177 The Mafia Boss Caught Me Bleeding in His Mansion—Then His Fiancee Forced Me to Spy, Not Knowing He Handed Me the Exact Weapon to Destroy Her

Vanessa stood in the doorway, her silk robe clutched tightly around her, her face pale with fury and panic.

She took in the scene instantly: me standing by the open desk, her father standing calm and unreadable a few feet away, and the small flash drive sitting exposed on the mahogany blotter.

"You," Vanessa hissed, her voice shaking with rage as she pointed a trembling finger at me. "I told you to get the manila folder. What are you doing in my father’s private desk?"

I froze, my mind racing through options. The decoy file was in the bottom drawer, but the flash drive Salvatore had just offered sat right in the open.

"She was looking for an exit strategy, my dear," Salvatore answered smoothly, stepping between us before I could speak. "Just like you are."

Vanessa ignored her father, her eyes locked onto mine with venomous hatred. "You stupid little bitch. You thought you could play both sides? You thought you could cozy up to Luca and then come in here and steal from my family?"

"She didn't steal anything, Vanessa," a new, cold voice echoed from the hallway.

The blood drained from Vanessa’s face.

Luca Moretti stepped out from the shadows of the corridor behind her. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket; his white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the lean, corded muscle beneath. His pale gray eyes swept over the room, taking in the open desk, the flash drive, and Vanessa’s frozen expression.

He didn't look surprised. He looked like a man watching a play he had written months ago finally reach its climax.

"Luca," Vanessa gasped, her voice instantly shifting tone, sliding into panic as she rushed toward him. "Thank God. This girl—she snuck into our house, she was trying to steal classified shipping documents from my father’s desk—"

"Quiet, Vanessa," Luca said, his voice dropping into that flat, terrifying register that silenced her instantly.

He walked slowly into the study, stepping past her without a glance. He stopped a few feet from me, his eyes flicking down to the flash drive on the desk, and then back up to my face.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Olivia?" Luca asked quietly.

"I found out that everyone in this room has been lying to me," I said, my voice steadying despite the terror gripping my chest. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the micro-recorder Vanessa had given me in the basement the night before, and set it right next to the flash drive on the desk. "Vanessa thinks I'm her thief. Salvatore thinks I'm his messenger. And you think I'm your spy."