Chapter 19: Blood in the Garden

The warning came with roses.

A bouquet of deep red roses arrived at Moretti House just after dusk. Scarlett was in the garden room reviewing legal notes when the maid carried them in.

Alexander saw the card before Scarlett did.

His expression changed instantly.

'Leave them,' he ordered the maid. 'And call Luca.'

Scarlett's stomach tightened. 'What is it?'

Alexander did not answer. He removed the card carefully with a handkerchief and read it.

Scarlett demanded, 'Alexander.'

He handed it to her.

One line was written in black ink.

A broken bird should not leave its cage.

Scarlett's blood went cold.

Luca arrived with security within minutes. The roses were examined. Hidden inside the stems was a small blade, stained with animal blood.

Scarlett tried to stay calm, but the room seemed to shrink. 'Victor?'

Alexander nodded. 'Or someone using his style.'

'My family?'

'Maybe.'

The uncertainty was worse than accusation.

That night, security doubled. Guards moved through the grounds. Cameras were checked. Scarlett tried to sleep but could not. Every sound became a threat.

Near midnight, she rolled herself to the hallway and found Alexander in his study, standing over maps and photographs.

'You should be sleeping,' he said.

'So should you.'

He looked exhausted in a way power could not hide.

Scarlett moved closer. 'I am afraid.'

The admission tasted bitter, but true.

Alexander came around the desk and crouched before her. 'Good.'

She blinked. 'Good?'

'Fear keeps people alive. Shame makes them hide it.'

She looked at him for a long moment. 'Are you afraid?'

His answer came quietly. 'Only when it comes to you.'

Before she could speak, glass shattered somewhere downstairs.

Alexander rose instantly, drawing a gun from beneath his jacket. The gentle man vanished. The Godfather remained.

'Stay behind me,' he said.

Scarlett's heart hammered as alarms erupted through the mansion.

Someone had entered Moretti House.