The snow had begun to fall again in Sarajevo, soft flakes drifting over red-tiled roofs and empty alleyways. Noor stood in the courtyard of the old Ottoman guesthouse, her breath misting in the morning chill, as Leonardo sat on a wooden bench nearby—hood up, gloves on, silent.
Neither spoke.
Because what they were about to do would erase his name from every registry, every file, every ledger in the world.
And it would cost them everything.
The Final Deal
Interpol had agreed.
In exchange for Leonardo's full testimony—on the smuggling, laundering, arms trading, and every dark corner of the Moretti empire—he would be erased. Witness protection under a fabricated identity. One chance at freedom.
But.
There was a price.
He would have to testify in person.
In Rome.
Before the very legal system his father once bribed into silence.
And Noor would not be allowed to go.
"I won't let you do it alone," she said that night, voice low as they sat by the heater, sharing slices of flatbread and lentil soup.
Leonardo reached for her hand—but stopped himself.
"You've walked into fire for me too many times," he said. "This time… I go alone."
Noor's eyes burned. "Why do you keep thinking you're doing me a favor by pushing me away?"
"Because one day," he whispered, "you'll want a life that doesn't smell like ash and blood. And I want to give you that chance."
Contact
The message came unexpectedly.
A voice note. Pakistani number.
Noor hesitated before pressing play.
"Noor beta… it's Mama. We know now. About everything. We saw your photo with… that man. We don't understand. But we forgive you. Please come home."
The voice trembled.
"Just tell us you're safe."
Noor stood frozen.
Leonardo appeared in the doorway, watching her silently.
She turned.
"I need to see them."
"I know."
"I need to tell them the truth. All of it."
He nodded.
"And if they tell me to leave you…?"
Leonardo didn't blink. "Then you should."
She shook her head slowly. "I'm not asking for permission."
He smiled faintly. "That's why I respect you."
Rome
The city was not the same.
Leonardo walked through its alleys as a ghost, escorted by plainclothes officers and Matteo, now serving as an Interpol handler.
Court was quiet. Closed hearing.
Noor watched from a hidden location nearby, a live feed playing from a scrambled device.
She saw him stand.
Saw him speak.
Saw him tremble when he uttered his mother's name.
She cried when he recited the Shahadah at the end—publicly, unashamed.
"I testify that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger."
The courtroom was stunned into silence.
But Noor?
She whispered, "Ameen."
A Dangerous Offer
After the trial, as Leonardo prepared to leave with his new documents, a man approached.
Clean suit. Bald. German accent.
"You gave up the empire, yes," the man said. "But it's not gone. The power is still alive—merely scattered. Come back. Take the reins. The name Moretti still means something in Berlin, in Dubai, in Jakarta…"
Leonardo stared.
"Why me?"
"Because they still fear you," the man said. "And the world always needs kings."
Leonardo smiled bitterly.
"I don't want to be feared."
Misunderstanding
Back in Sarajevo, Noor waited—but Leonardo didn't return immediately.
Three days passed. Four.
No message.
On the fifth, she received a photo.
Him. At a gala. In Milan.
Standing beside the German man. A drink in hand.
Smiling.
Her heart collapsed.
She dropped the phone.
And walked out of the house barefoot, into the cold.
Truth Revealed
He returned two hours later—winded, out of breath, eyes frantic.
"Noor?"
Matteo appeared behind him, annoyed. "You left early. The photo was from a sting. He went undercover to flush out the last of the Berlin line."
Leonardo found her in the alley behind the mosque, sitting on the steps with her scarf clutched tightly around her.
"Noor," he said, voice hoarse. "Please…"
She looked up, tears streaming. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to protect you from the fear."
"No," she whispered. "You wanted to protect yourself from the truth. That I already fear losing you more than dying."
He knelt beside her.
"I'm not leaving you again."
The Twist
That night, a package arrived.
No return address.
No markings.
Inside—
A bloodied Quran.
And a note:
"This time, she will not be saved. You chose faith over family. We choose revenge over mercy."
A second paper fluttered to the floor.
A photo.
Noor's parents.
Bound. Blindfolded.
Somewhere dark.
Final Scene: Noor's Whisper
She collapsed to her knees.
Leonardo grabbed the photo, his hands trembling. "We'll find them."
Noor wept—but her voice was calm. "We need to leave. Tonight."
"Where?"
"To the edge of the past," she said. "Because someone out there hasn't forgotten what we escaped from."
Leonardo swallowed hard. "Then we walk into the shadows again."
She looked at him, fierce and broken and alive.
"No. This time… we burn them down."
To be continued in Chapter 16…