Chapter 8 - Fractured Loyalties
By noon, the tension inside the Castiglion estate had reached a suffocating peak. Every shadow in the hallways seemed to stretch with hidden danger. I tried to busy myself by helping in the large commercial kitchen, brewing fresh espresso and organizing supplies, but my mind was trapped upstairs with Leo, poring over encrypted ledgers and digital security feeds.
As I carried a tray of coffee up the grand staircase toward the third-floor study, the heavy oak doors drifted slightly ajar. I paused, hearing raised voices echoing from within.
"—you're making a tactical error, Leo!" a sharp, unfamiliar voice snapped. It belonged to Marcus Vance, one of the senior syndicate capos who controlled the financial district. "You've frozen half our offshore accounts to fund extra security sweeps for a domestic housekeeper! The commission is starting to ask questions. They want to know if Castiglion Industries is crumbling from the inside because our boss is distracted by a woman!"
I froze, the silver tray trembling in my hands. The heavy porcelain cups rattled against the metal.
Leo’s voice cut through the room, cold, quiet, and absolutely lethal. "If the commission has questions, Marcus, they can bring them directly to the barrel of my gun. Mave stays. My security protocols stay. And if any capo on the board questions my priorities again, I will personally strip them of their territory and leave them to rot in the harbor."
"She's a liability, Leo!" Marcus shouted back, his voice rising in panic. "A civilian! The Bratva will slice through her to get to your throat!"
"Let them try," Leo growled, the sound carrying the terrifying resonance of a predator defending its mate. "Because anyone who steps foot on my property with the intent of harming her will not leave this city alive. This meeting is over. Get out."
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Footsteps heavy with fury approached the double doors. I stepped back quickly into the shadows of the alcove just as Marcus Vance stormed out of the study, his face flushed red with anger, muttering curses under his breath as he stomped down the corridor toward the elevators.
I stood frozen for a long moment, the silver tray heavy in my hands. Leo was risking everything—his empire, his board of capos, his absolute control over the underworld—just to keep me safe under his roof.
