I set my knife and fork down carefully, forcing my hands not to shake.

"May I be excused?" I asked, voice sweet, polite — the perfect obedient daughter.

Father didn’t even glance at me.

Just gave a sharp nod.

I rose from the table and walked — not ran — out of the dining room.

Every step was an effort to keep my spine straight, my breathing normal.

Once I was out of sight, I practically sprinted up the stairs.

I slammed my door shut and leaned back against it, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Find out before Romano does.

The words echoed in my skull.

I pressed my hands against my burning face, trying to think.

My mind raced.

I needed to cover my tracks better.

Delete evidence.

Strengthen my alibis.

Anything to survive what was coming.

Because it wasn't just about family honor anymore.

If Luca Romano found out I'd been the one to hack the Sicilians, gut their operation from the inside out...

He wouldn’t care that I was Petrov's daughter.

He wouldn’t care about my pretty face or perfect manners.

He would destroy me.

Maybe not loudly.

Maybe not publicly.

But thoroughly.

Completely.

Just as I was about to grab my laptop and start scrubbing what I could, I heard footsteps outside.

Not frantic. Not hurried.

Calm. Steady. Heavy.

I froze.

A knock — sharp and authoritative — echoed against my door.

"Ashley," Mikael's voice called out.

"Get dressed. Father's expecting company."

I swallowed hard.

"Who?" I asked, even though deep down, I already knew the answer.

There was a pause.

Then Mikael said two words that made my stomach drop.

"Luca Romano."

I stood frozen by the door, heart hammering.

Months ago, Mikael had come to me quietly, serious in a way he never was.

He didn’t even ask me — he told me.

"We need proof," he'd said. "Someone’s been bleeding Father’s shipments. Weapons. Arms. High-grade stuff."

And the prime suspects?

The Sicilian families.

But proving it was another matter.

"You’re good at slipping past firewalls," Mikael had said, his voice low. "You’re smart enough not to get caught."

Back then, I thought it was just another game.

Another secret between siblings.

I didn’t ask questions.

I just hacked into the Sicilian servers — found files, shipments, dirty contracts linking their men to our missing cargo — and passed it all back to Mikael.

What I didn't realize was how deep it went.

How badly it would explode.

Because now?

Luca Romano — the new capo nobody dared cross — was hunting for the "ghost" who exposed everything.

And that ghost was me.