Chapter 5 - The Midnight Exchange
On Tuesday night, two days before the scheduled shipment, the mansion was dead silent. Alessandro sat in the absolute dark of the master bedroom closet, watching a hidden monitor connected to the security camera inside his private study.
At exactly 2:15 AM, the screen flickered. The study door opened silently, and a figure slipped inside. It was Isabella.
She moved with practiced ease, walking directly to the safe behind the portrait. She didn't hesitate; she entered the biometric code she had copied from Alessandro’s fingers weeks earlier. The safe clicked open. She pulled out the secondary folder, took a small, high-resolution camera from her pocket, and rapidly photographed every single page of the fake routing schedule.
Once finished, she replaced the folder, locked the safe, and adjusted the portrait perfectly. She was about to leave when her phone vibrated in her hand. She answered it, her voice a hushed, desperate whisper that the hidden directional microphone caught perfectly.
“I have it, Daniel,” Isabella said, her breath fogging slightly in the chilly room. “The northern railyards, Thursday at midnight. Tell Carmine to bring everyone. Alessandro will be leading the convoy personally. This is our only chance to end this.”
A pause as the person on the other end spoke.
“No, Daniel,” Isabella’s voice cracked, a sudden wave of genuine emotion breaking through her mask. “Alessandro doesn't suspect anything. He’s… he trusts me. Just make sure it’s quick. I don't want him to suffer. He’s not like his father. He didn't know what Enzo suffered.”
She hung up, wiping a solitary tear from her cheek before slipping out of the room, leaving the study in darkness once more.
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In the master closet, Alessandro closed his eyes. Her words cut deeper than any blade. She was protecting her father’s memory, believing Alessandro’s family was responsible for Enzo’s death. She didn't know she was being manipulated by the very man who had actually administered the poison.
He opened his phone and dialed Marco. “The bait has been taken. Assemble the execution squad for Thursday night. We aren't going to the railyards. We’re going to the quarry. And Marco… prepare a secure transport vehicle. Isabella is coming with us.”
