Night had fallen over Las Vegas again.
From the balcony of the Di Sante mansion, the Strip glittered like a river of fire.
Inside the house, the atmosphere had shifted.
Quieter.
More tense.
More dangerous.
The staff moved carefully through the hallways.
Guards stood at every entrance.
And in her father's study, Allegra Di Sante was working.
The desk lamp cast a narrow circle of light across the dark wood surface.
Papers.
Security reports.
Phone records.
And one thin folder.
Aiden Kane.
Allegra opened it slowly.
Bianca sat across from her in one of the leather chairs.
"You've been staring at that file for twenty minutes," Bianca said.
Allegra didn't look up.
"I'm reading."
"You're thinking."
"That too."
Bianca leaned forward.
"So?"
Allegra finally looked up.
"This man appeared three days before my father died."
"Yes."
"My father hired him personally."
"Yes."
"And no one in the family knew about it."
Bianca tilted her head slightly.
"That's strange."
Allegra closed the folder halfway.
"It gets stranger."
She slid the papers across the desk.
Bianca picked them up.
"What am I looking at?"
"His background."
Bianca scanned the documents.
"Military service."
"Yes."
"Private security work."
"Yes."
"So far that looks normal."
Allegra tapped one line on the page.
"Look closer."
Bianca frowned slightly.
"Wait."
Her finger traced the dates.
"This job ended in 2019."
"Yes."
"And the next confirmed record is 2022."
Allegra nodded once.
"That's three missing years."
Bianca looked up.
"You think he's lying?"
"I think someone erased part of his history."
The study door opened quietly.
Neither woman had heard footsteps in the hallway.
Aiden Kane stood in the doorway.
Watching them.
Allegra didn't react.
"You move very quietly," she said.
Aiden stepped inside.
"Old habit."
His eyes moved briefly to the folder on the desk.
"You're checking my background."
"Of course."
"You could have asked."
Allegra leaned back in her chair.
"And would you have answered honestly?"
Aiden didn't reply immediately.
Bianca stood.
"I'll leave you two alone."
As she walked past Aiden, she gave Allegra a quick glance.
Curious.
Then she closed the door behind her.
Silence settled between them.
Allegra pushed the file toward him.
"You have missing years."
Aiden looked down at the documents.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Classified work."
Allegra raised an eyebrow.
"That's convenient."
Aiden didn't smile.
"Sometimes it is."
She watched him carefully.
"You expect me to believe that my father hired a man with three years of erased history?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Aiden met her gaze.
"Because your father already knew about it."
That answer made her pause.
"You're telling me my father trusted you anyway."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Aiden stepped closer to the desk.
"You should ask him."
Her eyes hardened instantly.
"He's dead."
"Yes."
The word landed harder than expected.
For a moment the room felt colder.
Allegra leaned forward slightly.
"Let me make something very clear."
Aiden waited.
"If you are lying to me…"
She opened a drawer in the desk.
A pistol rested inside.
Her hand hovered over it.
"…you will not leave this house alive."
Aiden didn't move.
Didn't reach for a weapon.
Didn't even blink.
"I understand."
Their eyes locked across the desk.
Neither one willing to look away.
Finally Allegra spoke again.
"One more question."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you leave?"
Aiden frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"My father is dead."
"Yes."
"Your contract technically ended tonight."
"That's true."
She tilted her head slightly.
"So why are you still here?"
For the first time since entering the room, Aiden hesitated.
Just slightly.
Then he answered.
"Because the man who killed your father…"
He glanced briefly at the window overlooking Las Vegas.
"…is still out there."
Allegra watched him carefully.
"And?"
"And if he's willing to shoot at you in a crowded casino…"
Aiden looked back at her.
"…he's not finished."
Silence settled between them again.
Finally Allegra closed the drawer slowly.
The gun disappeared from view.
"Good answer," she said.
Aiden nodded once.
But as he turned to leave the study, one thought lingered in Allegra's mind.
Three missing years.
Someone had erased them.
And she intended to find out why.