CHAPTER 5 — THE TRAITOR INSIDE THE MANSION
CHAPTER 5 — THE TRAITOR INSIDE THE MANSION
The emergency lights bathed the Cavalari estate in flashing crimson.
The elegant halls transformed into a battlefield.
Gunfire erupted somewhere below.
Glass shattered.
Men shouted orders in Italian.
The heir grabbed my arm.
"We're leaving."
Victoria struggled to sit upright.
"No."
Her voice was weak but firm.
"If they came this far, they already know every escape route."
Sofia looked at the estate's digital security map.
Every corridor turned red.
"They've breached the west wing."
Another section flashed.
"The south tunnel too."
Then another.
"The panic room."
Silence settled over the room.
Only four people knew the location of the panic room.
Victoria.
Her son.
Sofia.
And the head of security.
The heir slowly reached for his radio.
"Marco."
No answer.
"Marco, report."
Static.
Then a calm voice replied.
"I'm afraid Marco can't answer."
The voice came through every speaker in the mansion.
It was smooth.
Confident.
Almost amused.
"I killed him twenty minutes ago."
Victoria closed her eyes.
"My brother..."
The heir's jaw tightened.
His uncle had not only betrayed the family.
He had been inside the estate before the attack even began.
Suddenly every security monitor flickered.
The face of Alessandro Cavalari appeared on every screen.
He sat comfortably in Victoria's private office, pouring himself a glass of wine as though hosting a dinner party.
"My dear sister."
He smiled.
"You always did surround yourself with loyal people."
He glanced toward the camera.
"Unfortunately..."
"...they're loyal to the highest bidder."
He snapped his fingers.
Behind him, six members of the estate security team stepped into view.
All wearing Cavalari uniforms.
All pointing rifles toward the cameras.
Traitors.
The heir stared silently.
Alessandro laughed.
"Don't look so surprised."
"You inherited your father's fortune."
"I inherited his mistakes."
He leaned toward the camera.
"Send me the girl."
"No."
"I wasn't asking."
The transmission ended.
At that exact moment, the estate lost all power.
Darkness swallowed everything.
The heir handed me a compact flashlight.
"Stay behind me."
We slipped into a narrow service corridor hidden behind Victoria's medical suite.
Only Sofia knew it existed.
"It leads beneath the gardens," she whispered.
"No cameras."
"No electronic locks."
"No GPS."
Halfway through the tunnel, Sofia suddenly stopped walking.
Something felt wrong.
The air carried a faint metallic smell.
Blood.
The heir quietly raised his pistol.
Around the next corner lay three dead bodyguards.
Each had been killed with a single knife wound.
Professional.
Clean.
Fast.
One of them was still clutching his radio.
The heir picked it up.
A recording began playing automatically.
"...Target confirmed."
"...The girl is Priority One."
"...Alive if possible."
"...The locket must be recovered."
Then another voice interrupted.
"No."
"If recovery fails..."
"...kill her."
I felt my stomach twist.
"They don't want me."
"They want what's around my neck."
The heir looked directly at me.
"No."
"They want what's inside your head."
Before I could ask what he meant, Sofia found something hidden beneath one of the guards.
A tiny tracking device.
Freshly activated.
She looked up.
"They knew we'd use this tunnel."
The heir didn't hesitate.
"We've got less than sixty seconds."
The tunnel exploded.
Concrete collapsed behind us.
The shockwave threw all three of us forward.
Dust filled the air.
The exit disappeared beneath tons of rubble.
We were trapped.
Then...
A hidden steel door slowly opened by itself.
No one had touched it.
Behind the doorway waited an elderly man in a dark suit.
Perfect posture.
Silver hair.
White gloves.
He looked at the heir without surprise.
"I was beginning to think you'd never arrive."
The heir lowered his weapon.
"Mr. Romano..."
May you like
The old man bowed slightly.
"I believe it's time Miss Mia learned why her mother built the Sanctuary."
