Following that discovery, I feel a wave of relief and reassurance, knowing I'm not being watched without my knowledge.

"Well, maybe I was being a bit paranoid, but at least now I'm certain."

"Thanks for sharing your craziness with us. That's really selfless of you," Andy quips sarcastically.

I smile and blow her a kiss.

"Have you guys looked through the files in Paola's belongings ?"

"No, not yet. Honestly, I'd kind of pushed that whole thing to the back of my mind," Andrea admits.

"Do you still have them with you ?"

"Yeah, they're at the apartment."

"Alright, let's go dig up some skeletons before someone else steals them."

We head to their apartment. We arrive at a stunning loft, tastefully decorated. The modern ambiance clearly shows Andrea's influence, though Andy has managed to add her own touches with plants and colorful rugs. The blend creates a unique but equally beautiful space. Being a loft, the living area takes up most of the apartment, with a cathedral ceiling giving it a majestic feel. Their bedroom is a glass mezzanine above the kitchen, and the space is bathed in light thanks to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Are you guys a bit of exhibitionists ?" I tease them.

"We can't deprive the little people of the best view they've ever been given."

"You mean watching you guys have sex ?"

"That's the one," she replies with a mischievous grin.

I sigh, exasperated yet amused by Andy's constant stream of nonsense as Andrea comes down with Paola's belongings in his arms.

"Here's everything," he says, placing it on the coffee table in the living room.

We join him to examine the contents more closely. We open the laptop and immediately hit our first roadblock: the password. I look at Andrea with hopeful eyes.

"Please tell me you know how to hack it ?"

He smiles at me and replies, "I've got something even better."

He steps away for a few minutes and returns with a device that looks like an external hard drive, which he connects to the computer.

"This is the key to all locks."

In no time, the computer unlocks, revealing a photo of Paola and Valentina as the wallpaper, which instantly tightens my chest. I swallow hard to push down the tears threatening to surface and focus on our investigation.

After a few fruitless searches, Andrea finally finds a suspicious folder that might interest us. Titled "Pinocchio," the name immediately reminds me of Paola's words. She had described herself as a puppet, controlled by Isabella's hand, becoming an instrument of her dark plans.

I point to the folder, indicating Andrea should click on it. He does, and it opens to reveal numerous digital files and audio recordings.

We go through the files one by one. We discover screenshots of conversations with someone named "XX," whose messages are coded and difficult to understand. We suspect it's Isabella. Paola's responses are brief, usually confirming meetings or acknowledging her tasks. Isabella's messages are more cryptic, mentioning the king of the savannah, the lion, and roaring across hills, referencing places of refuge to regain strength.

"It's impossible to make sense of this, even knowing what they were discussing," I say, feeling lost.

It's when I read the phrase "the lion's mane shines particularly under the light of the full moon" that I realize she's referring to Leone and his nocturnal activities.

We continue sifting through the messages, and one of the last ones catches my attention.

"Wait, stop at this one. Doesn't it seem more explicit than the others ? Listen to this:

'Last night, the echo of the lion's roars across the savannah was replaced by a deafening silence. The hope of the new reign he promised has faded. There's no need to continue using force; the hunt is in vain.' The message ends there, but it sounds like she's talking about Leone's death. What did she mean by 'the new reign he promised' ?"

"I think it's pretty clear," Andrea says. "Isabella wanted to help Leone survive by revealing the Madini family's plans to him in advance, so he could replace Raphael. Raphael currently rules the Sicilian mafia, so when she talks about a new reign, I think she meant overthrowing Raphael to make room for Leone."

"But why ? I don't understand. She's Raphael's wife right now. What would she gain from replacing him ?"

"I have no idea. Isabella has always been a puzzling, illogical enigma," Andrea explains.

"Does she want power ?"

"No, back when I was Ezio's right-hand man, she was there, but not really. She wasn't interested in our business. She was just there out of duty, clearly bored, and she didn't hide it. Raphael still involved her out of politeness, but she had no real influence in our discussions or decisions. She was just like a decorative plant, but instead of giving us oxygen, she suffocated us with her presence."

I smile at his sarcastic remark, recognizing the influence of Andy's wit.

She's rubbed off on him faster than I expected.

We continue our search and find screenshots of the call log, showing numerous brief phone conversations, each lasting less than two minutes, with "XX."

We move on to the audio recordings. We listen to one, where it's nearly impossible to understand what's being said. The second is clearer, and we can distinctly hear Paola and Isabella having a heated exchange.

"I'm done, Isabella. I can't take it anymore. I don't want to lie to Valentina anymore. It's become too complicated."

"Too complicated ? Are you kidding me ?! All you have to do is sit your ass down, stuff yourself with a gourmet meal, and listen to her talk. All you need to do is steal her phone and give it to me so I can make a quick call. What's so complicated about that? Oh wait, don't tell me..."

"No, nothing's going on between us, if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't know if you're lying to yourself about that, but don't try lying to me. The stakes are much higher than you realize !"

"Oh yeah ? And what stakes are those ? I'm supposed to follow your orders like a perfect puppet and not ask any questions ! Well, you know what ? Go find yourself another puppet !"

We hear the rustling of clothes, then Paola cries out in pain.

"Ow, you're hurting me !"

"Believe me, if you drop this now, what comes next will be far more painful. I'm not done with you. Do you want me to tell your dear daddy that you prefer sucking clits over dicks ?"

"I don't care anymore, he probably knows by now !"

We hear sounds of a struggle, then Isabella's voice again.

"I think you misunderstood me—this isn't over until I say it's over."

There's a moment of silence, then Paola's choked voice speaks up.

"No! How dare you ? You can't threaten him, you bitch !"

"I can do whatever I want, Paola. If I want to blow your dear daddy's brains out to redecorate the walls, I'll do it with a single phone call. You belong to me until I say you're free. Now, you're going to keep doing what I tell you, without any more rebellion, or the next time you visit your dear daddy, it'll be at his grave. Got it ?"

We hear Paola's sobs, and we imagine her nodding in defeat because Isabella's voice continues.

"Good, that's better. Good little puppet. See you soon, then. Take care of yourself."

The recording ends with Isabella's veiled threats and Paola's sobs. We sit in silence, heavy with sadness. Isabella's words echo in my mind as Andrea plays the third audio, this one shorter. We first hear Paola's whispering voice.

"I'm recording Isabella without her knowing. She's on the phone with her mysterious contact."

We then hear a distant but audible voice.

"Yes, yes, they're planning a raid tonight at his nightclub. Get out as soon as you can and prepare your men—they'll be many."

The recording stops on Isabella's murmured assent.

One last recording plays in the room.

"Isabella ? Can I see you for a minute on the balcony, please ?"

We hear a muffled background noise, like bass from loud music. The sounds are familiar, and then the memory hits me.

"That was at the gala! I recognize the music," I exclaim.

We refocus on the recording, which has gone silent until now.

"What do you want, Paola? We shouldn't be seen together for too long. I don't want to raise suspicion, and believe me, suspicion will rise quickly if people see me with you. You stand out so much next to me that it's suspicious I'd even honor you with my private company."

We hear Paola sigh so faintly that Isabella probably didn't notice.

"I've heard rumors about what happened the other night at Leone's place. Isn't he your mysterious contact ?"

We hear the sound of heels approaching.

"Why do you want to talk about this now ? What are you up to ?"

A long silence follows, then we hear the sound of heels and rustling fabric.

"You're recording me, aren't you ? You think I'm stupid enough to answer you ? Give me that, you little slut."

We hear more struggles, uncomfortable and disturbing noises, and then Paola's voice rises.

"No, give me back my phone !"

"You mean this ?"

Suddenly, a man's voice intervenes.

"What are you two doing ?!"

"No, Ezio, give it back to me !"

"I believe it's Paola's, so it's hers. We're not in a kindergarten, you're adults. Stop drawing attention to yourselves and get back to the table, you're embarrassing us."

These are the last words of the recording.

Hearing Ezio's voice shatters me to my core. The tears rise unbidden, unstoppable, streaming down my cheeks with increasing intensity. His voice reopens every wound in my heart, deepening the pain. My breathing becomes labored and painful, my vision blurs from the tears in my eyes, and my entire being fills with the familiar emptiness Ezio's death left behind.

I feel Andy's arms wrap around me, holding me tightly. I let go, breaking down in her embrace. She says nothing, just lets me release all the pain and emotions that have been building inside me. Darkness envelops me, and memories of Ezio flood my mind, each more painful than the last. I try to regain control over the chaos that has invaded my soul, but it's a struggle.

Once the storm inside me subsides, I'm left with a stark realization: my life is a lie, a facade, and I'm far from healed. I've been deluding myself into believing I'm strong and invulnerable, but the truth is far different. The mere memory of Ezio is enough to destroy me. I must be even more demanding of myself, learning to set aside my feelings so the enemy can't exploit my vulnerabilities so easily. It's time to take things to the next level, to become the ruthless warrior I need to be to satisfy my desire for vengeance. Ezio can no longer remain my greatest weakness; he must transform into my greatest strength.