. "Be careful, Rafael. The last time a beautiful woman appeared suddenly in your life, you ended up nearly destroying everything we'd built."

His expression darkened. "Get out." Alone in the hallway, Isabella leaned against the wall, her heart racing with fury and fear. Something about Natalia De Luca set off every alarm in her mind. The woman was dangerous,not just to her position with Rafael, but potentially to everything they'd built.

Perhaps she should reach out to Antonio again.