"Enzo, where the hell are you?"
Static crackled, then his voice came through—strained, breathing labored. "Boss… we have a problem."
Ice flooded my veins. "What kind of problem?"
"They took her. Falco's men… they got Sophie."
The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering onto the desk. For a moment, the world tilted sideways. Then rage—pure, incandescent fury—exploded through my chest.
I snatched the phone back up. "Where are you?"
"Mainfoyer. Coming to you now."
"Are you injured?"
"Dizzy. They used some kind of chemical agent. Sophie fought them, but…" His voice broke. "I'm sorry, boss. I failed."
The line went dead.
I burst from my study, shouting orders to guards, coordinating search teams. In the chaos of organizing Sophie's rescue, I never thought about securing what I'd left behind.
I stood frozen, memories crashing over me like a tidal wave. Another phone call. Another failure. Another woman torn from my life by violence I couldn't prevent.
You should have given me what I wanted, Vittorio. Now Livia's dead because of your pride.
Antonio's voice from years ago, cold and triumphant after the explosion that had claimed the only woman I'd ever loved. I'd rebuilt myself after that loss, turned myself into someone who felt nothing, wanted nothing, needed nothing.
But Sophie had shattered that carefully constructed armor. She'd made me feel again—fear, desire, something dangerously close to love. And now she was gone, taken by the same kind of monster who'd destroyed everything good in my life before.
The office door burst open. Enzo stumbled in, his face pale and sweating. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, and his usually immaculate suit was torn and stained.
"Tell me everything," I commanded, moving around the desk to steady him.
"We were heading to your office when the lights cut out. Emergency power kicked in, then they hit us with flashbangs and some kind of gas." He wiped blood from his eyes. "Made everything fuzzy, hard to think."
"How many?"
"At least six tactical operatives. Professional-grade equipment. They knew exactly where we'd be, when we'd be there." His jaw clenched. "Jonah."
"What about him?"
"He escaped before the attack. "While I was calling for backup, both he and that fake nurse slipped away. I only realized they were gone when I turned back around." His jaw clenched.The little fucker planned this perfectly."
I sank into my chair, the full scope of the betrayal hitting me. Jonah hadn't just tried to sedate Sophie—he'd fed Falco real-time intelligence about our movements, our routes, our security protocols.
"Sophie fought them," Enzo continued. "Even drugged, she was clawing and kicking. But there were too many."
Pride warred with terror in my chest. Of course, she'd fought. Sophie never surrendered to anything.
"Any idea where they took her?"
"Unknown. By the time I cleared my head, they were gone. But boss…" He hesitated. “They knew exactly where we'd be, when we'd be there. Every defensive position, every escape route." His jaw clenched. "Jonah must have given them everything before he disappeared—layout information, guard rotations, all of it."
My hands curled into fists. "He's telling them how to counter our rescue attempt."
Growing up, Antonio had been my protector. When Father's rage turned violent, Antonio would step between us.
"Don't touch him," he'd say, chin raised despite being barely twelve. "He's my responsibility."
