Chapter 4 - The Enemy Inside the Rossi Empire
I used to think the most dangerous thing about Leo Rossi was his reputation.
The stories.
The rumors.
The way people lowered their voices when they said his name.
Everyone in Chicago knew something about Leo.
Some said he was a ruthless businessman who destroyed anyone who challenged him.
Some said he had inherited a criminal empire disguised as a legitimate company.
Some said the only reason Rossi Harbor Logistics survived every investigation thrown at it was because Leo always knew what was coming before it happened.
For three years, I had ignored those whispers.
Because I knew the man behind them.
Or at least I thought I did.
The man who brought me coffee when I worked late.
The man who remembered the anniversary of my mother’s death even when I tried to forget it.
The man who hated when I walked barefoot on cold floors because he was convinced I would get sick.
That man didn’t feel like a monster.
But standing in the hallway of our estate that night, surrounded by security officers and secrets, I realized something terrifying.
Maybe the problem wasn’t that I didn’t know Leo Rossi.
Maybe the problem was that I only knew the parts he allowed me to see.
Leo stepped closer.
“You need to come downstairs.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because I need to show you something.”
I almost laughed.
“Now you want to show me things?”
His expression tightened.
“Clara.”
“No.”
I crossed my arms.
“I spent three years asking you to let me into your world.”
My voice became quieter.
“You always said you were protecting me.”
He didn’t answer.
“And tonight, I finally see what that means.”
His eyes dropped.
Not in shame.
In regret.
“You think I’m a prisoner.”
“I think you made me feel like one.”
The words hurt.
I saw them hit him.
But he didn’t defend himself.
That was what made everything harder.
Leo Rossi was not a man who accepted blame.
Not from anyone.
Yet with me, he stood there and took every word.
A security officer cleared his throat.
“Mr. Rossi.”
Leo looked away.
“What?”
“We found another breach.”
His entire expression changed.
The softness disappeared.
The husband disappeared.
The businessman returned.
“Where?”
“Lower level. Private server room.”
My stomach tightened.
“Your server room?”
Leo nodded.
“Yes.”
“Someone broke into your system?”
“Not exactly.”
The officer hesitated.
Leo noticed.
“Say it.”
The man swallowed.
“Someone used authorized credentials.”
The hallway became silent.
I looked at Leo.
“Meaning?”
His eyes met mine.
“Meaning whoever did this had permission.”
My heart sank.
Someone inside.
Again.
Not a stranger.
Not someone outside the walls.
Someone who belonged.
The Rossi estate was filled with employees.
Security.
Assistants.
Drivers.
Managers.
People who had worked for Leo for years.
People who smiled at me every morning.
People who knew where I kept my favorite tea.
People who knew when Leo left the house.
People who knew when I was alone.
A cold feeling moved through me.
“How many people have access?”
Leo didn’t answer immediately.
That told me everything.
“Leo.”
“Six.”
“Six?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
His jaw tightened.
“Not here.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know who is listening.”
I looked around the hallway.
The expensive paintings.
The polished floors.
The beautiful home I once thought represented safety.
Now every corner felt like it had eyes.
“Are you telling me someone in this house is spying on me?”
Leo’s silence answered.
I felt my anger returning.
“No.”
“Clara—”
“No, because that is exactly the kind of thing you should have told me.”
“I was trying to identify them first.”
“And meanwhile?”
His eyes darkened.
“Meanwhile I kept you alive.”
The words were sharp.
Not because he was angry.
Because he believed them.
That made them harder to fight.
We walked downstairs.
I followed Leo through the mansion I had lived in for three years.
But it felt different now.
Like I was seeing it for the first time.
Every security camera.
Every locked door.
Every employee who looked away when Leo passed.
Everything had a second meaning.
At the bottom of the stairs, I saw Maya standing near the entrance.
I stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
She walked toward me immediately.
“I came as soon as I saw the files.”
I looked at Leo.
“You called her?”
“No.”
Maya answered.
“I did.”
Leo glanced at her.
“You shouldn’t have come alone.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t get to give me safety lectures after locking your wife in a bedroom.”
For the first time that night, I almost smiled.
Almost.
Maya looked at me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded.
Then shook my head.
“I don’t know.”
That was the most honest answer I had given all night.
She squeezed my arm.
“Good. That means you’re thinking.”
Leo walked toward the security room.
“We need to see the report.”
Maya followed.
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
She stopped.
“Excuse me?”
“This involves Rossi security operations.”
“And Clara.”
Leo looked at her.
“She’s my wife.”
Maya’s expression hardened.
“Exactly.”
The two of them stared at each other.
I realized something then.
Maya was not afraid of Leo.
Almost everyone was.
But not her.
She looked at him like a man.
Not a reputation.
Not a legend.
Just a man.
Finally, Leo stepped aside.
“Fine.”
Inside the security room, multiple monitors covered the walls.
Camera footage.
Access logs.
Security reports.
Everything that had been hidden from me.
Leo entered a password.
A file appeared.
DECEMBER 14 — INCIDENT REPORT.
My chest tightened.
“This is what you hid?”
Leo looked at the screen.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want you involved.”
I laughed quietly.
“Leo, I was already involved.”
The report opened.
The first page showed a photo.
Not of a person.
Of the gala invitation.
My gala invitation.
The one I was supposed to attend that night.
Below it was a note.
TARGET CONFIRMED.
My blood went cold.
“Target?”
Leo didn’t move.
Maya leaned closer.
“Who wrote this?”
“We don’t know.”
“Who had access?”
Leo clicked another page.
A list appeared.
Names.
Employees.
Security personnel.
Executives.
Then I saw one name.
And froze.
“Wait.”
Leo looked at me.
“What?”
I pointed.
“That person.”
His expression changed.
“You know them?”
I stared at the name.
Because suddenly, everything made sense.
The strange conversations.
The unusual questions.
The person who always seemed to know exactly where I was going.
The person who had been around since before my marriage to Leo.
Someone I trusted.
Someone I never questioned.
“Clara?”
I looked at Leo.
My voice barely worked.
“They helped me plan the gala.”
The room went silent.
Maya looked at the screen.
Then at me.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Leo’s face became unreadable.
“Tell me everything.”
I looked at the name again.
A person who had smiled at me.
A person who had hugged me.
A person who had told me they cared about me.
A person I never imagined could betray me.
“I thought they were my friend.”
Leo’s expression softened.
“I know.”
The words surprised me.
“You know?”
He looked at the screen.
“That’s why I was afraid.”
I stared at him.
“Because I trusted them.”
“Yes.”
“Not because of the dress.”
“No.”
“Not because of the gala.”
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“Because I knew if I told you the truth, you would go directly to them.”
I said nothing.
Because he was right.
That was exactly what I would have done.
I would have confronted them.
I would have demanded answers.
I would have walked straight into danger because I believed honesty solved everything.
Leo knew that about me.
Maybe better than anyone.
The security monitor suddenly flashed.
A new alert appeared.
Everyone turned.
ACCESS ATTEMPT DETECTED.
The room went silent.
Leo moved instantly.
“Lock everything.”
Security officers rushed.
Maya grabbed my hand.
“What happened?”
Leo stared at the screen.
His face had lost all color.
“That’s impossible.”
“What?”
He didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“What is it?”
Leo looked at me.
And for the first time since I met him…
I saw genuine fear.
“Someone is accessing the system right now.”
“Who?”
His eyes returned to the screen.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“Someone who shouldn’t be alive.”
