In the evening, Matteo, Marco, and the new members stood at the gate of the noble district, accompanied by Leonardo who was talking to the guard to get them permission to enter, as he was well known in the neighborhood.
After some back and forth, the guard agreed without realizing they were not nobles. One by one, they entered the Altieri palace.
Marco and the other members waited at the back gate of the palace, while Marco prepared the necessary tools for the operation.
The atmosphere inside was elegant, decorated with the finest ornaments, and the lights reflected in the eyes of the beautiful girl, Maria, who sat with her friends. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice cheerfully say: "Beautiful Maria, happy birthday!"
Maria turned to the voice, which was Leonardo's. He and Maria had been friends for a long time. She replied: "And happy birthday to you too, Leonardo. Thank you for coming to the party today."
Some time passed, and Leonardo moved away from Maria to approach Matteo, saying: "I will try to take Maria to the garden, and then you will carry out what we agreed on last night."
Maria was feeling bored with the atmosphere, exactly what Leonardo expected. He almost approached her, but Adriano blocked his way, sitting next to Maria and talking with her for some time.
After a while, Adriano left. Leonardo then quietly said to Maria: "Are you as bored as I am?"
Maria replied: "Yes! It's very boring here."
Leonardo enthusiastically said: "So, what do you say we go out and stroll in the palace garden together?"
Maria agreed immediately. They went together to the garden and spent some time walking and talking.
Meanwhile, Matteo was talking with Marco outside. Matteo felt some tension, so Marco asked: "What's wrong, Matteo? Are you scared?"
Matteo quickly answered: "No, I'm not scared, just a little nervous."
Marco said calmly: "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly."
Matteo then went to the garden with some members and hid behind Maria, preparing for the mission.
Suddenly, one of the members lunged at Leonardo and struck him hard on the head, causing him to faint. Matteo was worried about Leonardo, but it was necessary for the success of the operation. Just as Maria was about to scream, Matteo covered her mouth and pulled her away. She struggled to escape or help Leonardo, but her weak body couldn't resist.
Matteo took her out and placed her inside a fruit crate with small holes to let her breathe. Then the other members prepared the car, placing Maria's crate at the bottom and stacking other crates on top to avoid suspicion. Matteo sat inside the crate of fruits in the car. Marco drove the car out of the neighborhood.
Maria lost consciousness from fear and could not move inside the crate.
Back in the Altieri palace garden, Leonardo regained consciousness and said irritably: "That fool hit me way too hard. Ah, I feel like my head is going to explode."
At that moment, a servant noticed him lying on the ground and asked with clear concern: "Sir Leonardo! What's wrong?"
Leonardo replied loudly, feigning concern: "Maria... Maria... they kidnapped Maria!!"
He rushed into the palace shouting Maria's name and about the kidnapping. Everyone looked at him with surprise and noticed the blood trickling down from his head. His mother, Catherine, worried, asked: "What are you saying? Where is Maria? And what is this blood on your head?"
Leonardo said to Francesco: "End the party immediately."
Francesco, afraid for his daughter, agreed and ordered the party to be ended. After some time, everyone had left except Francesco, Victoria, Antonio, Catherine, Adriano, and Leonardo. Catherine was tending to Leonardo's head wound as Francesco asked in a fearful voice: "Where is Maria, Leonardo?!"
Leonardo answered with a voice full of feigned sadness: "...
To be continued...