Chapter 4 - The Enemy Inside the Walls
The most dangerous secrets were never hidden in locked rooms.
They were hidden in plain sight.
I learned that the moment I walked into Roman Moretti’s private office for the first time.
I had cleaned almost every room in the estate.
The dining hall.
The guest suites.
The library.
Even the old chapel where Roman’s mother’s flowers were replaced every Monday morning.
But his office was different.
It was the one place employees were never supposed to enter unless summoned.
The heavy wooden doors alone made that clear.
No unnecessary footsteps.
No curious eyes.
No questions.
Yet there I was, standing inside the heart of Roman Moretti’s empire because my brother’s mistake had somehow opened a door into his world.
The room was exactly what I expected.
Expensive.
Controlled.
Cold.
Dark wood shelves covered the walls. Documents were arranged perfectly across the large desk. A city map hung behind him, marked with locations I didn’t recognize.
Everything had a place.
Everything had a purpose.
Just like Roman.
He stood near the window, speaking quietly into his phone.
I could not hear the other person.
But I could see his expression.
And that scared me.
Because Roman Moretti was always calm.
Even when angry.
Even when threatening.
Even when everyone else was afraid.
But now, he looked focused.
Dangerously focused.
“Yes,” he said into the phone.
A pause.
“No mistakes.”
Another pause.
“Find out who accessed the security system five days ago.”
He ended the call.
Only then did he look at me.
“You should be resting.”
I crossed my arms.
“You should stop making decisions about my life without asking.”
A small silence followed.
Most people probably would have apologized.
Roman was not most people.
“I made a decision because someone is targeting you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“You didn’t.”
The simple agreement surprised me.
He wasn’t arguing.
He wasn’t trying to prove he was right.
He just accepted it.
And somehow that made it harder to stay angry.
“I want to find my brother.”
“You will.”
“I want to help.”
“You will not.”
There it was.
The Roman Moretti everyone knew.
The command.
The certainty.
I stepped closer.
“You don’t get to lock me away while you solve my problems.”
“I’m not locking you away.”
“Then what?”
“Keeping you alive.”
I hated how serious he sounded.
Not dramatic.
Not possessive.
Just certain.
I looked away.
“I’m not one of your employees anymore if you start treating me like a prisoner.”
Something flashed in his eyes.
A reaction so small most people would miss it.
But I had learned to pay attention to him.
“You think that’s what I’m doing?”
“What else would you call it?”
Roman walked toward the desk.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was choosing every word.
“I call it making sure the person responsible for exposing a weakness in my organization doesn’t get another chance.”
The way he said it made me freeze.
“Responsible?”
“No.”
His expression softened slightly.
“Not you.”
The clarification came quickly.
“You are not responsible for what someone did to you.”
For some reason, those words affected me more than I expected.
Because I was used to blame.
Life had taught me that when something went wrong, someone had to carry it.
Usually me.
“You’re saying someone inside your organization betrayed you.”
“Yes.”
“And you think it’s connected to my brother.”
“I know it is.”
“How?”
Roman opened a drawer.
Inside were several documents.
He pulled out one folder and placed it on the desk.
I hesitated before touching it.
“What is that?”
“Information on Liam Sullivan.”
The name immediately made my stomach tighten.
I opened the folder.
Photos.
Locations.
Transactions.
Notes.
It was overwhelming.
“You investigated him.”
“I investigate anyone who moves against my interests.”
I looked through the pages.
Then stopped.
There was a picture.
A man I didn’t recognize standing outside a building.
“Who is this?”
Roman looked at the image.
“Adrian Vale.”
The name meant nothing to me.
“He works for you?”
“Used to.”
The answer made me look up.
“Used to?”
Roman nodded.
“He handled security operations for certain properties.”
“Your security?”
“Yes.”
My fingers tightened around the paper.
“So someone who worked for you disabled the camera.”
“That is what we’re trying to prove.”
“And Adrian Vale?”
“Disappeared six days ago.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
“After the camera broke.”
“Yes.”
I closed the folder.
“This is insane.”
Roman watched me.
“You’re scared.”
“I should be.”
“Yes.”
The agreement surprised me.
Again.
He never pretended danger wasn’t real.
That was different from most powerful men I had met.
They convinced themselves they were untouchable.
Roman knew exactly how fragile everything could be.
A knock interrupted us.
Roman’s security chief entered.
A tall man named Marco.
I had seen him around the estate before.
He was one of the few people who could speak to Roman without fear.
“Mr. Moretti.”
Roman turned.
“What?”
“We tracked the phone.”
My heart jumped.
“Ben?”
Marco shook his head.
“No.”
The hope disappeared instantly.
“The call was routed through three different locations.”
Roman’s face darkened.
“Meaning?”
“Someone wanted us to follow it.”
The room became silent.
I looked at Roman.
“Then they know we’re looking.”
“Yes.”
Marco continued.
“There’s more.”
Roman waited.
“The person who accessed the greenhouse camera wasn’t an outsider.”
My chest tightened.
“You’re sure?”
Marco nodded.
“The code used belonged to someone with internal clearance.”
Roman’s expression turned cold.
“Who had access?”
Marco hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
Roman noticed too.
“Say it.”
Marco looked at me briefly.
Then back at Roman.
“Multiple people.”
“Names.”
Marco placed a tablet on the desk.
Roman looked at the screen.
I watched his face carefully.
At first, nothing changed.
Then something did.
A tiny movement.
A tightening around his eyes.
“What?”
I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Roman.”
He turned the tablet toward me.
A list of names appeared.
Employees.
Security staff.
People who worked inside the estate.
Then I saw one name.
My heart stopped.
“Ambra?”
Roman looked at me.
“You know her.”
“Of course I know her.”
Ambra was the estate cook.
She had worked there longer than I had.
She was the person who quietly left food for me when she noticed I skipped meals.
The woman who treated me like family.
“No,” I whispered.
Roman watched my reaction.
“You trust her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Because she was kind.
Because she was the first person in months who noticed when I was struggling.
Because she made this huge, intimidating estate feel less lonely.
But I couldn’t explain that to Roman.
“Because she’s not like that.”
Roman studied me.
“You’re defending her.”
“Yes.”
“Without evidence.”
“Because not everyone is guilty just because their name appears on a list.”
For a moment, Roman said nothing.
Then something unexpected happened.
A faint change crossed his expression.
Almost approval.
“You’re right.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Suspicion is not proof.”
I stared at him.
“You actually admit that?”
“I’m not unreasonable.”
A small laugh escaped before I could stop it.
The sound surprised both of us.
For a second, the tension disappeared.
Then Roman’s phone rang.
He answered immediately.
His expression changed within seconds.
“What happened?”
Silence.
Then:
“Where?”
He listened.
“Keep him there.”
He ended the call.
My heart raced.
“Was it Ben?”
Roman looked at me.
“Yes.”
I stepped forward.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s alive.”
The relief almost made my knees weak.
Almost.
“Where is he?”
Roman picked up his coat.
“Come with me.”
I froze.
“You said I couldn’t get involved.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
Because I was no longer just the maid who cleaned his house.
Because my brother’s debt had pulled me into a war I never wanted.
Because someone inside his empire had chosen me as a weakness.
And because Roman Moretti had decided something.
He would not let them win.
“Because whoever did this wants you afraid.”
He opened the office door.
“And I want them to know they chose the wrong person.”
I followed him.
For the first time, I wasn’t walking behind Roman Moretti.
I was walking beside him.
And somewhere in the darkness outside the estate walls, someone was watching.
Waiting.
May you like
Because they knew Roman was coming.
They just didn’t know what he would become when he had something worth protecting.
