Chapter 326: Fear

KATYA POV

My eyes never left Romeo. James—still haven’t forgotten what he did to me—had leaned down just enough to whisper something into his ear, his voice too low for either Nonna or me to catch.

I couldn’t hear a single word. But I didn’t need to. Whatever he’d said…

It mattered. Romeo hadn’t reacted. No frown. No surprise. Not even the slightest tightening of his jaw.

He’d simply listened with that same unreadable expression that somehow managed to reveal absolutely nothing.

But somehow, that made me even more uneasy.

James straightened. Romeo’s gaze shifted. Straight to me. The air caught somewhere in my lungs. Why was he looking at me like that?

Romeo moved. I stayed exactly where I was, my heart beginning to beat a little faster.

What was he doing? He stopped directly in front of me. Instinctively, I leaned back ever so slightly.

The movement was small. Barely noticeable. Old habits. Old instincts.

His grey eyes lingered on my face for only a heartbeat before he bent slightly. My brain immediately malfunctioned.

What….He leaned closer and Closer. Until his face was only inches away.

My eyes widened. What on earth….I leaned back another fraction, completely caught off guard.

Had he suddenly forgotten the concept of personal space? My thoughts dissolved into complete confusion.

Until I felt his voice rather than heard it. Low. Quiet. Close enough that no one else could possibly make out the words.

“Follow me.” That was it.

Nothing more. No explanation. No reason. No opportunity to ask questions. He straightened immediately afterward as though nothing unusual had happened.

What?

My brain remained stubbornly frozen. Follow him?

Why? Where? For what? I stared at him, waiting for the rest of the sentence.

It never came. Instead, Romeo turned calmly toward Nonna.

“James.” His voice returned to its usual even tone. “Stay with Nonna.”

“Yes, Don.”James nodded once. That was apparently the end of the discussion.

Romeo didn’t look at me again. He simply turned and began walking back toward the villa with the same unhurried pace he always seemed to have.

I remained rooted to the spot. Completely bewildered. What… just happened? My thoughts chased each other in frantic circles.

Follow him? That wasn’t a request. It hadn’t sounded like an order either.

Just… A statement. As though he’d already decided I would. I frowned after his retreating figure.

Seriously? Was he going to explain absolutely nothing? Ever since yesterday he’d been acting…

Weird.

There wasn’t another word for it.

He’d driven us home. Covered for us. Taken the blame from Nonna. Apologized. Asked me how I’d been.

And now he was whispering mysterious instructions before walking away without another word.

Had six months somehow altered his personality? Or had I finally lost my mind? Neither option seemed particularly reassuring.

I glanced toward James. He was standing exactly where Romeo had left him, hands clasped behind his back in that perfectly professional posture I’d seen countless times before.

Maybe… Maybe he knew. Our eyes met. I looked at him expectantly.

He looked back at me with the same expressionless face. Nothing. Not even the smallest hint. It almost felt as if he was silently asking why are you looking at me?

Well…

Because your boss just whispered something incredibly suspicious before disappearing!

Obviously. I continued staring. James remained entirely unmoved. Not a single helpful expression crossed his face.

Traitor. My attention shifted again. This time to Nonna. She was already looking directly at me.

One elegant eyebrow had lifted ever so slightly. “Katya?” Curiosity sparkled openly in her eyes now.

“What is it?” I blinked. From her perspective… Romeo had walked over, whispered something in my ear, and immediately left.

That probably looked strange.

Actually… No. It definitely looked strange. I scrambled for an answer before my silence became suspicious.

“Nothing, Nonna.” The words came out a little too quickly. “I’ll just…” I gestured vaguely in the direction Romeo had gone, immediately realizing how unhelpful that looked.

“…Excuse me for a moment.” Nonna studied my face, I thought she might ask another question. But surprisingly She smiled gently.

“Go on.” Relief washed through me. “Thank you.” I offered her a small smile before turning away.

The moment I stepped onto the stone pathway, my confusion returned with full force.

What was I doing? Following him. Apparently. I couldn’t even believe myself. Every sensible part of my brain insisted I should ignore him entirely.

If Romeo wanted to speak to me, he could have done it right there in the garden. Instead, he’d whispered two words and walked away as though expecting me to chase after him.

Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.…Yet my feet kept moving. The gravel crunched softly beneath my loafers as I hurried along the winding garden path.

Ahead of me, Romeo hadn’t looked back once. Not once. As though he already knew I was behind him. The thought irritated me far more than it should have.

I quickened my pace slightly.

“If you’re making me walk all the way over here just to stand in silence again…” I muttered under my breath. “…I’m actually going to lose my mind.”

Of course, he was too far ahead to hear me. Probably for the best. Even so… The uneasy feeling growing in the pit of my stomach refused to leave.

James hadn’t interrupted us for no reason. Whatever he’d whispered… It had something to do with me.

I was suddenly certain of it. Romeo pace remained steady as he crossed the terrace and stepped through the open glass doors leading back into the villa.

I hurried after him, still trying to make sense of everything. The cool air inside immediately replaced the warmth of the afternoon sun.

The familiar scent of polished wood and fresh flowers greeted me as we entered the entrance hall. Neither of us spoke. The silence between us had become almost unbearable.

At this point, I wasn’t even sure whether I was following him because he’d asked me to… Or because my curiosity had completely overpowered my common sense.

He turned down the corridor leading toward the main living room.

I frowned. The living room?

Why were we…Romeo rounded the corner first. I followed only a step behind.

The moment I crossed the doorway… I stopped.

Three unfamiliar faces turned toward me almost immediately.

Two men.

One woman.

All three wore police uniforms. My mind went completely blank.

Police.

My pulse lurched painfully inside my chest. The female officer held a small notebook against her side while one of the men stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The other looked as though he’d been waiting.

Waiting…

For me.

Only then did I notice someone else.

Chiara.

She sat rigidly on one of the cream-colored sofas, both hands clenched so tightly together in her lap that her knuckles had turned white.

The moment our eyes met… Relief flashed across her face. Followed almost instantly by fear.

Real fear.

My stomach dropped.