The early morning light bled through the thin curtains of Aria's apartment. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams as the bakery downstairs fired up its ovens, sending the faint scent of vanilla and burnt sugar through the cracks. She had barely slept. Her mind had been replaying the meeting with the physiotherapist over and over again, Luca Moretti. His face, his mannerisms, the way he watched her. The name was common, but the eyes… they weren’t.

She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe she was losing it.

Her phone buzzed, rattling against the desk. It was a coded message from her father.

"I want progress by the end of the week. No excuses. Targets: 1-3. Eliminate suspicion first. Report cleanly."

She sighed. Of course. Riccardo Romano didn’t believe in warm-up periods.

Aria typed a reply: "Working. Threat under evaluation. Will advise."

She tossed the phone onto the bed and pulled up the player profiles again. The club’s intranet was surprisingly well-organized. Too clean, in fact. And that only made her more suspicious.

“Even here I have no break from the old man.” She sighed.

Later that morning, the team gathered on the pitch. A photo-op had been scheduled. Aria stood behind the cameras with her tablet, snapping images and taking notes.

Luca was there, taping up one of the midfielder’s ankles. He didn’t look at her.

“You’re watching him again,” came a low voice beside her.

Aria turned, startled. It was Alessia, one of the club’s assistants.

“Excuse me?”

Alessia smirked. “Luca. You keep glancing at him.”

“I watch everyone. It’s part of my job.” Aria smiled politely.

“Mm-hmm.” Alessia chuckled. “Just saying… you’re not the first woman to look at him like that.”

“What do you mean?” Aria asked, keeping her tone light.

Alessia leaned in. “He’s quiet. Keeps to himself. Some say he had a scandal in Naples. Something about a coach’s daughter. Never confirmed, but…” She shrugged.

“Is that why he transferred?” Aria stiffened.

“Who knows? But people don’t leave that club without noise. Not unless they’re hiding something. Right?”

Aria nodded slowly, her heart thudding. So, there was smoke. And if there was smoke, there was a fire somewhere.

After she was done she left and went back to the media room that evening, Aria stayed late in the media room. She needed to dig deeper.

She opened her private laptop, not the team-issued one. Connected through a secure line. Searched for internal surveillance. Password protected.

But it was not a problem, she bypassed the firewall and scanned for feeds. West tunnel. Locker rooms. Private medical storage. She opened the files and let the footage play, scanning frame by frame.

Nothing suspicious at first until she saw him. Luca.

He entered the west tunnel late at night Alone and stopped at the broken door. Pulled something from his pocket. A USB?

Her breath hitched.

“What the hell are you doing?” She whispered.

He inserted the device into a hidden port in the wall. A red light blinked once, then went dark.

Aria rewound and played it again. It was deliberate, quick and so clean.

She clicked “save” and encrypted the file. Just then, her phone buzzed again.

Unknown number. One word: “Careful.”

Her chest tightened. She spun around but the room was empty.

Was someone watching her?

A knock at the door.

She reached for her weapon instinctively, then paused. Took a breath and opened it.

Luca stood there.

“Working late?” He asked.

“Comes with the job,” she replied smoothly. “Do you need something?”

“I saw the lights. Just checking.”

“Appreciate the concern.”

They stared at each other, his eyes searching her face like he was trying to read something beneath the surface.

“Have a good night,” he said finally.

“You too.”

She closed the door gently.

Then locked it.

Things were definitely getting interesting.

---

The next morning was different. He avoided her eyes and she played along.

During training, she observed him from a distance. She wasn’t the only one watching. Someone else was paying attention to him too, it was Coach Bellini.

He sighed and walked out as she followed him, she cornered the coach in the break room later. “You’ve worked with Luca for a long time?” she asked casually.

Bellini frowned. “Since Naples. We both came here two years ago.”

“Was it a joint decision?”

“No.” He hesitated. “He left first. I followed a few months later.”

“Was there a reason?”

“Why all the questions?”

She smiled. “Just trying to get to know the team. Good PR and all.”

Bellini gave her a look but didn’t push further.

Beep! Just as she was about to respond she got another message.

“Dig faster. We have a movement in Naples.” Her blood ran cold. It's getting tiring but she loved the challenge.

“Ahm, I just wanted to know Luca better. Don't tell him but I kinda have a crush on him.” She giggled, turned around and left.

“This better be worth it.” She muttered as she walked out.

She went back to the media room, took a seat and opened the hidden file again. Watched Luca insert the USB.

Then she noticed something she hadn’t before. A mark.

On the inside of his wrist, barely visible.

It was the same crest her father used. A mark only given to trusted assassins.

Her stomach turned.

She stared at the screen, her mind racing.

Could he be working both sides?

Was this all a setup?

She stood up from the seat she was sitting on and left to look for Luca.

“She's trouble.” She heard the coach say to Luca and smirked.

“Mr Luca,” she smiled as she called.

She needed to confront him on the field. In public. She needed witnesses.

“You left this outside my door.” She held up the envelope of files.

He didn’t flinch. “Thought you’d need it.”

“Where did you get them?”

“Internal system. I have access.”

She lowered her voice. “Don’t play games with me.”

He stepped closer. Too close. “You think I’m playing?”

She stared into his eyes. His jaw was clenched. That scar on his wrist was still visible.

“I know who you are,” she said.

His brows lifted. “Do you?”

“Why are you here?”

He leaned in. “Working?”

Her breath caught. “Lie!”

His lips twitched. “That’s not my problem.”

“She just came and she's already flirting with the hottest guy. Slot.” Other female stuffs started murmuring

“Mr Luca isn't someone she can get into his bed earlier.”

“Right now all I want to do is tear her apart. Luca is mine.”

She stepped back, pulse racing.

“Luca have we met before?”