Page 7 of The Hunter's Empire

My eyes meet his. "Breaching that level of security successfully?" I shake my head once. "That's impossible."

"Almost impossible." Stefano corrects smoothly.

The room falls quiet.

He watches me steadily, that faint smile still resting on his face. And suddenly, I am not sure which part of this conversation unsettles me more.

The target. Or the fact that Stefano already seems convinced someone can breach it.

Chapter 3

Zora

"Almost impossible?" I question him.

He studies me carefully before continuing, his tone calm and measured. "A few months ago, someone managed to breach one of the Keegans’ internal systems. Not for long." He adds.

"A matter of minutes, from what I was told. Their security team detected the intrusion quickly enough to shut it down before any real damage was done."

I say nothing, but my attention sharpens instantly.

"But the fact that somebody got in at all…" Stefano continues, leaning back slightly in his chair, "means their system isn’t untouchable. It means there’s a weakness somewhere."

A slow curiosity settles in my chest.

Over the years, I had spent an absurd amount of money building one of the best private intelligence and cybersecurity divisions possible. Recruitment alone had taken years. Former military analysts, ethical hackers, surveillance specialists, data extraction experts. People who were very good at what they did.

And still, none of them had ever gotten close to breaching anything connected to the Keegans.

The idea that someone else had managed it, even briefly, was enough to make my mind start moving in entirely different directions.

"Who was it?" I ask before I can stop myself.

A faint smile appears on Stefano’s face, subtle but noticeable this time, like he had been waiting for that question.

"You’re interested now."

"I’m curious." I correct smoothly. "There’s a difference."

"Of course." His eyes hold mine for a second before he continues. "His name is Domenico Valenti."

The name settles somewhere unfamiliar in my mind. Not entirely unknown… just distant. Like something overheard years ago and forgotten before it could fully register.

Stefano watches my reaction carefully.

"Most people," he says, "know him asThe Hunter. Others call himIl Fantasma. The Gh…"

"The Ghost." I interrupt.

That earns me another small smile. "Exactly."

The nickname fits too well already.

I shift slightly in my chair, unable to ignore the growing intrigue curling through me. "And he actually breached the Keegans’ systems?"

"For a few minutes." Stefano says. "Which, considering who we’re talking about, is already impressive."

I nod slowly. "What do you know about him?"