The house felt too quiet that night.
Veronica sat on the balcony outside her bedroom, staring at the dark garden. The outdoor lights illuminated parts of the trees, but the rest faded into soft shadows.
She held a cup of tea that had long gone cold.
She hadn't even noticed.
Her mind kept drifting back to the same conversation in the office.
Canceled contracts.
Pressure on Leon's business.
Someone moving pieces behind the scenes.
"This is getting too strange…" she murmured.
She had never liked power games. She preferred things to be direct. Honest conversations. Clear intentions.
But this…
This was the opposite.
It felt like trying to solve a puzzle without seeing the full picture.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled her from her thoughts.
Leon appeared at the open balcony door.
"Still awake?"
Veronica gave a small, tired smile.
"I think my brain forgot how to shut off."
He stepped closer and rested his arms on the railing beside her.
For a few seconds, they simply looked out at the garden.
"You're worried," Leon said.
"Is it that obvious?"
"A little."
She exhaled.
"I keep thinking… what if all of this really is connected to what happened to my family?"
Leon didn't answer right away.
"It's possible."
"That's not very reassuring."
"Would you prefer I lie?"
She let out a quiet laugh.
"No."
A soft breeze drifted through the balcony.
"Daniel doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like this," she said.
Leon turned slightly toward her.
"Are you trying to convince me… or yourself?"
Veronica fell silent.
Maybe it was both.
"He's always been intense," she said. "But never cruel."
Leon crossed his arms.
"People change when they think they're losing something."
"You think he sees me as something he lost?"
"I think he believes you were taken from him."
She frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
"To him, it probably does."
Veronica leaned her head back against the wall.
"I hate being in the middle of this."
"I know."
"I didn't ask for this war."
Leon looked back at the garden.
"Neither did I."
For a strange moment, the conversation felt… easy.
Like the tension between them had softened, just a little.
But then Leon's phone vibrated again.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression shifted.
"What is it?" Veronica asked.
Leon read the message quickly.
"Looks like someone tried to access one of our company servers."
"Hack it?"
"Something like that."
"Did they get in?"
"No."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"But someone is trying to find something."
A chill ran down Veronica's spine.
"About you?"
"About everything."
"Including my family?"
Leon nodded slowly.
"Most likely."
She looked back at the garden.
"This doesn't feel like something Daniel would do."
"Maybe it isn't."
"Then who is it?"
Leon didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
At that same moment…
In a modern office across the city…
Daniel stood in front of a computer screen.
Numbers and graphs reflected in his eyes.
A friend of his, who worked in tech, sat beside him.
"There's something strange here," the man said.
Daniel crossed his arms.
"How strange?"
"You asked me to look into Alighieri Corporation."
"I did."
"But someone else was already trying to break into their system before you."
Daniel frowned.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Was it you?"
"Of course not."
The man turned the screen toward him.
"Look at this."
Daniel studied the logs.
Access attempts.
Dates.
Masked addresses.
Someone had been trying to get into Leon's systems for days.
Maybe weeks.
"That wasn't me…" Daniel muttered.
His friend shrugged.
"Then someone's very interested in Alighieri's business."
Daniel went quiet for a few seconds.
Then something clicked.
"What if it's not just his business?"
"What do you mean?"
Daniel picked up his phone.
An old photo appeared on the screen.
Him and Veronica.
His jaw tightened.
"What if someone's interested in her too?"
His friend looked confused.
"You think this is connected to the Verdan family?"
Daniel stood up.
"I don't know."
But one thing was clear in his mind.
He wanted Veronica back.
But now…
It seemed like there were other players in the game.
People who might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.
And if that was true—
Then this war had only just begun.