The Red thread a mafia love story

The Secret Unearthed

Biting her lip to keep from crying out in frustration, Siya stormed out of the penthouse. The rejection burned through her veins. He is obsessed, she thought to herself, her mind racing as she hurried down the corridor. He is in love with a memory, a phantom.

As she reached the private elevator bay, she saw Viktor waiting for his car. An idea flared in her mind. Viktor had been Elias's shadow for a decade; he knew every secret, every record, every detail of the Don's life.

"Viktor," Siya called out, smoothing down her dress and masking her anger with a sweet, manipulative smile.

"Miss Siya," Viktor acknowledged, bowing politely. "Is something wrong?"

"Elias is... in a mood tonight," she sighed softly, stepping closer. "He's acting so distant again, staring at that locket. Viktor, we've known each other a long time. Tell me the truth. What is actually inside that locket? He guards it like it's his soul. If I'm going to be his wife, I need to understand what I'm competing against."

Viktor hesitated, looking around the empty hallway. He knew how dangerous it was to speak of the Don's personal matters, but he also knew Siya had been part of Elias's life since childhood.

"Miss Siya, with all due respect, it is not my place—"

"Please, Viktor," she interrupted, touching his arm gently. "I'm trying to help him. He's carrying a burden. If I know what it is, I can help heal whatever wound he's hiding. Is it a keepsake from his mother? A past lover?"

Viktor let out a heavy breath, looking defeated. "No. It's not a lover. Fourteen years ago, the night Don Elias was thrown out of the orphanage, he collapsed in the freezing rain next to the ancient, mystical Banyan tree at the edge of the old town. He was starving, on the verge of death."

Siya’s eyes widened. "The Banyan tree?"

"Yes," Viktor whispered. "Pinned to the trunk with a distinct silver flower hair pin, he found a note written by a young girl. It was a selfless prayer, wishing that nothing bad would ever happen to whoever came to the tree, and asking to keep her grandmother safe. The Don swears that the moment he read those words, a magical peace washed over him, saving his life. He kept the paper and the pin. He vowed that night he would survive, find the girl who wrote it, and marry her."

Siya felt the air leave her lungs. It wasn't a family heirloom. It was a rival. A girl from fourteen years ago who held Elias’s heart without even knowing it.

"A silver flower hairpin... and a note," Siya murmured, a dark, scheming look settling into her eyes. "Thank you, Viktor. Keep searching for her. Let me know the moment you find anything."