No one liked being locked in a room with a corpse.
Especially not men who had spent their lives avoiding prison cells.
The tension inside the office thickened with every passing minute.
Antonio wiped sweat from his forehead.
Marco stared at the door like he was calculating how fast he could reach it if the guards moved.
Matteo looked irritated.
Rafael looked thoughtful.
And Allegra watched them all.
She leaned casually against her father's desk, arms crossed.
Silent.
Waiting.
Silence was a weapon.
Her father had taught her that when she was fourteen.
Let them speak first.
Antonio finally cracked.
"This is ridiculous."
His voice echoed in the room.
"We're not criminals."
Allegra raised an eyebrow slowly.
Antonio realized what he had just said.
Too late.
"You're right," she said calmly.
"You're not criminals."
Her gaze slid across the room.
"You're family."
That was worse.
Marco exhaled slowly.
"You think one of us shot your father?"
"I think someone helped the man who did."
She pushed away from the desk.
"And until I know who…"
Her voice hardened.
"…this door stays closed."
Antonio slammed his hand on the table.
"You can't hold us here like prisoners!"
Before anyone else could react—
A gun appeared in Allegra's hand.
Fast.
Smooth.
She pointed it directly at Antonio's chest.
The room froze.
Antonio's anger vanished instantly.
Allegra's voice stayed calm.
"Sit."
He sat.
Slowly.
No one else moved.
Then the quiet voice behind them spoke again.
Aiden Kane.
"You're asking the wrong question."
All eyes turned toward him.
Allegra looked at him sharply.
"And what question should I ask?"
Aiden stepped closer to the desk.
Not nervous.
Not intimidated.
Just observant.
"You're asking who killed him."
He gestured toward the body.
"But that's not the important part."
Allegra tilted her head slightly.
"Go on."
Aiden glanced once around the room.
Then back to her.
"The important question is…"
He pointed toward the safe.
"…who knew what was inside."
Silence.
Heavy.
Matteo spoke first.
"Enough of this."
He looked at Allegra with controlled frustration.
"This man is not family."
"No," Allegra said.
"He's not."
She turned toward Aiden.
"So why are you here?"
Aiden didn't hesitate.
"Your father hired me."
Rafael frowned.
"I never approved a new security contractor."
Aiden reached into his jacket slowly.
Several men tensed.
He pulled out a small envelope and placed it on the desk.
Rafael opened it.
Inside was a document with the Di Sante seal.
Signed.
Rafael looked up.
"It's real."
Matteo stepped closer.
"When did this happen?"
Aiden answered calmly.
"Three days ago."
Allegra felt something cold settle in her chest.
Three days.
Three days before her father died.
She looked at Aiden carefully.
"Why?"
Aiden met her gaze.
"Because your father thought someone close to him was planning something."
The room shifted.
Antonio looked nervous again.
Marco stared at the floor.
Matteo's expression didn't change.
Allegra walked slowly toward Aiden.
Stopping only a step away.
He was tall.
Broad.
Dangerous in the quiet way trained men often were.
Up close she noticed something new.
A scar along his jaw.
Old.
Military maybe.
"You're telling me my father hired you to find a traitor."
"Yes."
"And he died before you could."
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That makes you either very unlucky…"
She took another step closer.
"…or very suspicious."
Aiden didn't move.
Didn't even blink.
"If I killed him," he said calmly, "I wouldn't still be in the room."
That answer hung between them.
Allegra studied him for a long moment.
Then she turned back to the others.
"The doors can open."
Antonio jumped up immediately.
"Finally—"
"But nobody leaves the house."
He stopped again.
Allegra looked around the room.
Cold.
Controlled.
Deadly.
"Until I know who betrayed my father…"
Her eyes landed briefly on Matteo.
Then Antonio.
Then Marco.
"…this family is under investigation."
No one argued.
Not this time.
Because for the first time since her father's death—
They believed her.
Allegra Di Sante was not just the daughter of the king.
She might actually become something worse.
Behind her, Aiden Kane watched quietly.
Studying her the same way she had studied them.
Like a strategist watching a battlefield.
And for the first time since he entered the house—
He realized something.
This job was going to be far more dangerous than he thought.