His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 523 Where is he?
She was jolted awake by the subtle change in the aircraft’s pressure and the pilot’s calm voice announcing their initial descent into City F. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes groggily, the remnants of sleep clinging to her. For a disorienting second, she did not remember where she was. Then it all came flooding back.
The plane touched down smoothly. By the time she had gathered her small bag and walked down the aircraft steps, a sleek black car was already waiting on the tarmac, its engine running softly. The cool, unfamiliar air of City F hit her, sharp and bracing.
One of her guards held the car door open for her. Bella slid inside, the quiet luxury of the vehicle a stark contrast to her rumpled dress and frayed nerves. Her first action was to pull out her phone. Her screen glowed in the dim interior as she brought up the tracking app, her heart pounding a nervous rhythm against her ribs. The blinking marker was still there, stationary in an area she did not recognize.
She leaned forward, addressing the driver. "Take us here," she instructed, her voice still rough with sleep but clear with purpose, showing him the location on her screen.
The car pulled to a stop a discreet distance from the address. Bella peered through the window, her eyes narrowing. It was not an apartment or a hotel, but a small, secluded mansion shrouded in the pre dawn gloom. The setting felt wrong. And the men stationed outside, two broad shouldered figures standing with a rigid, professional alertness, were completely unfamiliar. They did not wear the uniforms of her family’s security or Leo’s usual team. A cold trickle of unease slid down her spine.
"Stop here," she instructed the driver, her voice low. "Wait for me." She was not sure if these men were dangerous, but their presence felt like a blockade.
What should I do? she thought, biting her lower lip until she tasted the faint tang of blood. Charging in blindly was reckless. Calling William now would only cause delay and panic. She glanced to the side, catching the stoic gaze of her own head guard, Marco, who gave her a barely perceptible nod.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she smoothed the wrinkled charcoal fabric of her gown, a ridiculous costume for this moment, and stepped out of the car. The cool night air wrapped around her. She forced her shoulders back and lifted her chin, adopting a posture of unshakable confidence she did not feel, and began walking toward the mansion’s gate.
The two unknown guards snapped to attention as she approached, their expressions unreadable behind sunglasses despite the darkness. One immediately stepped forward, a large hand coming up to halt her.
"Stop. Identify yourself," he demanded, his voice a gravelly baritone.
She stood before them, a startling vision in the dim light, a beautiful woman with long, flowing brown hair, her face pale and etched with tension, yet undeniably striking. Her eyes, the color of rich dark chocolate, held a determined gleam. The elegant charcoal gown, though rumpled from travel, marked her as someone from a different world than this guarded, secretive place.
"I am Isabella Moretti," she declared, her voice clear and firm, not wavering as she held the lead guard’s hidden gaze.
The effect was instantaneous. The guard’s head jerked back slightly in recognition. He quickly looked over his shoulder toward the main door and gave a sharp, subtle signal.
From the shadows beside the entrance, another man emerged. This one was different. He wore dark tactical pants and a black T shirt with a distinctive red logo emblazoned on the chest, a crest she vaguely recognized from Leo’s security briefings. It was the insignia of his most trusted, discreet protection team, the ones who handled off the books operations. The new guard gave a curt nod to the men at the gate.
"Let her pass," he said, his voice low.
The first guards immediately stepped aside, opening the wrought iron gate. Bella walked through, her heart hammering against her ribs. She took another deep breath, the air inside the walled garden feeling thick with secrecy. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
The main door was ajar. As she entered the grand foyer, the feeling of being watched intensified. Though the space seemed empty, she sensed movement in the dark doorways, saw the faint red glow of security camera lights. Many eyes were tracking her every move. The silence was heavy, pressing down on her.
"Where is he?" she demanded, turning to the guard with the red logo who had followed her inside. Her voice echoed slightly in the marble hall.
The guard exchanged a loaded glance with another man stationed at the foot of a sweeping staircase. "Ma’am..." he began.
"He’s upstairs," the other guard finally said, his tone respectful but tense. "The last door at the end of the west corridor."
Bella did not wait for further permission or explanation. Her heels clicked against the polished stairs as she climbed, the sound sharp in the quiet house. At the top, she turned down a dimly lit hallway. Just as described, at the far end, she saw a heavy wooden door with two more serious looking guards standing sentry outside. Their postures relaxed minutely upon seeing her, and one gave her a respectful nod before stepping aside to let her approach the door.
Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the handle. What state would she find him in? What required this level of secrecy and security? With a final surge of courage, she pushed the door open.
The scene that unfolded before her hit with the force of a physical blow. Her breath vanished.
There, on a large bed in the center of the dimly lit room, was Leo. He lay on his stomach, his head turned to the side, his face pale and unconscious. But it was his back that made the world tilt. A brutal, livid wound ran from the base of his right shoulder all the way across to the left side of his spine, a savage, angry gash that had been meticulously closed with a line of dark, precise stitches. The surrounding skin was a horrific canvas of deep purple and violent red bruising.
