Semua Bab She Died His Wife, She Returns His Enemy: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The shooting range was quiet this early, empty except for the muted hum of fluorescent lights overhead. It was a private range, secured by Matteo’s personal arrangement—a gesture extended casually, as though nothing more significant was at stake than etiquette.Elise stood alone in front of the shooting booth, headphones muffling the quiet echoes around her. She held the handgun carefully—steady, focused, breathing slow and controlled as she aimed.She fired three precise shots, each impact hitting dead center. She paused, lowered the gun, and exhaled slowly.“Impressive,” a voice murmured behind her.She didn’t turn. She recognized Matteo’s quiet tone instantly and the measured footsteps approaching her.“You’re early,” Elise said, setting the weapon down carefully.“Early enough to watch,” Matteo replied, stepping closer. His gaze moved past her, examining the neat cluster of holes centered perfectly on the target. “Precision like that says something about the person pulling the tri

The envelope arrived without explanation.It was delivered quietly, left waiting at the very center of Elise’s desk, the crisp cream paper stark against the dark, polished wood. No handwriting, no card, no signature—just a simple seal pressed into the wax: the unmistakable D’Amaro crest.Elise paused at the sight of it, pulse quickening slightly as she approached. She carefully broke the wax, pulling out a folder of neatly arranged papers. Each page she flipped through revealed classified documents—internal communications, offshore transfers, encrypted messages, and careful arrangements that reached back years.There was no note to explain the gesture, but it was unmistakably from Cassian.She felt a quiet chill at the realization. Cassian hadn’t left instructions or explanations—he’d simply trusted her with something that could destroy him. It was either the most profound act of trust he'd ever offered, or a perfectly calculated trap.In her previous life, Cassian would never have do

The tip came early that morning—a flagged irregularity in the Montclaire financial records, subtle discrepancies traced directly to Luca Moretti, one of Matteo’s most trusted accountants. Someone had accessed the Zurich files recently, transferring sensitive records without authorization, risking exposure. Matteo had quietly ordered Luca’s detention, but Elise had learned about it through her own network, carefully concealed behind layers of trusted intermediaries Matteo himself had underestimated. Matteo had paused when Elise requested to handle the interrogation herself. It was subtle—a brief tightening at the corners of his eyes, a slight lift of his brow, enough to show that her initiative had surprised him. Surprise quickly shifted into something sharper—approval tempered by quiet wariness—as he recognized Elise stepping further into territory she’d previously only observed from afar. Matteo didn't question her decision openly, yet his silence spoke volumes. He was intrigued, ce

The following evening arrived quietly, bathed in the muted elegance of twilight. Elise stepped from the chauffeured car, its engine purring softly as she paused at the gates of her family’s estate. Camila’s invitation had been cryptic yet explicit: "Dinner at home tomorrow. We have matters to discuss." Elise had braced herself for Camila’s probing questions—but as she spotted two familiar vehicles discreetly parked along the driveway, a sharper unease took hold.She ascended the stone steps slowly, anticipation knotting in her chest as the front door opened, Camila standing poised within.“Elise,” her mother greeted calmly, eyes flickering briefly toward the sitting room beyond, betraying nothing but careful elegance. “You’re punctual. Come in.”The moment Elise stepped into the room, her heart skipped beneath her carefully maintained composure. Cassian and Matteo both stood quietly, positioned on opposite sides of the room like two poles of charged energy, each man carefully masking

The sun sank slowly beyond the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of crimson and gold, as Elise navigated the winding path into the dense woods at the edge of the D’Amaro property. Each step brought her closer to a place she had promised herself she would never return—the place where, in another life, she had drawn her last breath.But tonight, she needed clarity. Needed to remind herself precisely why she had returned, why she could not afford to lose focus—not now, not with Cassian’s jealousy tangled dangerously around her, and Matteo’s carefully concealed threat still lingering against her skin.The woods grew darker, thicker, the air damp and heavy with memory. Elise paused, heart quickening softly as she recognized the tree—gnarled, weathered, the bark scarred from time and history—beneath which she had once knelt, broken and betrayed.Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out, fingertips brushing the rough bark, memories surging violently to the surface:Cassian’s cold g