CHAPTER 13: THE VENETIAN MASK
Elena Rossi was not a fragile woman. The trauma she had survived a year ago had not broken her; it had tempered her into steel. When Julian returned from New York, he tried to wear the mask of a relaxed husband, but Elena saw the micro-expressions. She saw the way his eyes darted to the perimeter guards. She saw the heavy, suffocating weight pulling at his shoulders.
That evening, after Isabella was asleep, Elena walked into Julian’s study. The heavy oak doors clicked shut behind her. Julian was pouring a glass of scotch, his knuckles white around the crystal decanter.
"Stop lying to me, Julian," Elena said softly, her voice carrying an unshakable command.
Julian froze. He turned to her, his heart breaking at the fierce determination in her beautiful eyes. "Elena... I'm handling it. I promise you, you are safe."
"I am not a porcelain doll to be placed on a shelf while you fight the monsters!" Elena stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling the frantic, heavy beat of his heart. "We promised. No more secrets. Whatever this is, we face it together."
Julian closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. He surrendered. He told her everything—Volkov, the debt, the platinum chip, the surveillance of the nursery.
Instead of collapsing in fear, Elena’s eyes narrowed with a cold, protective fire. "They think they can use us as leverage? They think they can threaten my child?"
"Volkov is hosting an elite masquerade charity gala in Venice tomorrow night," Julian said, his voice a low rumble. "It’s a front. He uses it to launder money through art acquisitions. If I wire him the money, I admit weakness. He’ll never stop extorting us. I have to destroy his financial infrastructure from the inside."
"Then we go to Venice," Elena said, her tone absolute. "You distract him in the boardroom. I will infiltrate the gala. I speak fluent Russian, Julian. I can get close to his inner circle and clone the data from his private servers."
Julian grabbed her shoulders, terror flashing in his eyes. "Absolutely not! It's suicide, Elena! I will not put you in the crosshairs!"
"I am already in the crosshairs!" Elena fired back, her voice fierce and unwavering. "I will not wait in a castle for the wolves to arrive. I am a Rossi. Let me fight for our family."
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Julian looked at his wife, seeing the magnificent, terrifying warrior she had become. Slowly, reluctantly, he nodded. The king and queen were going to war.
Elena steps into the viper's nest! Can she pull off the ultimate heist under Volkov's nose? Read Chapter 14 to witness the glitz, glamour, and danger of Venice!
