Cracking the Code

***Milena***

I stared at the closed bedroom door, my nails biting into the soft flesh of my palms until half-moon crescents formed. I needed to get into that steel box. The desperate urge clawed at my ribs, suffocating me. But how could I bypass a security measure when I could not even catch a clear glimpse of the passcode?

I forced myself to stop pacing the plush carpet and breathe. I needed to think exactly like Rafael would. If I were a ruthless mafia boss running a multi-million dollar empire, I would never use something as predictable as a birth date or a generic company anniversary. I had to rule all of that out immediately. I was left with only one viable option. I had to see him input the passcode again.

The next morning finally broke through the horizon, painting the sky in pale shades of dawn. I woke up bright and early, determined to catch him before he left the estate for the office.

I remained curled under the thick duvet of my bed, facing his direction. I feigned deep, rhythmic sleep, keeping my chest rising and falling in a steady tempo. The distinct scent of his expensive cologne drifted through the room as he adjusted his suit jacket.

With my eyes half-closed, I watched cautiously. He strode over to the hidden steel box, crouching slightly. My mind went on high alert, every nerve ending buzzing with sharp anticipation. I could not see the exact numbers clearly because his broad back shielded the keypad from my line of sight. Instead, I focused my intense attention on his specific hand movements. I memorized the tapping rhythm and the sequence of his long fingers. Two, five, one, four.

The heavy mechanical lock clicked open. He grabbed a document, shut the steel door, and turned toward the bed.

I let my eyelids flutter shut instantly. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird as I felt his dark gaze lingering on my motionless form. After a tense, suffocating moment, I heard his heavy footsteps receding down the hallway. The bedroom door clicked shut.

I threw the heavy covers off my body and scrambled out of bed. I rushed to the window, pressing my face near the cold glass. Down below, he climbed into his sleek car with Alessio. A team of armed bodyguards piled into the black SUV behind them, their weapons glinting in the morning light.

I held my breath. Once both vehicles zoomed out of the sprawling estate, kicking up loose gravel in their wake, I sprang into action.

I hurriedly drew the heavy curtains closed, trapping out the morning sunlight and plunging the master bedroom into darkness. I snatched my phone from the dresser and flicked on the bright flashlight. I dropped to my knees on the cold floor in front of the safe, holding the beam of light directly over the glass keypad.

I squinted, examining the sleek surface. Most of the numbers were spotlessly clean. But faint fingerprint smudges marked the keys for two, five, one, and four. The smudges matched the exact rhythm I had memorized. I was on the right track. Now I just had to figure out the right order. Too many wrong tries, and the alarm would blare, alerting the remaining guards and locking me out for good.

I recalled the precise sequence in my head. I had heard a total of six beeps yesterday, and two of the tones sounded identical. He had repeated two digits.

I lifted my trembling hand to the glass. I punched in the numbers in my best guess of the predicted order, praying for a miracle.

The machine beeped a harsh, dissonant tone. Incorrect passcode.

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath to steady my frayed nerves. I pictured the exact way his broad shoulder had shifted. Left, right, then right again. He favored the center keys during those brief seconds.

I opened my eyes and gave it another shot.

Beep. Wrong again.

My chest tightened with rising panic. I tried a third combination, my fingers slick with cold sweat. The same red light flashed across the digital display. Still incorrect.

I exhaled a shaky breath, staring at the glowing glass in the dark room. I only had one last desperate try before the system locked down. I had to piece this together right now.

I bit my lower lip, hesitating for an agonizing heartbeat.

"Here goes nothing." I whispered into the empty silence.

I tapped the sequence.

The heavy steel door clicked open.

I gasped sharply, my eyes widening in pure shock.

"Oh my God, I did it!" I chuckled gleefully.

I took a brief moment to bask in the raw victory before pulling the safe wide open. The silver key pendant sat right on top of a stack of files. I reached in and grabbed it, clutching the cool metal to my chest. I was about to shut the door and walk away when an overwhelming wave of curiosity struck me.

Since I had already cracked the code, why not dig deeper? I eagerly searched through the safe, hoping to find incriminating business secrets to use against him. I pulled out thick folders one by one, flipping through the crisp pages in the beam of my flashlight. I quickly discarded mundane corporate documents detailing acquisitions, third-party contracts, and offshore accounts. I scoffed and tossed our fake marriage contract aside like the garbage it was.

Then, I grabbed another hidden file tucked in the very back of the dark cavity. I skimmed through the dense legal jargon with a bored expression, ready to abandon the fruitless quest.

But my eyes snagged on a horribly familiar name on the last page.

I froze. I quickly shone the light directly onto the signature line. Silvano Di Rossi was written in bold, stark letters. His messy handwriting was scribbled on the straight line underneath. A little further down the page sat Rafael’s sharp, commanding signature.

My brows knitted together as I rose slowly to my feet. A heavy fog of confusion settled over my brain. This was a separate, binding contract signed by Rafael and my older brother. Why and when had they signed a different document from the one Rafael had forced upon me?

I frantically flipped back to the first page. I read between the lines, absorbing every single word, every sick clause on the crisp paper.

The blood drained from my face, leaving my skin ice-cold. Hot tears pricked the corners of my eyes. The room started to spin at a dizzying speed. Reading those pages tore me apart from the inside out. The sheer weight of the devastating revelation crushed my chest, making it impossible to draw a full breath.

My trembling knees gave way. I collapsed heavily onto the plush sofa. The contract slipped from my numb fingers, scattering across the floor alongside the key pendant.

I sat there, motionless. Time crept by at an agonizing pace. I waited in the crushing, deafening silence of the master bedroom, unable to move a single muscle, unable to wipe the tears tracking down my jaw, until the deep dusk finally settled over the sprawling villa.

The faint glow of headlights eventually pierced the small gap in the curtains. I heard the distant slam of car doors. Heavy footsteps echoed up the grand staircase.

The bedroom door swung open.

"Milena, why are you sitting in the dark?" Rafael called out, his deep voice carrying through the shadows.

He flicked the wall switch. The overhead lights fiercely illuminated the room, washing over my pale, tear-stained face. I remained stiff on the sofa.

His dark eyebrows creased in confusion. He stepped further into the room, his gaze dropping to the floor. He noticed the heavy steel door hanging wide open and the safe’s confidential contents spilled carelessly across the expensive rug.

I rose slowly to my feet, my muscles screaming in protest. I aggressively tossed the crumpled document directly at his expensive leather shoes.

"What is this?" I asked, my raw voice shaking uncontrollably.

His gaze followed the paper as it landed near his boots. He leaned over slowly to pick it up. A fleeting shadow of genuine fear flickered in his dark eyes as he recognized the pages, but it was instantly replaced by his usual cold, calculated composure.

He deflected smoothly, gathering the scattered papers from the floor and masking his face in perfect indifference. "I see you've been snooping around. Who gave you the right to touch my stuff?"

I stepped forward, tears springing anew and rolling hot and fast down my cheeks. "Just answer the damn question, Rafael! What kind of sick deal did you make with my brother?"

His strong jaw tightened visibly. He stood up to his full, intimidating height, looking down at me with an icy stare. "It's just as you've read. Your brother, Silvano, and I signed a contract. I approached him months ago, offering him a blank check to pay off his massive debt if he agreed to sell you to me."

A shaky gasp tore from my throat. The deeply horrifying truth truly dawned on me, shattering my reality into a million jagged pieces. The vicious loan sharks breaking into our apartment. The frantic midnight calls for help. His perfectly timed heroism in that dark, abandoned alley. It was all a massive, calculated scheme.

I choked on a sob, feeling heartbroken and utterly degraded. I had been bought and sold off like a cheap commodity on a clearance rack. "Everything that happened that night was your scheme to trap me? All of that was just an act to get me? Silvano's call, the loan sharks, and you, stepping in when you did?"

He took a step toward me, unashamedly admitting his crime. "It is true that I bought you legally, but that is only half the truth. If you would just calm down and let me explain, you would understand the rest."

I backed away, refusing to hear another word of his manipulative excuses. I pointed a trembling finger at his chest, venom lacing my words. "Go on, tell me. I'll tell you what this is. You wanted a fucking plaything and you got one."

"You're not a plaything." He blurted defensively.

I snapped, my voice cracking under the weight of my anguish. "Why then?! Why would you want to do this to me? What did I ever do to you? Answer me, Rafael!"

He stood frozen for a second, his chest heaving. His deep voice trembled slightly with suppressed emotion when he finally yelled back. "Because I wanted you!"

I blinked once, twice, my lips parting in pure, utter shock.