Chapter 8: The Journal
1051 Words
Aria barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the message.
The daughter returns what belongs to us... or the father dies next.
The words haunted her.
By sunrise, she had given up on trying to sleep.
The guest room inside Luca's estate was larger than her entire apartment would have been.
Elegant furniture.
Floor-to-ceiling windows.
Private balcony.
Everything screamed luxury.
Yet it felt like a prison.
A beautiful prison.
One guarded by armed men.
Aria stood near the window and stared outside.
Security patrols moved constantly across the property.
Cameras covered every angle.
No one entered or left unnoticed.
Luca wasn't taking any chances.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A maid entered.
"Mr. Moretti would like to see you."
Of course he would.
Aria sighed.
"Tell him I'll be down shortly."
The maid nodded and left.
Ten minutes later, Aria entered the dining room.
Luca was already there.
Dressed in a charcoal suit.
Coffee in one hand.
Documents spread across the table.
He looked annoyingly perfect for someone who had probably slept less than she had.
"Morning."
He glanced up.
"Morning."
Aria sat opposite him.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"So."
Luca waited.
"My biological mother belonged to a criminal empire."
"Yes."
"They murdered her."
"Yes."
"They're trying to kill my father."
"Most likely."
Aria rubbed her temples.
Hearing it out loud somehow made everything worse.
"This is insane."
"It is."
His agreement surprised her.
She expected sarcasm.
Not honesty.
"What happens now?"
Luca set his coffee down.
"Now we find the key."
Aria frowned.
"The key my mother left behind?"
"Yes."
"And if we find it?"
His expression darkened.
"We gain leverage."
The answer wasn't reassuring.
Before she could ask another question, Victor Romano entered the room.
Aria immediately stood.
"Dad."
Victor looked exhausted.
The attack had aged him years overnight.
Yet there was determination in his eyes.
"I remembered something."
The room instantly became silent.
Luca straightened.
"What?"
Victor looked at Aria.
"The journal."
Her eyebrows rose.
"What journal?"
"Your mother's."
Every nerve in her body came alive.
"My mother's journal?"
Victor nodded.
"Elena kept one."
"Where is it?"
His expression became complicated.
"I hid it."
Years ago, apparently.
The revelation shocked everyone.
Even Luca.
"You never mentioned it," Luca said.
"I was trying to protect Aria."
Luca's jaw tightened.
"And look where that got us."
Victor didn't argue.
Because he knew Luca was right.
"Where is it now?" Aria asked.
Victor hesitated.
Then reached inside his jacket.
And produced a small brass key.
Aria stared.
"You've had that this whole time?"
"I never knew if it was important."
Luca laughed humorlessly.
"It was important."
Victor ignored him.
"The journal is inside a storage unit."
Aria's heart raced.
This was it.
Their first real clue.
---
An hour later, they arrived at a private storage facility on the outskirts of the city.
Luca insisted on bringing security.
Four SUVs accompanied them.
Armed guards surrounded the area.
The precautions seemed excessive.
Until Aria remembered someone wanted her dead.
Then they seemed reasonable.
Very reasonable.
Victor led them through several corridors.
Finally stopping in front of Unit 27.
His hands trembled slightly as he inserted the brass key.
The lock clicked.
The door rolled upward.
Dust filled the air.
The unit was small.
Old furniture.
Boxes.
Family photographs.
Forgotten memories.
Aria stepped inside.
A strange feeling washed over her.
As though her mother had somehow been here.
Waiting.
Watching.
Victor moved toward a wooden chest in the corner.
For several seconds he simply stared at it.
Lost in memories.
Then he opened it.
Inside rested a single leather-bound journal.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Aria's breath caught.
Her mother's journal.
After all these years.
Victor carefully lifted it.
His hands shook.
Then he gave it to her.
For a moment, Aria couldn't move.
The journal felt heavier than it should.
As though it carried secrets.
Dangerous secrets.
Slowly, she opened it.
The first page contained elegant handwriting.
The sight immediately made her emotional.
These were her mother's words.
Her thoughts.
A piece of someone she had never known.
Then she read the first line.
If you are reading this, I am probably dead.
A chill ran down her spine.
The room fell silent.
Everyone watched her.
Waiting.
Aria turned the page.
More writing.
More secrets.
More answers.
And perhaps more questions.
Hours seemed to pass as she skimmed through the entries.
Stories about Elena's childhood.
Her escape from the Serpents.
Her love for Victor.
Her fears.
Her hopes.
Then she found something.
A folded piece of paper hidden between two pages.
Her pulse quickened.
"What is it?" Luca asked.
Aria unfolded the paper.
A map.
Hand-drawn.
Old.
Worn.
Several locations were marked.
One location had been circled repeatedly.
Luca moved closer.
His shoulder brushed hers.
Neither noticed.
"The docks."
Aria looked at him.
"What?"
"The marked location."
He pointed.
"It's an abandoned shipping yard."
Victor's face paled.
"I know that place."
Everyone looked at him.
"It belonged to the Serpents years ago."
The room instantly became tense.
Aria's pulse accelerated.
The map couldn't be a coincidence.
It had to be connected.
To the key.
To her mother.
To everything.
Then she noticed something written on the back.
A single sentence.
The truth sleeps beneath the water.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Before anyone could react—
A gunshot shattered the air.
CRACK!
The bullet exploded through the storage unit window.
Glass rained everywhere.
Aria screamed.
Luca moved instantly.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
Pulling her to the floor.
Another shot followed.
CRACK!
One of the guards collapsed outside.
Chaos erupted.
"SNIPER!"
Weapons appeared instantly.
Guards rushed into position.
Luca shielded Aria with his own body.
The realization struck her immediately.
He wasn't protecting himself.
He was protecting her.
Even now.
Even with bullets flying.
"Stay down," he ordered.
The command left no room for argument.
Outside, more gunfire erupted.
The attack had begun.
And whoever was behind it clearly knew about the journal.
Which meant one thing.
Someone had betrayed them.
Someone close enough to know exactly where they would be.
As Luca drew his weapon and prepared to fight back, a terrifying thought entered Aria's mind.
The enemy wasn't just watching anymore.
The enemy was already inside their circle.
- Writer
