Ariana's POV:
The atmosphere inside the Romano headquarters felt unbearably suffocating.
No one spoke as Asher was dragged into the room by the guards.
His hands were tied behind his back and there was blood at the corner of his lips from resisting earlier, but despite everything, he didn't struggle anymore.
He just looked exhausted. Defeated.
I stared at him quietly while my chest tightened painfully.
Just this morning he had still been someone we trusted completely.
Someone who sat with us during meals. Someone my brothers joked around with. Someone papa treated like family.
And now he was standing here as the traitor who leaked our information and exposed my whereabouts.
The same betrayal that almost got my parents and me killed.
Leo fratello suddenly grabbed Asher by the collar violently and slammed him against the wall.
"Why?" he shouted furiously.
The room fell silent.
Asher lowered his head but didn't answer.
That silence only made Leo fratello angrier.
"Answer me!" he roared before punching him hard across the face.
Blood appeared on Asher's lips again, but he still didn't defend himself.
He simply accepted it quietly.
That was what felt strange to me.
If someone truly betrayed us willingly, wouldn't they try to justify themselves?
Wouldn't they at least try to survive?
But Asher looked like someone who had already given up.
Tony fratello stood there silently while looking at him.
His expression was calm, but I could see the anger hidden beneath it.
No...
More than anger, it was disappointment.
Asher was one of the people he trusted the most.
Even after discovering that there was a mole inside the mafia, Tony fratello never once suspected him.
That trust had shattered now. And betrayal from someone close always hurts the most.
"Asher."
Tony fratello's voice was calm, but the coldness behind it instantly made the room tense.
Asher slowly raised his head slightly.
"Did I ever treat you badly?"
Silence.
"Did anyone in this family ever treat you badly?"
Asher clenched his fists but still remained silent.
Tony fratello laughed quietly. There was no amusement in it.
"You ate with us."
His voice slowly turned colder.
"You worked beside us for years."
He stepped closer toward him.
"We trusted you."
Then his eyes darkened completely.
"So tell me something..."
"Why did you betray us?"
Asher lowered his head again.
Still no answer.
Papa sighed heavily while Leo fratello looked furious enough to kill him right there.
Honestly...
Seeing everyone like this hurt me too.
Because betrayal from enemies was expected in our world.
But betrayal from family? That destroyed people differently.
"You wanted to meet the hacker 'A' before, didn't you?" Tony fratello suddenly asked.
For the first time, Asher reacted.
"You found them?" he asked immediately.
Tony fratello smirked slightly.
"Her."
Asher looked confused.
"She's someone you know very well."
I noticed his eyes scanning the room before briefly landing on me.
Then he looked away immediately as if dismissing the possibility.
"It's princess," Tony fratello said calmly.
"The 'A' stands for Ariana."
Asher froze completely.
His eyes snapped toward me in disbelief.
"You?" he asked quietly.
I nodded calmly.
"You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" I replied.
He kept staring at me like he still couldn't process it.
"You're too young," he muttered.
"And yet I still exposed you," I answered.
His expression darkened instantly.
Tony fratello crossed his arms.
"Princess uncovered every hidden thing you tried to erase."
Asher lowered his head again.
But even after all this... He still stayed silent.
Tony fratello finally lost his patience.
"Fine."
His voice turned icy.
"If you want to remain silent then stay silent."
He looked toward the guards.
"Keep him here. No food. No water."
The guards nodded immediately.
Tony fratello turned around and walked out of the room while everyone followed him. I followed too, but my thoughts remained occupied with Asher.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Why would he stay silent even now? If he really betrayed us willingly, why wasn't he trying to defend himself? Why did he look more guilty than scared?
It didn't make sense.
"Tony fratello," I called suddenly.
Everyone stopped walking. Tony fratello looked at me immediately.
"What happened, princess?"
"I want to check something."
His brows furrowed slightly.
"What?"
"I'm not sure yet," I admitted honestly.
"But something feels off."
Tony fratello stared at me for a moment before nodding.
"Use my office."
I nodded and immediately walked toward his office.
The moment I sat in front of the computer, I started searching through everything again.
Financial records. Deleted files. Communication logs. Encrypted accounts. Hidden transactions.
At first everything looked the same. But the more I searched, the stranger it became.
Asher had hidden his tracks carefully. Too carefully.
That meant someone had helped him. Or forced him.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. Interesting.
Hours passed quietly as I continued bypassing firewalls and encrypted routes.
The entire system was heavily protected. Whoever helped Asher clearly knew what they were doing.
But unfortunately for them... I was better.
I cracked another encrypted route and finally gained access to a hidden account.
Then my expression slowly changed. No wonder.
I immediately copied everything into a pen drive before standing up and heading toward Leo fratello's office where everyone had gathered.
The atmosphere inside was still heavy.
Papa was sitting quietly while rubbing his forehead tiredly. Leo fratello looked furious. Tony fratello remained expressionless, which honestly felt scarier than anger.
The moment they saw my face, they immediately became serious.
"What happened?" papa asked.
"I found something."
I plugged the pen drive into the system and displayed the files on the screen.
Everyone started reading carefully.
And the more they read... The more their expressions changed.
Shock. Disbelief. Confusion.
"Princess..." papa muttered slowly. "Is this true?"
I nodded quietly.
"Yes."
Tony fratello looked at me sharply.
"Explain."
I took a deep breath.
"Asher wasn't working willingly."
Leo fratello frowned immediately.
"What?"
"He was forced."
The room fell silent instantly.
I opened another file and displayed it on the screen.
"It started months ago. Someone kidnapped his younger sister."
Everyone froze. Honestly, I was shocked too when I first found out. I didn't even know Asher had a sister.
"They threatened him," I continued quietly.
"At first he refused to cooperate."
I opened another hidden file. A video.
The atmosphere instantly became colder.
The video showed a terrified young girl tied to a chair while someone slapped her repeatedly.
Papa immediately looked away while Leo fratello cursed angrily.
I stopped the video quickly.
"They tortured her every time he refused."
Tony fratello's jaw tightened dangerously.
"And eventually," I said softly, "he broke."
Silence filled the room again.
For the first time since Asher's betrayal was exposed, everyone looked conflicted.
Because yes, he betrayed us.
But at the same time... He was trying to save his sister.
"But why didn't he tell us?" Leo fratello asked angrily.
"He couldn't."
Everyone looked at me.
"The people controlling him have a hacker working for them," I explained.
"They monitored Asher constantly. If he tried contacting us secretly, they would've known immediately."
Tony fratello frowned.
"And you bypassed their system without them noticing?"
I nodded. "Yes."
Leo fratello stared at me.
"You're terrifying."
I ignored him completely.
Tony fratello stayed silent for several moments before finally speaking.
"Where is his sister now?"
I pulled up another file.
"I traced the location."
Everyone immediately stood up.
"We're bringing her back," Tony fratello said coldly.
No one argued.
Because regardless of what Asher did... His sister was innocent.
Just then Leo fratello spoke quietly.
"I'll tell him."
Tony fratello nodded once. Leo fratello left the office while I quietly followed behind him. The moment we entered the interrogation room, Asher slowly raised his head.
He looked exhausted. Completely drained.
Leo fratello stared at him silently before finally speaking.
"We know about your sister."
Asher froze instantly.
"What?"
"Princess found everything."
For the first time since he was brought here, real panic appeared on his face.
"You..." his voice shook slightly. "You know about Elena?"
Leo fratello nodded coldly.
"We found her location too."
Asher stared at him blankly like he couldn't process the words.
Then his lips trembled slightly.
"You're... going to save her?"
Leo fratello's expression remained cold.
"She's innocent."
Asher lowered his head immediately. His shoulders shook slightly.
"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely.
"I never wanted this."
Leo fratello stayed silent.
Asher laughed bitterly at himself.
"They told me they would kill her if I refused."
His fists clenched tightly.
"I tried to resist at first. I really did."
His voice cracked slightly.
"But every time I refused... they hurt her more."
I quietly looked at him.
He didn't look like a traitor anymore. He looked like someone who had been drowning alone for months.
"I know what I did is unforgivable," he continued quietly.
"Princess almost died because of me."
The room became silent again.
"And I'll accept whatever punishment you give me afterward."
His voice became weaker.
"But please..."
He finally looked up.
"Please save my sister."
Leo fratello stared at him for several moments before replying coldly,
"We will."
Asher closed his eyes tightly in relief.
For the first time since this entire situation started... I finally understood something.
The mafia world didn't always create evil people. Sometimes it simply trapped people until they made terrible choices.
And Asher... Had lost himself trying to protect the only family he had left.
****
By the time preparations for the rescue began, darkness had already fallen outside the headquarters.
Hours had passed since Asher's betrayal was exposed. All of my brothers were here.
The entire Romano headquarters felt tense and restless. Guards moved around quickly while weapons and vehicles were being prepared downstairs in complete silence.
Inside Leo fratello's office, the atmosphere remained heavy.
Cold coffee cups were scattered across the table while files and weapons covered almost every surface. Everyone looked exhausted after the emotional chaos earlier.
Papa was sitting silently on the couch while rubbing his forehead tiredly.
Tony fratello stood near the window while loosening his tie slightly. Even he looked exhausted now after handling everything for hours continuously.
Leo fratello was pacing around the office impatiently while muttering curses under his breath every few minutes.
Raf fratello was leaning against the wall quietly with his arms crossed, but from the dangerous look in his eyes I knew he was furious.
Ben fratello was sitting on the armchair while scrolling through information on his tablet, helping us track routes and possible escape paths.
Twinnie and Alf fratello had just returned after checking the weapons and vehicles downstairs.
The atmosphere was tense but coordinated. Everyone was focused on saving Asher's sister.
I sat in front of the computer while continuing to monitor the enemy hacker's movements carefully. If they contacted Asher again, I needed to know immediately.
Noah and Jessy were also sitting beside me quietly. They were there with me from the start. I told them to go home but they refused.
"You okay?" Jessy asked softly after noticing my silence.
I nodded slowly.
"I just didn't expect this."
Honestly... I had been furious at Asher earlier. Because of him my parents almost died. But after learning the truth, things didn't feel so simple anymore.
"You feel bad for him," Noah said calmly.
I stayed silent for a few moments before sighing softly.
"A little."
Jessy crossed her arms.
"He still betrayed all of you."
"I know."
And that was the problem. No matter the reason, people still got hurt because of his actions.
But at the same time... If someone kidnapped my family and forced me to choose between them and others...
Would I really make a different choice? I honestly didn't know.
Suddenly the office door opened.
Papa walked inside after finishing preparations with the others.
"The teams are ready," he said calmly.
Everyone immediately looked toward him.
"We leave in one hour."
The room instantly became serious again.
"Did you confirm the location?" Tony fratello asked immediately.
I nodded.
"Yes. She's still there."
"Good." Leo fratello's eyes turned cold instantly.
"We end this tonight."
A chill ran down my spine hearing those words. Because I already knew what he meant. The people behind all of this had crossed the line completely. And the Romano family never forgave those who harmed their own.
Tony fratello looked toward me afterward.
"Princess."
"Yes?"
"You stay here."
I frowned immediately.
"No."
Almost all my brothers looked toward me at once.
"Princess-" Papa started.
"I already found the location and hacked their systems. I'm already involved." I interrupted stubbornly.
Tony fratello sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.
"Princess, this isn't a game."
"I know that better than anyone."
The room fell silent. I stood up from my chair and looked directly at him.
"I'm not asking because I want excitement. I'm asking because I can help."
"You could get hurt," Raf fratello said quietly.
I softened slightly hearing the concern in his voice.
"But I can protect myself too."
"That doesn't mean we'll stop worrying," Ben fratello muttered.
Twinnie nodded immediately.
"Exactly."
"And if something happens to you?" Alf fratello added.
I sighed helplessly. Sometimes having overprotective brothers was exhausting.
Tony fratello crossed his arms.
"You're staying behind."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"You are unbelievable," Leo fratello muttered while shaking his head.
I ignored him completely and looked toward Tony fratello again.
"You know I can help."
Tony fratello stared at me silently for several long moments.
Everyone waited for his answer.
Finally he sighed.
"You stay beside me the entire time."
My eyes lit up instantly.
"Deal."
Several brothers immediately protested.
"What?" Twinnie exclaimed.
"Tony!"
"She shouldn't go there!" Alf fratello argued.
Tony fratello looked at them coldly.
"She's going regardless."
The room became silent immediately.
Honestly... That was true. Even if they locked me inside the headquarters, I would still find a way to follow them.
Raf fratello suddenly sighed deeply.
"She really is impossible."
"Just like Tony," Ben fratello added while shaking his head.
Tony fratello snorted quietly.
"That's the real problem."
For the first time since the betrayal was exposed, the atmosphere lightened slightly.
Just a little. But it was enough.
Then suddenly my computer screen flashed. My expression immediately became serious.
"They're contacting Asher."
Everyone froze instantly.
I quickly started typing while tracing the signal. The message was short.
«Status update.»
Tony fratello's expression darkened dangerously.
"They're checking whether he got exposed."
I immediately disguised the signal route carefully before typing a response.
«Everything is fine.»
I sent it successfully and immediately blocked the trace route before they could track us back.
A few tense seconds passed. Then another message appeared.
«Good. Final transfer tomorrow.»
My eyes narrowed instantly. Transfer?
"They're moving the girl tomorrow," I muttered.
The atmosphere inside the office instantly changed again.
"If they move her now, tracking her will become difficult," Noah said seriously.
Leo fratello cursed under his breath.
"We're running out of time."
Tony fratello grabbed his gun from the table calmly.
"Then we move now."
Everyone immediately stood up.
The exhaustion from earlier disappeared instantly as the room filled with dangerous determination.
Weapons were loaded. Phones were checked. Orders were given rapidly. And for the first time that night...
I realized just how terrifying the Romano family truly was when one of their own was threatened. Because every single one of them looked ready for war.
****
Hello dear readers.
Here's another chapter.
Happy reading.
Love, Stella.