Alessia Romano returned to her office the next morning, the little white dog trotting loyally at her heels. The soft glow of the morning sun couldn't warm the chill creeping through her mind.
Files and contracts lay spread across her desk, each one a thread in the intricate web of the Romano empire. But as she reviewed them, something troubling emerged — minor discrepancies in accounts, missing invoices, and delayed payments that shouldn't have occurred under her watch.
Her sharp eyes narrowed. Patterns began to form — small at first, almost imperceptible, but deliberate.
"Marco Vitale," she muttered under her breath, scanning a series of ledgers. "He's testing us… probing weaknesses, moving quietly to control assets without stepping into the light."
Her assistant looked up nervously. "Signorina, you think he's behind all this?"
Alessia's gaze was steady, cold, and calculating. "I don't think, I know there's someone orchestrating this. And he's good — clever, patient, dangerous. But I am not someone he can outmaneuver easily."
For hours, Alessia worked tirelessly, tracing transactions, marking suspicious movements, and reviewing the connections Marco Vitale had subtly established among her father's partners and allies. Every decision he had made to influence the Romano holdings was precise — designed to sow doubt, confusion, and slow erosion of power.
But Alessia was sharper. Each manipulation she uncovered only fueled her determination.
By evening, she called a private meeting with her most trusted executives. "Marco Vitale is interfering," she announced plainly. "He's moving pieces quietly, under the radar, but he's making mistakes. He's assuming I won't notice — and that is his first mistake. We will secure every asset, audit every account, and tighten every alliance. From now on, nothing goes unnoticed."
The executives nodded, some nervous, some impressed. Alessia didn't care about their fear. She only cared about control.
As she left the office, her mind whirled with strategies — countermeasures, alliances, and moves that would protect her empire while gradually turning the game in her favor.
Outside, unnoticed, shadows seemed to linger. A soft rustle in the trees, a distant figure watching the estate lights flicker.
The mysterious presence that had left her notes and flowers remained unseen, silent — always observing, always calculating.
Alessia Romano didn't know it yet… but the game was bigger than Marco Vitale.
And someone else had been several steps ahead all along.