"You're not alone in this," I tell her as we near the estate gates.
She stops walking and turns to face me fully. In the dim streetlight, her eyes search my face for something—truth, perhaps, or reassurance that my words carry meaning beyond mere comfort.
"I don't feel alone," she says quietly. "Not anymore."
Her admission captures my full attention as she meets my gaze. I want to reach for her, to close the distance that protocol and circumstance have forced between us, but the estate gates loom ahead, and I know our time is limited.
"Go," I tell her. "Bruno will follow at a distance to make sure you're safe."
She nods and continues toward the gates, her figure growing smaller in the darkness. I step back into the shadows, watchinguntil she disappears inside the estate grounds, then signal to Bruno, who's been waiting in a car two blocks away.
The walk back through Rome gives me time to think, to plan the next moves in this increasingly complex game. Emilio's influence over the opera house can be countered, Alba's ambitions can be redirected, and the board's decisions can be changed with the right pressure applied in the right places.
But the real challenge isn't political or financial—it's the growing certainty that what started as leverage has become something I can't afford to lose. Every conversation with her reveals new layers, new reasons she's become essential rather than expendable.
Tomorrow, I'll continue the campaign to protect her career, to neutralize the threats that surround her. But tonight, I walk through the ancient streets of Rome and acknowledge what I've been avoiding for weeks. This isn't about business anymore. I am falling for The Rose of Rome.
16
ROSARIA
The alley behind the café reeks of old grease and cigarette smoke. I wait in the shadows, checking my phone every few seconds. Eva appears at the mouth of the narrow passage, her usual bright smile replaced by concern.
"You look terrible," she says, pulling me deeper into the dim space between buildings.
"Thank you for the honesty." I lean against the brick wall, feeling the rough texture through my coat. "I need to show you this."
My hands shake as I unlock my phone. The video loads slowly, Alba's face filling the screen. Her voice makes me shudder. It's the same response I've had every time I've watched this video.
"Hello, Rosaria. I hope you're enjoying your little vacation from reality. But all good things must end, mustn’t they?"
The camera pans across photographs spread on a marble table. Me walking through Salvatore's gates. Me in his garden. Me leaving his estate at dawn, hair mussed, dress wrinkled. The angles are too perfect, too calculated. She's been watching me for weeks.
"These are quite beautiful, aren't they? The lighting is exquisite. I think the press would find them fascinating—especially the tabloids. They do love a fallen angel story."
Alba's manicured fingers trace the edge of one photograph. "Withdraw from all opera house auditions. Publicly endorse me as your replacement. Do this, and these images remain private. Refuse, and every major publication in Italy will have them by morning. I'm sure your uncle would be thrilled to see his precious rose blooming in such interesting gardens."
The video ends. Eva stares at the blank screen, her face pale.
"That vicious little—" She catches herself. "When did you get this?"
"Yesterday morning. Right after rehearsal."
Eva takes the phone, rewinding to study the photographs. "These are professional quality. She hired someone to follow you."
"I know."
"You have to tell Emilio."
The words make my blood run cold. "No."
"Rosaria, you can't handle this alone. He needs to know what she's doing."
"If I tell him, he'll destroy her. And everyone will know why." I reclaim my phone, shoving it deep into my purse. "The scandal will be worse than if I do nothing."
"The scandal will be worse if you do nothing and she releases them anyway."
I close my eyes, seeing Emilio's face when he discovers where I've been—that I've been sneaking out right under his nose. His disappointment. His rage. The way his voice drops to a whisper when he's truly furious.
