Chapter 4 - The Enemy Inside The Walls
The locked door opened slowly.
Everyone raised their weapons.
Massimo Costa stepped forward and ordered: "Nobody moves."
The person behind the door was not carrying a gun.
It was carrying a photograph.
A photograph that made Alessandra Ferraro forget how to breathe.
Because the person standing there was someone she trusted.
The hallway remained silent.
The door opened completely.
A man stepped into the lounge.
Early forties.
Dark suit.
Calm expression.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Alessandra recognized him immediately.
Her face changed.
"No..."
Massimo looked at her.
"You know him."
She didn’t answer.
She couldn’t.
Because the man standing in front of them was Daniel Reed.
Her assistant’s supervisor.
The person who had spent months helping her investigate the missing money.
The person who always told her she was close to finding the truth.
The person who had sent her documents.
The person who had warned her to be careful.
The person who now stood inside Massimo Costa’s private lounge like he belonged there.
Daniel looked at Alessandra.
"You look tired."
Her eyes filled with disbelief.
"How did you find me?"
Daniel ignored the question.
His eyes moved toward Leo.
Then back to her.
"You brought your son."
Massimo immediately stepped between them.
The room became dangerous again.
Daniel looked at him.
"Still protecting strangers, Massimo?"
Alessandra looked at Massimo.
"How does he know you?"
Massimo didn’t answer.
And that silence told her everything.
Another secret.
Another person who knew more than she did.
Daniel smiled slightly.
"You really don’t know who you’re sitting with, do you?"
Massimo’s expression hardened.
"Leave."
Daniel laughed softly.
"You think this is your game?"
He looked around the room.
"Everyone here is already involved."
Massimo took one step forward.
"You have five seconds."
Daniel didn’t move.
Instead, he placed the photograph on the table.
The same photograph from before.
The one showing the executives.
But this time, there was something different.
A person had been circled.
Alessandra leaned closer.
Her heart dropped.
It wasn’t her assistant.
It wasn’t her supervisor.
It wasn’t anyone she expected.
It was Massimo Costa.
She looked at him.
"What is this?"
Nobody answered.
Massimo stared at the picture.
Daniel spoke.
"The company didn’t steal fifty million dollars."
Alessandra looked at him.
"Then what did they do?"
Daniel smiled.
"They were paying someone."
The room became still.
"Who?"
Daniel looked directly at Massimo.
"The person who protected them."
Alessandra felt confused.
Angry.
Betrayed.
She looked at Massimo.
"You knew about this."
Massimo’s eyes stayed on the photograph.
"I knew there were connections."
"Connections?"
Her voice rose.
"You let me sit here while knowing your name was inside those files?"
Massimo finally looked at her.
"I didn’t know my name was there."
"How convenient."
That sentence hit harder than she expected.
Because for the first time, Massimo looked hurt.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
Daniel noticed.
"You see?"
He turned toward Alessandra.
"That’s how he survives."
Massimo’s men moved.
Daniel lifted his hands.
"I’m not here to fight."
Massimo stared at him.
"Then why are you here?"
Daniel looked at Alessandra.
"Because she’s about to make the same mistake everyone else made."
Alessandra frowned.
"What mistake?"
Daniel answered quietly.
"Trusting Massimo Costa."
The words stayed in the room.
Leo moved slightly.
Alessandra immediately looked down.
Her son was still asleep.
Still innocent.
Still unaware.
She hated that everyone around him seemed dangerous.
She hated even more that she couldn’t tell which danger was real.
Massimo looked at Daniel.
"You came here to create doubt."
"No."
Daniel shook his head.
"I came here because she deserves the truth."
Massimo stepped closer.
"Then tell her."
Daniel looked at Alessandra.
"The person who framed you didn’t choose you randomly."
She listened.
"They chose you because you were the only person smart enough to find the missing money."
Alessandra stayed silent.
"And because you had access to something nobody else could reach."
"The file."
Daniel nodded.
"File 07."
Massimo watched him carefully.
"What’s inside?"
Daniel’s face became serious.
"The reason your company exists."
Nobody spoke.
Alessandra frowned.
"That doesn’t make sense."
Daniel looked at her.
"You think your company was built to move money."
A pause.
"It wasn’t."
He stepped closer.
"It was built to hide something."
The room felt smaller.
Alessandra remembered every strange transaction.
Every account.
Every company name.
She thought she was following stolen money.
But maybe she had been following something else.
Massimo picked up the black drive.
"Who created File 07?"
Daniel looked at him.
"You already know."
Massimo’s expression changed.
A memory.
A name.
Something from his past.
Alessandra noticed.
"Who?"
Massimo didn’t answer.
Daniel did.
"His father."
The entire room froze.
Alessandra looked at Massimo.
"You never told me your family was involved."
Massimo’s jaw tightened.
"Because it wasn’t relevant."
Daniel laughed.
"Everything about Massimo Costa is relevant."
The tension increased.
Massimo grabbed Daniel’s jacket.
"Be careful."
Daniel looked down at his hand.
Then smiled.
"You still think you’re the most dangerous person in the room."
Massimo released him.
But Alessandra noticed something.
Massimo was not angry because Daniel insulted him.
He was angry because Daniel touched something painful.
Something personal.
Clara stepped forward.
"Enough."
Everyone looked at her.
She pointed toward the drive.
"We’re wasting time."
She looked at Massimo.
"If File 07 opens, everyone connected to it will start moving."
Massimo stared.
"Who already knows?"
Clara hesitated.
That hesitation frightened Alessandra.
"Clara."
She swallowed.
"Everyone who was on the list."
Massimo’s phone suddenly vibrated.
Everyone stopped.
Again.
A message.
Massimo looked down.
His face changed.
Alessandra noticed immediately.
"What now?"
He didn’t answer.
He turned the phone around.
A video file had been sent.
No name.
No number.
Only one title.
"PLAY ME."
Nobody moved.
Massimo opened it.
The screen showed a dark room.
A chair.
A person sitting with their back facing the camera.
Then a voice.
A woman’s voice.
"Massimo."
His expression changed.
Because he knew that voice.
Alessandra looked at him.
"Who is that?"
The video continued.
The woman spoke again.
"You promised you would protect her."
Massimo froze.
The woman slowly turned around.
And Alessandra saw the face on the screen.
A face Massimo clearly believed was impossible to see again.
Because the woman in the video was someone he had buried years ago.
May you like
And then she whispered one final sentence.
"Massimo... you never knew who was really protecting Alessandra."
