Chapter Three: A House Full of Shadows
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows, but Julie felt no warmth.
She sat at the long, polished dining table, staring into a cup of untouched coffee. The taste of last night's words still lingered bitter on her tongue.
Lorenzo's confession.
Marco's warning.
And the photo.
She wasn't safe—not really. And despite everything Lorenzo had said, she didn't know if she was being protected or played.
He walked in a moment later, dressed in dark slacks and a black Henley, sleeves rolled to his forearms. Julie hated how good he looked. How her eyes still followed him like gravity.
"You didn't sleep," he said.
She shrugged. "Neither did you."
He sat across from her, pouring himself coffee without asking. "I told you I'd give you answers. Ask."
She lifted her gaze. "Who's Marco?"
"Security. Been with me four years."
"He's creepy."
Lorenzo smirked. "That's part of his charm. He keeps people unsettled."
Julie didn't smile.
She set her cup down. "I saw the photo. You and Matteo Lucetti. Smiling like old friends."
Lorenzo's expression went still.
"That was taken eight years ago," he said quietly. "We were allies then. I helped him stabilize the southern ports. In return, he kept the peace between my family and the Vitellis."
"Then what happened?"
"He got greedy. Started moving product we don't touch—trafficking, kids, the darkest shit you can imagine. I cut ties. He didn't like that."
"So now he wants revenge?"
Lorenzo nodded. "And I made it worse by cutting him out of the Spain deal. He thinks I betrayed him."
Julie's throat tightened. "Did you?"
"No," he said. "But that doesn't matter now. What matters is keeping you alive."
She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Then stop locking me out of the fight."
He tilted his head. "What are you saying?"
"I'm not just some girl you can hide in a tower. If you really care, then you tell me everything. You let me help. You treat me like someone who matters."
His eyes narrowed, admiring her fire. "And if the truth makes you hate me?"
"Then at least I'll hate you honestly."
Lorenzo stood slowly, came around the table, and leaned in close. "You don't hate me."
Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed her cheek. "Don't be so sure," she whispered.
But they both knew it was a lie.
---
Later, while Lorenzo took a secure call in his office, Julie moved through the house with purpose. She needed to understand the place she was trapped in. Needed to know what secrets he was still hiding.
She found a door at the end of the east hallway. Locked.
Her instincts prickled.
Julie scanned the hallway—no one in sight—then knelt by the handle. A few YouTube videos and one ex-boyfriend's shady job had taught her more than just heartbreak.
She picked the lock in under a minute.
Inside, the room was cold, windowless, and dark. Rows of filing cabinets lined the walls, and at the center—an enormous corkboard.
She flipped the switch.
What she saw stopped her breath.
Pictures. Dozens of them. Of her.
Julie at the university gates. Julie working at the café. Julie with friends. Julie sleeping in her dorm.
Her knees went weak.
He'd been watching her. For years.
Not just protecting her.
Tracking her.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for one photo—a close-up of her smiling at her sister's wedding last year.
"You weren't supposed to see this."
She turned around fast.
Lorenzo stood in the doorway, face carved from stone.
Julie's voice cracked. "You've been spying on me?"
His eyes darkened. "I was making sure you were safe."
"You were stalking me!"
"I needed to know no one was following you. That you weren't in danger because of me."
She held up the photo. "You call this love? This obsession?"
Lorenzo stepped forward. "I didn't know how to let go. I didn't want to. So yes—I watched. From a distance. I protected you from things you'll never even know about."
Julie's hands shook. "You should've left me alone."
"I couldn't," he said, voice breaking. "You were the only good thing I ever touched. And I lost you because I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth."
They stood there, breaths ragged, a storm between them. Fury and heartbreak. Love and fear.
Then—
A loud crack echoed through the house. Shouting. Footsteps.
Lorenzo moved instantly, pulling a gun from beneath his jacket.
"Stay behind me," he growled.
Julie didn't argue.
Marco burst into the hallway seconds later, blood on his sleeve.
"They're inside."
"How many?"
"Three. Maybe more. They found us."
Julie's heart raced as Lorenzo shoved a second gun into her hand.
She stared down at it. "You think I can use this?"
"I know you can," he said. "You've got steel in you, Julie. Now show it."
And then he was gone—racing down the hall with Marco behind him.
Julie pressed against the wall, chest heaving, gun cold and solid in her hand.
Everything had changed.
She wasn't a girl in love with a dangerous man anymore.
She was part of the danger now.