The silence at the table lasted longer than etiquette required.
Sofia counted breaths. Not hers Alessio's. Slow. Even. Like the room moved to his rhythm. Marco ate without looking at her again. Luca watched everyone, including himself, like it was a game he'd already decided how to win.
Sofia broke the quiet first. "So," she said lightly, "does anyone here talk before ten, or is this a house rule?"
Luca smiled. "We talk. We just don't waste it."
"Then you must hate meetings."
Marco snorted. Alessio didn't react.
Giulia appeared at Alessio's shoulder, leaned in just enough to murmur. Sofia didn't hear the words, but she saw the shift the almost imperceptible tightening at the corner of Alessio's mouth.
"Excuse me," Alessio said, standing.
Sofia looked up. "Am I dismissed, or are you?"
His gaze flicked to her. "Eat."
"And if I'm done?"
"Then wait."
He left with Giulia. The door at the far end closed. The room exhaled.
Luca tilted his chair back again. "You have timing."
"I have manners," Sofia said. "I speak when people are in the room."
Marco finally looked at her. "You should be careful with him."
"I am," she replied. "I'm careful not to bore him."
Luca laughed. "She's sharp."
"She's reckless," Marco said.
"Those get confused a lot," Sofia said. "Usually by men who've never been either."
Marco's jaw tightened. "You think this ends well for you?"
"I think nothing ends cleanly," she said. "But I'm still breathing, so we're all miscalculating something."
Luca studied her, amusement dimming just a touch. "You don't seem afraid."
"I'm terrified," Sofia said. "I just don't find it useful."
Footsteps returned. Alessio reentered alone.
"Marco," he said, "you're late."
Marco bristled. "I was invited."
"You were summoned."
The correction landed. Marco stood. "We'll finish this later."
"Yes," Alessio said. "We will."
Marco left without another word.
Luca rose more slowly. "I'll see myself out. Try not to break her before I get back."
Alessio's eyes didn't leave Sofia. "I won't."
"That's not what I meant," Luca said pleasantly, and disappeared.
The room felt larger with fewer people in it.
Alessio sat again. "You enjoyed that."
"I enjoyed being underestimated," Sofia said. "It's familiar."
He regarded her. "You think you were."
"Weren't I?"
"You were assessed," he said. "There's a difference."
"Assessment implies options."
"Yes."
Her pulse quickened despite herself. "And which option am I?"
"The one that creates noise," he replied. "Without moving."
"That sounds… useful."
"It is," he said. "And dangerous."
Giulia returned with coffee. Set one cup in front of Alessio. None for Sofia.
Sofia raised a brow. "Another rule?"
"Another courtesy," Alessio said. "Earned."
"By what?"
"By not lying."
She leaned back. "I can lie if you want."
"I know."
A beat passed. Then Alessio said, "Walk with me."
Giulia stiffened. "Alessio—"
"Now," he said.
Sofia stood. "Am I allowed shoes?"
"Yes."
They moved through the house side by side, no escort, no touching. Past rooms she hadn't seen, past a stairwell that dipped underground. He stopped at a narrow door and opened it.
Beyond was a service corridor. Unadorned. Cameras visible. A choice, she realized. He wanted her to see them.
"This wing connects to the old gardens," he said. "Maintenance access. Locked from the outside."
"From the inside?" she asked.
"Sometimes."
She looked at him. "Is this a lesson or a threat?"
"It's information," he said. "What you do with it determines how the next few weeks go."
Her heart thudded once. Hard. "You're telling me where a door is."
"I'm telling you where not to try," he corrected. "Yet."
"Yet," she echoed.
Alessio watched her closely. "You won't run today."
"You're very confident."
"You'd make noise," he said. "I need quiet."
"And later?"
He closed the door. "Later, we'll see if you've learned how to move without it."
They walked back. At her room, he stopped.
"One more rule," he said. "When I give you information, it's because I want something in return."
She met his gaze. "What do you want?"
"For you to choose when you disobey," he said. "Not whether."
The door closed.
Sofia stood there, heart loud, mind racing not with fear, but with maps. With timing. With the knowledge that he had just shown her a door and told her not to touch it.
She smiled to herself.