Chapter 32
Alessandro stood up, his towering, masculine frame radiating an immediate, terrifying tension. "I explicitly ordered that all deliveries go through the primary security checkpoint. Nothing reaches the east wing without my authorization."
"It bypassed the checkpoint, sir," Rosalie explained, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. "It was found resting on the sill of her bedroom window. Someone breached the inner perimeter."
The air in the study turned to ice. Alessandro did not speak. He walked past Dante and Rosalie, his polished leather shoes making no sound as he strode down the pristine, brightly lit corridors toward the east wing. A breach of the inner perimeter was impossible without inside assistance or a level of tactical sophistication that rivaled his own elite operators.
He pushed open the heavy oak doors of the nursery. Four massive bodyguards were already inside, sweeping the room with tactical precision. Livia was sitting on her plush rug, holding a beautiful, intricately carved wooden music box.
"Daddy, look what the bird left me!" Livia cheered, holding up the box.
Alessandro crossed the room in three strides. He gently but firmly took the music box from her hands. "Let Daddy see it, little bird."
He examined the craftsmanship. It was expensive, antique, and entirely devoid of any explosive or chemical signatures. However, taped to the bottom of the box was a small, cream-colored envelope.
Alessandro opened it. The handwriting was elegant and sharp.
May you like
Your walls are high, Alessandro. But ghosts can walk through walls. The game isn't over. - The Architect.
Alessandro stared at the note, his sharply defined jawline locking into stone. The Falcones were dead. The Morettis were exiled. But it seemed a new player had just placed their piece on the board.
