Chapter Three: Blood on Marble
951 Words
Elena
The marble floor of the De Luca estate felt colder than usual under my heels as I stormed through the corridor. My pulse pounded like a war drum. I wasn’t stopping. I wouldn’t let the guards or the whispers slow me down. Not today.
I threw open my grandfather’s office door without knocking. He looked up from behind his antique desk, calm as ever. The soft glow of the desk lamp cast shadows across his stern face.
“Elena,” he said, placing his pen down slowly. “It’s early. What’s wrong?”
I didn’t waste time. “Who killed my father?”
There was a beat of silence. It wasn’t surprise. It was anticipation.
He had been waiting for this.
“What nonsense is this?” he said coolly.
I heard the door shut behind me. Nico had followed. I didn’t turn to him.
“She deserves the truth,” Nico said, his voice low.
I kept my eyes on my grandfather. “Adriano Caruso said you had something to do with it. Is that true?”
My grandfather rose to his feet, slowly, deliberately. The mask slipped, and something far darker took its place.
“Your father,” he began, “was a good man. But weak. He wanted out. He threatened to take everything down with him if I didn’t let him go.”
My voice cracked. “So you killed him?”
“I did what was necessary,” he said without flinching. “For the family. For you.”
I couldn’t breathe.
Nico stepped between us, shielding me from the full weight of his coldness. “She didn’t need to hear it like this.”
“She’s not a child,” the Chairman snapped. “She needs to understand what this world costs.”
My grandfather turned his attention to him then, and I saw the fire rise in his eyes. “Don’t forget who pulled you from the gutter.”
“I haven’t,” Nico said. “But I won’t lie to her.”
His lips curled. “You signed up to serve.”
“She’s not a pawn.”
“She’s a Moretti!” he roared. “That name comes with fire and death.”
He paused, breathing hard. “And how dare Adriano come into my estate, I will kill him if he does that again. Let him know!”
Nico nodded once. “Okay, Don, I’ll deliver the message.”
But I was already planning something else.
That night, I sat beneath the olive tree in the garden. The same tree where my father once read me bedtime stories.
I couldn’t stop hearing my grandfather’s words.
I did what was necessary.
My heart clenched.
Nico approached quietly. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t look at him. “Did you know?”
“No.”
“He said it like it was nothing,” I whispered.
“You know how your grandfather is, he just wants to protect you.”
“And what about you?” I asked, turning to face him. “Are you just like him?”
He shook his head. “Elena, Don’t listen to whatever that man said to you. You shouldn’t believe him.”
“I don’t know who to believe anymore. He has no reason to tell me that. Now I just want to find out whatever he meant”
“You can believe me.”
“Can I?” My voice broke. “You said you’d protect me. But all I feel is betrayed.”
He reached for my hand. I didn’t pull away.
“You’re not alone,” he said gently.
There was a long pause.
“Do I still have you?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
His eyes locked on mine. “Always.”
But somewhere deep inside, I knew that always had a deadline.
**
The Caruso Compound –That Same Night
Adriano watched surveillance footage from a hidden drive –grainy, old.
“Elena will come to us,” He told hisadvisor. “She won’t be able to resist the truth.”
“If you push too hard, she’ll cling to Nico.”
He smiled. “That’s the plan.”
Because if I couldn’t break them from the outside…
I’d let the truth rot them from the inside.
**
Two days later, Nico stood before my grandfather again. His eyes were colder than ice, his temper wound tight.
“You’ve heard the rumors,” he said.
“Everyone has.”
He leaned forward. “You’re going to deliver a message to Adriano. Tell him if he keeps this up, I’ll erase his bloodline.”
“You don’t need a soldier,” Nico said quietly. “You need a cleaner.”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you have a problem with your role?”
“I have a problem with you using Elena as a shield.”
Silence stretched and the room turned cold.
“You forget your place,” the chairman hissed.
“I haven’t,” Nico replied, voice low.
He didn’t wait to be dismissed. He turned and walked out, leaving the chairman staring after him.
**
I stood before the family crest that hung above the grand fireplace—two lions, one crowned.
My hand went to the locket at my neck. Inside was the only photo I had of my father holding me.
“I’m going to finish what you started,” I whispered.
Behind me, I felt eyes. I turned. Nico stood in the shadows.
He said nothing.
But I saw the worry in his eyes.
We both knew something was coming.
And we might not be on the same side when it hit.
- Writer
