The silence after the scream was louder than the scream itself.
Alessandro Moretti stood in the hallway, his chest rising and falling with sharp, uneven breaths. The house was no longer filled with laughter and warmth; now it was chaos and fear. Shadows moved everywhere, brothers shouting, guards running, alarms ringing through the mansion like distant thunder.
But Alessandro heard none of it. All he could hear was the memory of Isabella's cry, still echoing in his head.
Giulio grabbed his father's arm. "Papa, we're sweeping the grounds now. I've sent men to the gates. Nothing leaves this house without us knowing."
"Nothing left," Alessandro said quietly, his voice breaking on the words. "They're already gone."
"No." Dante, the second eldest, shook his head violently. "That's not true. We're faster. We can track them. We'll find her. We'll find Luca too."
Alessandro turned, his dark eyes blazing. "We will. Even if I have to burn this city to the ground."
The nine brothers fell silent at the raw, dangerous promise in his tone.
The family gathered in Alessandro's private office minutes later. The room was heavy with tension, the air thick and suffocating.
Giulio stood near the large wooden desk, his jaw clenched. Matteo paced the floor like a caged animal, muttering curses under his breath. Enzo sat slouched in the corner, fists trembling with anger. Dante, always the calm strategist, leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes stormy.
"They were inside the house, Papa," Nico said finally, his voice tight with controlled rage. "Inside our walls. That means someone opened the gates."
Stefano slammed his hand on the desk. "A traitor."
Alessandro said nothing for a long moment, then spoke in a low, icy voice. "Check every man we employ. Every guard. Every driver. Every maid. I want their records, their calls, their movements. One of them let Elijah's men in."
"Elijah," Raffaele muttered, his hands curling into fists. "It has to be him."
Lorenzo's voice cracked, though he tried to keep it steady. "Why take them? Why not kill them?"
"Because death is easy," Dante said, his tone dark and bitter. "Elijah wants to hurt Papa. He knows Isabella is his heart."
Alessandro's head turned sharply. "Do not speak of my daughter as if she is weak," he warned. "She is Moretti blood. We will get her back."
But even as he spoke the words, his chest tightened. He knew Elijah Donovan. He knew the man's cruelty. And he knew this was only the beginning.
Luca woke up in darkness, his small wrists tied tightly in front of him. His head pounded, and his throat burned from shouting. He turned his head, blinking through the haze, and saw Isabella curled against the wall beside him, her tiny body shaking as she tried not to cry.
"Isabella," he whispered, crawling toward her. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head quickly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "I want Papa," she whispered in a broken voice.
Luca swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay steady. "I know. But you can't cry now, Bella. We need to listen. We need to wait for the right moment. Papa will come for us."
Her little fingers clung to his sleeve, holding on as if he were her lifeline. Luca squeezed back, his heart pounding with fear and determination.
Then he heard footsteps. Two men entered the dimly lit room, their faces hidden by black masks. One of them crouched in front of Luca, grabbing his chin roughly.
"Strong little thing, aren't you?" the man sneered. "You should thank us. We could've left you behind, but Elijah wants you both alive. For now."
Luca glared at him, his dark eyes blazing like Alessandro's. "My papa will kill you," he said, his voice low and steady despite his trembling hands.
The man laughed, standing up. "That's what I'm counting on, boy."
Before Luca could respond, the second man pulled him up by the arm and shoved him toward the corner.
"Get some sleep, Moretti," the first man said. "You'll need it. Tomorrow's going to be… entertaining."
The door slammed shut, and silence returned, but it wasn't the peaceful kind. It was the kind that hid monsters in the dark.
Luca wrapped his arm around Isabella, whispering softly. "Stay close to me, Bella. I'll protect you."
Back at the mansion, Alessandro stood over a large map spread across his desk, red pins marking every known safehouse Elijah owned.
Dante leaned over, pointing to one of the pins. "This one. That's his best chance of hiding them. It's remote, heavily guarded, and off the grid."
Giulio shook his head. "Too obvious. Elijah's smarter than that. He'd expect us to search there first."
Marco slammed his fist against the table. "Then we hit them all!"
Alessandro looked up sharply, his expression unreadable. "No," he said. "We move carefully. If we attack the wrong place, we risk losing them."
Nico stepped forward, his voice low and tense. "Papa, we can't just sit here and wait. Isabella is only four. Luca's the same. Every minute we waste...."
"Every minute we plan is one more chance to bring them back alive," Alessandro cut in, his voice cold as steel.
For a moment, silence filled the room. The brothers exchanged tense glances, their frustration palpable. But Alessandro's word was law.
Finally, Giulio spoke. "Then we find the leak first. Once we know who let them in, we'll know where Elijah took them."
"Do it," Alessandro said simply.
An hour later, Matteo stormed back into the office, breathless, holding a phone in his hand.
"We found something," he said, tossing the device on the desk.
Alessandro picked it up, scrolling through the messages quickly. The phone belonged to one of their lower-ranking guards, a man who had been with the family for two years.
And on the screen were dozens of messages exchanged with an unknown number.
Dante leaned over Alessandro's shoulder, reading aloud. "'Payment cleared. The kids will be yours tonight."
The brothers froze.
Alessandro's hand tightened around the phone, his knuckles white. When he spoke, his voice was low, dangerous, and steady.
"Bring me that man."
Minutes later, two guards dragged the traitor into the office. His face was pale, his knees shaking as he was forced onto the floor.
"Why?" Alessandro's voice was quiet, too quiet. "Why betray my family?"
The man stammered, his words breaking. "I… I needed the money. Elijah… he promised me safety… I didn't know he'd take the girl..."
Before he could finish, Dante slammed him against the wall. "You didn't know? You handed over a four-year-old child!"
Alessandro raised a hand, stopping Dante, his expression cold and sharp. "You will tell me everything Elijah planned," he said, "or I will make you wish you were already dead."
The man broke instantly, spilling every detail he knew, but what he revealed froze the entire room.
According to the traitor, Elijah didn't just want revenge. He didn't want money, territory, or control of the docks.
He wanted Isabella.
Not as leverage. Not as bait. He wanted her for something elsesomething darker, something even Alessandro didn't see coming.
Before Alessandro could demand more, an explosion shook the mansion, throwing everyone to the ground.
The brothers scrambled to their feet as alarms blared, smoke filling the hallways.
Giulio's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and furious. "Papa, the gates... they've breached the gates!"
Alessandro grabbed his gun, his voice like a promise of death.
"Elijah isn't hiding anymore," he said. "He's coming for war."
And as the sound of gunfire erupted outside, one thought burned in Alessandro's mind, louder than the chaos around him.
He had to find Isabella and Luca.
Before Elijah broke them forever.