Nikolai didn’t ask how Luca found out about Alessia’s visit. Some things didn’t need asking.

“She came without luggage,” Luca reported, lingering at the doorway as if stepping in was a crime.

“How long did she stay?”

“Fifteen minutes? Maybe twenty.” Luca said, uncertain. “She came for Moretti’s widow.”

Nikolai gave a humorless smile. “Of course she did. You don’t make a trip like that just to stare at the furniture.”

Luca entered. “Neither raised their voice, so I assumed it went well. Mara did make a call right after she left.”

“Who to?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Luca shrugged.

“Well, Alessia’s loyalty was never in question.”

“You mean to you.”

He shot Luca a look, enough to remind him whose side he was on.

Nikolai said calmly, “Alessia preferred Victor’s first wife. Always talked about her like she didn’t betray him, like she wasn’t the one who walked out. Victor hated that.”

Nikolai looked around; he already knew Mara wasn't home, and he hadn’t expected her to be.

“Alessia will try something. She’ll want to fight for her family; that’s where her loyalty lies.”

“You want me to keep an eye on her?”

Nikolai paused to think; he wanted to make sure no wrong move was made.

“Both of them.”

Luca hesitated. “Do you think they’ll…?”

“They’re not allies,” Nikolai cut in. “We should be more worried about them tearing each other apart.”

“Good for us, bad for them.”

“Not really. Alessia’s visit is not out of the ordinary,” Nikolai added, though it made him pause. “Someone sent her.”

“Who do you think did it? Victor’s first wife? One of his enemies? Victor?” Luca asked.

“Easy, there is no need to rush,” Nikolai said calmly. “Alessia is much easier to manipulate than Mara, but let’s take our time.”

---

Nikolai returned to his apartment on the Morettis’ estate. He’d spent so long at Victor’s mansion, he had forgotten what home even felt like.

Alfredo Domenico sat across from him, hands firm over a leather folder thick with Victor’s holdings.

“Mara is no longer asking questions; she is demanding answers,” Alfredo said.

Nikolai poured a drink, offering the accountant one.

“What did she request exactly?”

“Full estate evaluations, international transfers, the silent partnership in Trieste, and the land titles in Palermo.” Alfredo listed.

Nikolai let out a soft breath. “So she knows where to look.”

“Yes, I fear if she doesn’t get it, she might involve the lawyers. Don’t you think this is concerning?”

“It is,” Nikolai for the first time agreed.

He’d doubted her worth; now she proves him wrong.

Alfredo opened the folder and slid a page across the table. “She already filed paperwork to assume personal authority over Victor’s international accounts. The moment the court confirms her status as a legal widow, the banks will comply.”

Nikolai stared at the paper but didn’t touch it.

“She wants every book unturned,” Alfredo added. “Even the ones only Victor and I knew about.”

“The Cane ledgers?”

“Yes.”

Nikolai flicked the cover of his pen.

“Why do I feel she knew what would happen? She came prepared,” he said.

“There’s only so much delay I can cause before it looks suspicious.”

“Don’t delay; she will notice if you keep refusing.” Nikolai stood. “What’s left is to sway her…”

Alfredo leaned in, intrigued. “How do you mean?”

“Cover up, at least for now. We will redirect her to the old accounts, the ones Victor had abandoned years ago. She will chase ghosts and get tired while we focus on what we planned.”

“And if she figures it out?”

“She won’t,” Nikolai said with confidence. “Not yet.”

He walked to the window, sipping his drink slowly.

“Make sure the Geneva account is swept clean. Redirect the Turin assets through the shell firm I gave you last month.”

“You mean Arla?”

“Exactly.”

Alfredo took notes of everything he was ordered to do. “She doesn’t let anybody speak unless spoken to. Mara is much more calculated than I thought. Sometimes I feel like she knows half the answers to the questions she asks.”

“Which is why you’ll give her the wrong half,” Nikolai said calmly.

“Do you think she suspects anything about Victor’s death?” Alfredo asked.

Nikolai turned away from the window; he walked to Alfredo and touched his shoulder.

Alfredo jerked.

“Why are you bothered about that? Did you have anything to do with his death?”

“No, of course not.” Alfredo denies.

“Then Victor died of a heart attack; the doctor confirmed it,” Nikolai said in a bored tone.

He returned to his chair.

“You think you can outpace her?”

“Enough questions, Domenico. Leave.” He pointed at the door.

It didn’t help that he was trying not to feel stressed, and Alfredo was piling on it.

---

Nikolai stepped out of the bathroom as the shower shut off. He needed to wash away whatever was building in him.

Drying his hair, he picked up his phone from the bed, noticing the missed call from Luca.

“What is it?” He asked, returning the call.

"As per your request, Mara had a meeting,” Luca said. “It was private, only the three international trustees.”

Nikolai's forehead creased.

“She didn’t inform the rest of the board,” Luca added.

“That’s enough."

He hung up.

He had underestimated her.

And now?

She was proving just how dangerous that was.