The rain had stopped hours ago, but the storm it left behind lingered in Amira's chest.
She stood by the tall glass window of the mansion's east wing, watching the slow blush of dawn creep across the horizon. The world looked calm, but inside her—nothing was.
Her reflection looked back at her: damp hair, dark circles under her eyes, the silk robe that hung loosely from her shoulders. She had barely slept, not after the chaos of the previous night.
The world now knew her name. Every gossip outlet, every news site, every online forum carried headlines that screamed "THE PAPER BRIDE WHO BECAME A REAL ONE."
It was supposed to be a secret marriage. A transaction.
Now, it was a spectacle.
"Ma'am, the press are at the main gate again," Lila said softly from the doorway. "They've been there since 5 a.m. Security is trying to keep them back."
Amira turned slightly, her voice hoarse. "Any word from Leonardo?"
Lila shook her head. "No, ma'am. Not since last night. His car's GPS went off around the old pier road."
Amira's stomach tightened. She hated how the words no signal had begun to sound like no hope.
She wrapped her robe tighter and walked toward the grand staircase. The entire house felt hollow without him.
Every ticking clock sounded louder. Every corner of the mansion whispered his name.
By the time she reached the main hall, her assistant, Haru, was already there—nervous, clutching a tablet.
"Mrs. Russo—" he paused, his throat dry. "I think you should see this."
He handed her the tablet. A news broadcast was streaming.
A shaken anchor spoke over footage of the Russo Corporation Tower surrounded by flashing lights.
"—an explosion was reported in the lower basement around 4:27 a.m. Emergency teams are on-site. The source of the blast remains unknown, but sources confirm the CEO, Leonardo Russo, has not yet been located—"
The tablet slipped from her hands, hitting the marble floor with a shattering sound that matched the crack in her heart.
"No…" she whispered. "No, not him. He promised—"
Haru caught her shoulders, steadying her. "It could be a false report, ma'am. The company's head of security said they're still searching."
But Amira barely heard him. She was already running—barefoot, robe fluttering like broken wings—toward the front door.
The morning air outside bit into her skin. Reporters surged forward, shouting her name.
"Mrs. Russo! Is it true the CEO's been kidnapped?"
"Did the explosion have anything to do with your secret marriage?"
"Are you inheriting the company now?"
Her head spun with noise, cameras, and blinding flashes. She pushed through them, ignoring the questions that stung like arrows.
Just then, a black SUV screeched to a stop in front of her.
The window rolled down.
It wasn't Leonardo.
It was Marcus Hale—Leonardo's head of security. Former soldier. The kind of man who never smiled, never panicked… until now.
"Get in," he barked. "Now."
Amira didn't hesitate. The door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the chaos of reporters.
"Where is he?" she demanded as the SUV sped through the wet streets.
Marcus's jaw tightened. "We found his car near the pier. Empty. No blood, no signs of a struggle, but the tracking chip was disabled. That's not Leonardo's style."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying someone wanted him off-grid."
Amira's pulse thundered. "Who would dare—"
"Half the board, maybe," Marcus muttered. "And that explosion this morning? It wasn't random. It was a message."
They reached the company tower an hour later. The air smelled of smoke and melted steel. Fire crews were packing up, police tape glowed yellow under the pale sunrise.
The lower floors were blackened, glass shattered like fallen stars.
Amira stood frozen before the wreckage.
This was Leonardo's empire—his heart, his pride—and now it was bleeding.
She took a slow step forward.
A voice called her name.
"Mrs. Russo!"
She turned. A tall woman approached, dressed in a crisp navy suit. Her tone carried both authority and pity.
"Detective Rina Torres, Corporate Crimes Division. We're handling the case. I'll need to ask you a few questions."
Amira's lips trembled. "Has he been found?"
Rina's gaze softened. "Not yet. But… we found this near his car."
She held out a small object in a clear evidence bag.
Amira's breath caught.
It was Leonardo's wedding ring.
For a second, the world fell silent. Then the grief came in waves—hot, unstoppable, real.
Her hand trembled as she pressed it to her chest, trying to hold herself together.
Detective Rina spoke quietly. "We believe the explosion was planted to erase digital records. Financial, research… all of it. Whoever did this wanted to cripple the Russo legacy."
Amira blinked through her tears. "He said something like this might happen. He… he told me not to trust anyone on the board."
Rina raised an eyebrow. "You think it's internal?"
"I know it is."
That night, she returned home. The house was too big, too quiet. The wind whispered through the corridors like a ghost.
Amira walked into Leonardo's study—his scent still lingered: cedarwood, ink, and something darker. His chair sat pushed back, as though he'd only just left.
She reached for the drawer he'd told her never to open.
Her fingers trembled. Then she pulled it open.
Inside was a small key and a sealed envelope.
Her name was written on it in his sharp handwriting.
If you're reading this, Amira, it means the storm finally came for me. Don't look for me—find the truth instead. There's something in the vault under the rose garden. Use the key. Trust no one. Not even Marcus. — L.
Her breath caught. Not even Marcus?
She turned the key in her palm.
Her heart pounded. Her life had already been destroyed by secrets—what was one more?
She took a flashlight and went into the night.
The rose garden was quiet, the earth still wet. The moon, pale and cold, watched her dig beneath the largest rosebush.
Her fingers struck something metallic—a hidden latch.
The lock clicked.
The ground gave way to a narrow staircase leading underground.
Her flashlight trembled as she descended into the dark.
Every step echoed like a heartbeat.
At the bottom lay a small steel vault door. She slid the key in. It turned smoothly.
Inside were files—hundreds of them—and photographs.
But what froze her blood wasn't the papers. It was the photograph pinned to the top.
A younger Leonardo… standing beside a man she'd never seen before. A man with her father's ring on his hand.
Her lips parted in shock. "No… this can't be…"
The memories she'd buried started to rise—her father's mysterious death, the company her family lost, the way Leonardo had appeared in her life like fate.
Or maybe like payback.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
She spun around—flashlight trembling—and came face-to-face with Marcus.
"I told you not to come here alone," he said coldly.
Her pulse raced. "Leonardo told me not to trust you."
Marcus's face darkened. "He said that because he knew what I'd have to do if you found this."
Her heart stopped. "What do you mean?"
He took a step closer. "You were never supposed to know, Amira. Your marriage, the contract—it was all part of his cover."
She shook her head violently. "You're lying!"
Marcus's gaze softened, regret flickering for a heartbeat. "I wish I were."
He reached into his coat pocket.
Amira froze.
Before he could pull anything out, the emergency lights flickered—then went out.
A faint buzz filled the silence. Then a voice—distorted, low—came through the vault's old speaker.
"Step away from her, Marcus."
Amira's breath caught.
It was Leonardo's voice.
Marcus stiffened. "Impossible…"
"You didn't think I'd leave without a backup plan, did you?" Leonardo's tone was dark, almost amused. "Now move away from my wife."
The speaker crackled, and a metallic door on the far side hissed open.
Amira turned, light flooding back into the vault.
There he was.
Bruised. Disheveled. Alive.
Leonardo Russo stepped out of the shadows like a ghost resurrected from the storm.
Amira's knees almost gave out. "Leonardo—"
He caught her before she fell, his hands warm against her freezing skin.
"You didn't listen," he whispered against her hair. "I told you not to come here."
Tears burned her eyes. "You disappeared! What did you expect me to do—sit still while the world burns?"
He smiled faintly, pain flickering behind his eyes. "That's exactly why I married you. You never sit still."
Marcus stepped back, guilt flickering in his expression. "I tried to protect her."
Leonardo's voice hardened. "You tried to control her."
The two men stared at each other, tension crackling like electricity.
But before Amira could ask the questions boiling in her mind, Leonardo turned to her and said quietly,
"Everything you think you know about your father's death… and my company… starts here."
He handed her one of the old photographs.
"Welcome to the real Russo empire."