CHAPTER 8:The Heir's Secret
831 Words
The words remained in Alessia's mind.
THE HEIR IS LYING.
Three words that had changed the atmosphere inside the vault.
Three words that turned suspicion into something personal.
Because there was only one heir.
Lorenzo Moretti.
The drive back to the hotel was silent.
Usually, silence between two people meant comfort.
Between Alessia and Lorenzo, it meant questions.
Too many questions.
She sat in the passenger seat, looking out at Lake Como as it passed by.
The beautiful scenery felt almost cruel.
How could a place so peaceful hold so many secrets?
Lorenzo kept his eyes on the road.
He had not spoken since they left the vault.
That worried Alessia.
A man like Lorenzo always had something to say.
A strategy.
A solution.
A plan.
But now he was quiet.
And for the first time, she wondered if he was afraid.
"Are you going to explain?"
Her voice broke the silence.
Lorenzo's hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
"Explain what?"
She looked at him.
"The message."
A pause.
"The fact that someone believes you are hiding something."
His jaw tightened.
"I don't know what it means."
"You expect me to believe that?"
He glanced at her.
"Yes."
The confidence in his answer surprised her.
Not arrogance.
Something else.
Honesty.
"Six years ago, I would have believed anything you said."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Lorenzo looked away.
"And now?"
Alessia swallowed.
"Now I don't know."
The admission hurt both of them.
But neither looked away.
When they reached the hotel, Lorenzo immediately went to his office.
Alessia followed.
"You can't just walk away from this."
"I know."
"Then why are you acting like nothing happened?"
His expression changed.
"Because if I start believing every accusation written on a piece of paper, I become exactly what someone wants me to be."
She frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone is trying to make us turn against each other."
The possibility unsettled her.
Because it made sense.
Every discovery they made seemed designed to create more distrust.
First the warning about Lorenzo.
Then the letter from Matteo.
Then the accusation against the heir.
Someone was controlling the information they received.
Someone wanted them suspicious.
"What are you hiding from me?"
The question was quiet.
But it landed heavily.
Lorenzo looked at her.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he walked to his desk and opened a drawer.
He removed a small file.
"I didn't know if I should show you this."
Alessia took the file.
Inside were old documents.
Medical records.
Letters.
Reports.
Her eyes moved across the pages.
"What is this?"
"Records from the year your father disappeared."
She looked up.
"You had these?"
"I found them two years ago."
Her expression hardened.
"You found information about my father and didn't tell me?"
Lorenzo looked away.
"I didn't know what they meant."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He sighed.
"Because I was afraid."
The answer stopped her.
Lorenzo Moretti admitting fear was something she rarely heard.
"Of what?"
He looked at the documents.
"That your father disappeared because of something my family did."
The honesty surprised her.
"You thought your family was responsible?"
"I didn't know."
His voice lowered.
"But after you left, I started questioning everything."
Alessia looked at him differently.
For years, she had believed Lorenzo was protected by his family's wealth.
That he had never understood what it felt like to lose something.
She was wrong.
He had been searching too.
Just alone.
Before she could respond, Lorenzo's assistant called.
He answered.
"What happened?"
A pause.
His expression changed.
"Send me the security footage."
He ended the call.
"What is it?"
"The person who entered the archive."
Her heart raced.
"They found them?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Lorenzo looked at the screen as a video appeared.
A figure moved through the archive.
Hidden.
Careful.
But the camera captured one thing.
A face.
Alessia stepped closer.
Then froze.
Because she knew him.
She had seen him at the hotel.
She had spoken to him.
She had trusted him.
"No."
Lorenzo looked at her.
"You know him?"
She could barely speak.
"Yes."
"Who is he?"
Alessia stared at the screen.
The man in the footage.
The man who had entered the archive.
The man who had been near the secrets from the beginning.
"He's not an enemy."
Lorenzo frowned.
"Then who is he?"
Her voice dropped.
"He's someone who works for me."
The room went silent.
Because Alessia realized something terrifying.
Someone had been watching the investigation from the inside.
Someone close to her.
Someone she had personally chosen.
The video continued playing.
The figure turned toward the camera.
And before leaving the archive, he looked directly into it.
Almost like he knew they would see him.
Then he mouthed two words.
I'm sorry.
Lorenzo stared at the screen.
Alessia felt a cold fear settle inside her.
Because whoever was behind the secrets was not just connected to the Morettis.
They were connected to her too.
- Writer
