“Don’t.”
One word. It cuts the hallway clean in half.
Dante stills.
I continue, voice low. “Don’t put your mouth around my father’s death and call it an accident.”
His jaw tightens. “People say things when they’re grieving.”
“Yes. And murderers say ‘accident.’”
His eyes go flat. There. Truth has struck bone.
A sound at the far end of the hall. Footsteps.
Luca.
Too late or exactly on time, depending on which man gave the order.
Dante hears him, too. His expression shifts instantly. Charm returned. A mask dropped back into place so quickly, it should embarrass him.
“Evie,” Dante says softly.
“Don’t,” I repeat. This time quieter. Deadlier.
Luca appears at the corridor turn. His pace doesn’t quicken. That’s how I know he has assessed the scene and is already deciding how much violence is acceptable in front of these portraits.
“SignorVitale,” Luca says.
Dante turns slightly. “Luca.”
“You’re outside your assigned corridor.”
“I got lost.”
I laugh once. Both men look at me. I bend slowly and gather the fallen fabric, because my hands need work and my body needs proof it can still obey.
The floor is too far away now. Luca takes one step forward, but I hold up a hand without looking at him. “No.”
He stops. I collect the fabric myself. Every piece. Blue. Ivory. Gray. My fingers are steady now. That feels like both a miracle and a threat.
When I straighten, the room tilts. Just slightly.
Dante sees. Luca sees.
But they also see I’m still standing, and I’m pretty sure that’s the most important part of all of this.
Chapter 30
She Finds the Proof
POV:Evie
The door to Alessandro’s office is unlocked, and he isn’t in it. That’s the first warning. Locked doors are honest. They say “no” plainly. They give you a boundary to resent, study, and eventually undermine.
Unlocked doors are manipulative. They stand there looking innocent while inviting you to ruin your own life.
I stop in the corridor with one hand on the brass handle, but I don’t turn it. Not yet. There are six exits from this part of the house. Main stair behind me. South corridor. Service passage. Terrace door at the end. Library access through the connecting hall. Window alcove with a drop I couldn’t manage now without turning myself and the twins into a cautionary tale.
