CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9
The Price of Loving a Rossi
The gates of the Rossi estate had never opened without permission.
Not once.
Not in twenty years.
The security system surrounding the mansion was designed like a military installation. Every entrance required multiple confirmations. Every employee was scanned. Every vehicle was inspected.
Lorenzo Rossi trusted almost no one.
That was how he survived.
That was how the Rossi family survived.
So when Marcus's voice came through the intercom and said someone inside the house had opened the gates, Lorenzo immediately understood what it meant.
The enemy had not broken through.
The enemy had been invited in.
"Lock down the third floor."
Lorenzo's voice was calm.
Too calm.
The guards who knew him understood.
This was not the calm of peace.
This was the calm before violence.
Hunter stood beside Leo's crib, holding the baby close.
She could feel the tension spreading through the mansion.
The footsteps.
The shouting.
The movement of armed men rushing through hallways.
She looked at Lorenzo.
"Who is it?"
He did not answer immediately.
Because the truth was simple.
He didn't know.
And that terrified him.
"I need you to take Leo."
Hunter stared.
"You just told me no one takes your family from you."
His eyes met hers.
"That doesn't mean I want you standing in the middle of a war."
"I'm already in the middle of it."
The answer was immediate.
Lorenzo went silent.
Because she was right.
From the moment she saved Leo, she had stepped into his world.
There was no going back.
Not anymore.
The search lasted forty minutes.
Forty minutes of silence.
Forty minutes where every person inside the mansion wondered the same thing.
Who betrayed Lorenzo Rossi?
The answer came from Marcus.
"Boss."
Lorenzo turned.
"What?"
"We found the access record."
"Who opened the gate?"
Marcus hesitated.
That hesitation told Lorenzo everything.
"Say it."
Marcus looked at the tablet.
"The authorization came from your personal security code."
Silence.
Lorenzo's face changed.
Impossible.
Only a few people had access to his personal code.
Himself.
Marcus.
And one other person.
A person he trusted.
A person who had been with the Rossi family for years.
"Who?"
Marcus looked at him.
"Elena Moretti."
The name created instant confusion.
Because Elena Moretti was dead.
Or at least...
everyone believed she was.
The Rossi mansion had ghosts.
Everyone knew it.
Sophia's presence remained in every room.
Her photographs.
Her books.
Her flowers.
But now there was another ghost.
One Lorenzo had buried with the rest of his enemies.
The Morettis.
The family he destroyed.
The family he blamed.
The family he believed had taken Sophia away.
Hunter watched his expression.
"You know her."
Lorenzo didn't respond.
"Mr. Rossi."
He looked at her.
"She was the daughter of the man I killed."
Hunter became still.
"Why would she help you?"
A bitter smile appeared on Lorenzo's face.
"That's the problem."
He looked toward the hallway.
"I don't know if she is helping me."
The security footage revealed a woman entering through the east entrance.
She wore a long black coat.
Her face was hidden.
But Lorenzo knew the way she walked.
Some memories never disappeared.
Especially painful ones.
The footage paused.
Marcus looked at him.
"Boss?"
Lorenzo stared at the screen.
"Play it again."
The video replayed.
The woman turned slightly.
Just enough.
Enough for Lorenzo to see her face.
His blood went cold.
"Impossible."
Marcus looked at him.
"Who is it?"
Lorenzo whispered:
"Elena."
Elena Moretti had every reason to hate Lorenzo Rossi.
Her father had died.
Her brothers had disappeared.
Her family's empire had collapsed.
All because Lorenzo believed they murdered Sophia.
But now she stood inside his home.
And she had chosen the one place she knew would bring him pain.
The nursery.
The place where his son slept.
The place where Sophia's dreams lived.
They found her standing outside Leo's room.
No weapon.
No guards.
No fear.
Just Elena Moretti.
Lorenzo raised his gun.
The guards surrounded her.
"Why are you here?"
Elena smiled sadly.
"Still pointing weapons first."
"You have three seconds."
She looked at Leo.
Then at Hunter.
Then back at Lorenzo.
"Your son is alive because of her."
Lorenzo's expression hardened.
"Don't talk about my son."
"Why?"
Elena tilted her head.
"Because I know something you don't."
A pause.
"I know why he was born."
The room went silent.
Hunter stepped closer.
"What does that mean?"
Elena looked at her.
"You really don't know."
Lorenzo's voice became dangerous.
"Explain."
Elena looked at Leo.
"Your son was supposed to die before he was born."
Hunter froze.
Lorenzo's hand tightened around the gun.
"What did you say?"
"Someone inside your family wanted the Rossi bloodline to end."
A pause.
"Your brother wasn't working alone."
The name hung in the air.
Adrian.
Again.
Always Adrian.
Lorenzo's face became unreadable.
"Where is he?"
Elena smiled.
"Still protecting himself."
"From me?"
"No."
She looked at Hunter.
"From the truth."
Later that night, Lorenzo found Hunter packing again.
This time, he understood why.
"You heard her."
Hunter didn't deny it.
"Everyone close to you dies."
The words were quiet.
But painful.
Lorenzo stepped closer.
"That is not true."
"Sophia."
Silence.
"Your mother?"
Hunter looked away.
"Your brother?"
Lorenzo had no answer.
"Now Lily."
Her voice broke.
"And maybe Leo."
The last words destroyed him.
Because that was the one fear he couldn't ignore.
Hunter closed the bag.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"No."
She looked at him.
"You can't stop me."
"I know."
The answer surprised her.
Lorenzo Rossi admitting he couldn't control something.
Impossible.
"I know I can't force you."
He paused.
"That's why I'm asking."
Hunter looked at him.
The most dangerous man she had ever met was asking.
Not ordering.
Not demanding.
Asking.
"Why?"
Lorenzo took a breath.
"Because when Leo was dying..."
His voice became quieter.
"You were the only person who didn't see him as an heir."
Hunter's eyes softened.
"You saw my son."
A pause.
"And I need someone who reminds me to do the same."
She looked away.
"You are asking me to stay in a place that could kill me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Lorenzo answered honestly.
"Because losing you would destroy him."
Hunter swallowed.
"And what about you?"
The question remained between them.
For several seconds.
Then Lorenzo said:
"I don't know."
And somehow...
that was more honest than anything else.
The next morning, Hunter left.
Not because she stopped caring.
Because she cared too much.
She believed distance would protect Leo.
She believed leaving was the sacrifice a mother made.
Lorenzo watched from the window as her car disappeared down the driveway.
He did not stop her.
He kept his promise.
He gave her a choice.
But the moment she was gone...
Leo began crying.
Not the weak cry from before.
Not hunger.
Not pain.
Something else.
A cry searching for someone.
Lorenzo picked him up.
Tried everything.
Walking.
Rocking.
Singing.
Nothing worked.
For three hours, his son cried.
Until Lorenzo finally understood.
Leo wasn't looking for food.
He wasn't looking for comfort.
He was looking for the person who had saved him.
The person who had become home.
That night, Lorenzo made a decision.
He opened an old file.
The one containing every piece of evidence against Adrian Rossi.
Then he opened another.
The one containing information about Hunter Higgins.
And he wrote one message.
To Marcus.
Find Hunter.
A pause.
Then:
Bring her back safely.
Marcus replied immediately.
Yes, boss.
But before Marcus could leave, Lorenzo added one more thing.
No force.
Silence.
Because everyone in the Rossi organization knew what that meant.
Lorenzo Rossi was choosing love over control.
For the first time in his life.
Three hours later, Marcus called.
Lorenzo answered immediately.
"Did you find her?"
A pause.
"Yes."
Relief.
Then Marcus's voice changed.
"Boss..."
"What?"
"She's not alone."
Lorenzo stood.
"Who is with her?"
Marcus hesitated.
Then answered:
"Adrian Rossi."
The phone went silent.
Because the man who destroyed Sophia...
was now standing beside the woman who saved Leo.
And this time...
Lorenzo Rossi was not going to lose anyone.
May you like
Not again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
