Rico's POV
I had always believed control was protection.
Especially when it came to Bella.
For months, I watched her through quiet means—hidden signals, silent tracking, the kind of systems no one ever noticed until I decided they should.
Even the device I placed in her phone… it was never about distrust.
It was about preparation.
Because in my world, peace never lasted long.
But tonight, something in me changed.
I sat beside Bella in her room at the mansion, watching her sleep. She was unusually close to me again—too close. Her hand was still gripping my shirt even in her sleep, like she was afraid I would vanish if she let go.
That wasn't normal.
Not for her.
Not like this.
Her breathing was calm, but her body told a different story.
Fear had settled inside her recently.
And I already knew where it came from.
Carefully, I reached for her phone on the table.
The same device I had once turned into a quiet observer.
I stared at it for a long moment.
Then I removed the listening bug.
No hesitation.
No replacement.
Just silence.
The small device rested in my palm before I crushed it between my fingers.
It was the first time I was choosing not to listen.
Not because I was blind.
But because I no longer needed it.
I already knew enough.
More than Bella realized.
More than she had ever been told.
My phone lit up almost immediately after.
A report.
From my spy.
I stepped away from the bed so I wouldn't wake her and answered in a low voice.
"Talk."
A pause.
Then—
"Sir… Marco is active again."
I didn't react.
Not outwardly.
Because Marco was never a surprise.
Marco was Bella's father's subordinate.
And more than that…
a traitor.
I had known for a while.
I had known exactly where his loyalty broke.
But I never acted on it.
Not fully.
Because Marco was not the end of the story.
He was only a thread.
And I needed to see where it led.
"Is he moving against her?" I asked calmly.
"Not directly," the spy replied. "But he's watching her. Tracking patterns. He's been close to information he shouldn't have."
I looked back at Bella through the half-open door.
Still asleep.
Still holding onto nothing but instinct and fear.
Good.
That fear meant she was close to something she didn't understand yet.
And I needed her to walk into it on her own.
Not because I lacked control.
But because truth only revealed itself when it wasn't forced.
I ended the call and stood in silence for a moment.
Marco thought he was playing a hidden game.
Bella thought she was only trying to understand her past.
And everyone else thought I was still watching every move.
But I wasn't.
I had stepped back intentionally.
Not because I was losing control…
but because I was letting the truth surface on its own.
I turned slightly toward Bella's room again.
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Go ahead, Marco."
"Show me what you're really protecting."
"And I'll decide who you are when you think no one is watching."
Then I walked away into the darkness of the mansion.
Not as a man losing control…
but as one waiting for the real enemy to finally reveal himself.