The office finally felt empty.
For the first time since the body had been taken away, the room was quiet again.
Too quiet.
The scent of blood still lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the sharp smell of whiskey from the shattered decanter.
Allegra stood in the center of the room, staring at the open safe.
It felt wrong.
Her father had always been obsessive about security. Nothing in his office was ever left open, unlocked, or unattended.
And yet the safe door hung open like a wound.
Behind her, Rafael closed the office door softly.
"No one will disturb us," he said.
Allegra nodded once.
"Good."
She stepped closer to the safe and looked inside again.
Empty.
Completely empty.
That was impossible.
Her father never left important things lying around.
Which meant one thing.
Someone had taken something.
Aiden Kane leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, watching everything in silence.
His eyes moved around the room slowly, methodically.
Like a man mapping a battlefield.
"What exactly did your father keep in there?" he asked.
Rafael answered before Allegra could.
"Not money."
Aiden raised an eyebrow slightly.
"No?"
Rafael shook his head.
"Your father never kept cash in the safe. Only information."
Allegra looked at him.
"What kind of information?"
Rafael hesitated.
The pause was small, but Aiden noticed it.
"So there was something specific," Aiden said quietly.
Rafael exhaled.
"Yes."
He walked toward the safe and looked inside.
"Your father kept digital files here."
Allegra frowned.
"Files?"
"Encrypted ones."
Aiden straightened slightly.
"On what?"
Rafael looked at her.
"A flash drive."
The realization hit Allegra instantly.
"A pendrive."
Rafael nodded.
"Yes."
Allegra turned back to the empty safe.
"So whoever killed him…"
Aiden finished the thought.
"…came here for that."
Silence filled the room again.
Allegra felt something cold settle in her chest.
This had not been a robbery.
It had been a mission.
"What was on it?" she asked.
Rafael rubbed his jaw slowly.
"Your father never told me exactly."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the truth."
Aiden pushed himself away from the desk and walked toward the window.
The lights of Las Vegas burned across the night skyline.
"Then let's think about it," he said.
Both of them looked at him.
"If someone risked killing one of the most powerful men in Vegas," he continued, "whatever was on that drive must have been worth it."
Allegra crossed her arms.
"What are you suggesting?"
Aiden turned slightly toward them.
"Leverage."
Rafael frowned.
"Against who?"
Aiden shrugged faintly.
"Everyone."
The word settled heavily in the room.
Allegra knew exactly what that meant.
Her father had built his empire on information.
Secrets.
Deals.
Weaknesses.
If someone now had access to those files…
They had power.
A lot of it.
Allegra walked slowly back to the desk.
Her fingers brushed the smooth wood surface.
"My father knew someone was planning something," she said quietly.
Rafael nodded.
"That's why he hired him."
He gestured toward Aiden.
Allegra glanced at him.
"And three days later he's dead."
Aiden didn't react.
"That timing bothers you," he said.
"Yes."
"It should."
Allegra studied him carefully.
"You don't seem surprised."
"I rarely am."
That answer irritated her.
"Either you're very good at this," she said, "or you're hiding something."
Aiden met her gaze calmly.
"Both things can be true."
Rafael suddenly spoke.
"There's something else."
Both of them turned to him.
"What?" Allegra asked.
Rafael pointed toward the desk.
"Your father's phone."
Allegra frowned.
"What about it?"
"It's missing."
The words dropped like a stone.
Allegra felt her pulse quicken.
"The killer took the drive…"
Aiden nodded slowly.
"And the phone."
Rafael looked uneasy now.
"Which means they knew exactly what to take."
Allegra's mind began moving faster.
Pieces.
Patterns.
If the killer had taken both—
Then they weren't just hiding something.
They were searching for something.
Or protecting it.
Aiden watched her carefully.
"You're thinking the same thing I am."
Allegra looked at him.
"Say it."
He held her gaze.
"This wasn't just murder."
A pause.
"This was cleanup."
The words sent a chill through the room.
Because if that was true…
Then the killer wasn't done.
Allegra straightened slowly.
"Rafael."
"Yes."
"I want every member of this family watched."
"Done."
"And I want the entire security system reviewed."
Rafael nodded again.
Then Allegra looked at Aiden.
"You."
He waited.
"You said my father hired you to find a traitor."
"Yes."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"Then start doing your job."
Aiden didn't smile.
Didn't argue.
He simply nodded once.
"Understood."
But as he turned toward the door, one thought stayed firmly in his mind.
The man who killed Vittorio Di Sante hadn't just stolen information.
He had started a war.
And whether Allegra realized it or not—
She was now standing in the middle of it.