The StongWilled Rose

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

The Reason I Had to Disappear

I stared at my mother.

"The reason you wanted me gone?"

She said nothing.

I laughed once.

"No. You don't get to drop that and suddenly become mysterious."

"Allegra—"

"Talk."

Dad stepped forward.

"Lucia, what is going on?"

Mom looked toward the windows.

That was when I realized something.

She wasn't pretending anymore.

She was terrified.

My mother—the woman who had drugged her own daughter and watched everyone blame me—was shaking.

And somehow that scared me more than anything she'd said.

My phone buzzed again.

Viktor: Four men. Possibly more.

Another message.

Viktor: My people are watching them.

I frowned.

Why were his people outside my house?

Actually, no.

Not important right now.

I typed quickly.

Me: Don't interfere.

His response was immediate.

Viktor: No.

I stared at the screen.

Excuse me?

Me: Wasn't a request.

Viktor: Neither was my answer.

I almost threw my phone.

Matteo looked at me.

"Who are you texting?"

"An irritating man."

"This really isn't the time."

"I know."

Dad walked toward the curtains.

I grabbed his arm.

"Don't."

He stopped.

"There are men outside."

Marco immediately stood.

"Whose?"

"Orlov's."

Dad's expression hardened.

"How many?"

"At least four."

"How do you know?"

I hesitated.

Matteo noticed.

"Allegra."

"Viktor told me."

Everyone stared.

Brittany blinked.

"Viktor who?"

"Dragunov."

Marco nearly choked.

"Viktor Dragunov?"

"Why is everyone so dramatic when they say his name?"

"Because he's Viktor Dragunov!"

"Thank you, Marco. Very informative."

Dad looked increasingly annoyed.

"Why is Dragunov texting my seventeen-year-old daughter?"

Oh my God.

"Can we focus?"

"That is something I would very much like to focus on."

"Later."

"There will absolutely be a later."

"Great."

I pointed toward Mom.

"Right now, I'd like to know why she apparently had me framed because of Russian criminals."

Everyone looked at her again.

Mom lowered herself onto the couch.

"I made a mistake."

I laughed.

"A mistake is forgetting someone's birthday."

My voice hardened.

"You destroyed my life."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

"I was trying to protect you."

I stared at her.

Then Brittany.

Then back at her.

"By framing me?"

"I needed your father to send you away."

Dad looked sick.

"You used me."

Mom closed her eyes.

"Yes."

"You made me believe my daughter tried to kill you."

"I didn't know another way."

"There was always another way!"

His voice shook the room.

Mom flinched.

Good.

Dad continued, "You could have told me."

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

Her eyes moved toward me.

"Because Allegra wasn't supposed to exist."

Silence.

I blinked.

"Okay."

I held up a hand.

"I'm going to need you to explain that sentence before I develop another personality."

Luca made a strangled sound that might've been a laugh.

Nobody else reacted.

Mom looked at Brittany.

"When I was pregnant, everyone knew I was having one daughter."

My stomach tightened.

"One?"

She nodded.

"Brittany."

Brittany stared at her.

"But we're twins."

"I know."

"Then how—"

"There were people monitoring the pregnancy. Doctors were paid. Records were controlled."

Dad frowned.

"By whom?"

Mom looked toward the photograph.

"People connected to Konstantin."

I crossed my arms.

"And somehow nobody noticed there were two babies?"

"The doctor did."

"Obviously."

"He changed the records."

"Why?"

Mom swallowed.

"Because I begged him."

Now I was confused.

"You hid me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She looked directly at me.

"Because someone wanted you."

My sarcastic response disappeared.

"Who?"

"I don't know his real name."

"Convenient."

"I'm telling the truth."

"That's new."

Dad stepped closer.

"Why would anyone want an unborn child?"

Mom's eyes filled with tears.

"Because of my family."

That caught everyone off guard.

I frowned.

"What about your family?"

She looked at me.

"You know almost nothing about where I came from."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Mine."

At least she was learning.

"My father wasn't simply a businessman."

Dad went still.

"Lucia."

She ignored him.

"He had connections throughout Italy, Russia and Eastern Europe. When he died, he left behind information."

"What kind of information?" Matteo asked.

"Names. Accounts. Political connections. Criminal networks."

Marco swore quietly.

I stared at her.

"And this has something to do with me?"

"Your grandfather divided what he knew."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

I laughed.

"Of course."

"But he left instructions."

Mom's eyes settled on me.

"One part could only be recovered through his youngest granddaughter."

Nobody spoke.

I pointed at Brittany.

"Technically, we're the same age."

"You're eleven minutes younger."

I stared at Brittany.

She actually whispered, "Sorry."

Seriously?

Mom continued.

"People eventually learned there had been a second child."

"And you decided getting rid of me was the solution?"

"I decided making everyone believe you had been disowned would remove Bianchi protection from you."

I stared at her.

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"I know."

"No, seriously. Your master plan to protect me was making me defenseless?"

"I had arranged somewhere safe for you."

"The orphanage?"

"No."

That stopped me.

"What?"

"You were never supposed to stay there."

The room became painfully quiet.

"Someone was supposed to collect you the following morning."

My chest tightened.

"But they didn't."

Mom shook her head.

"You disappeared that night."

The Russians.

I looked at the photograph again.

"You met Konstantin three days before."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He offered protection."

I laughed bitterly.

"And you believed him?"

"I didn't know he was connected to them."

"So he manipulated you."

"Yes."

"Then took me."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I believe so."

I turned away.

This was too much.

For six years, I'd imagined confronting my mother.

In every version, she was simply evil.

Jealous.

Cruel.

Easy to hate.

This?

This was worse.

Because if she was telling the truth, she'd tried to protect me in the stupidest, cruelest way imaginable.

And I still hated her for it.

Maybe even more.

My phone rang.

Viktor.

I answered.

"What?"

His voice was calm.

"Get everyone away from the windows."

I straightened.

"Why?"

"The men are moving."

I looked toward Dad.

"Everybody back."

Dad immediately understood.

He pulled Brittany away from the window.

"Allegra," Viktor continued, "there's something else."

"What?"

"The four men aren't approaching the house."

I frowned.

"Then where are they going?"

"Nowhere."

"What?"

"They were watching."

"Watching what?"

A pause.

"You."

My stomach tightened.

Then Viktor said something that made the entire conversation with my mother suddenly feel much more urgent.

"They've started leaving."

"Why?"

"Because another vehicle just arrived."

I walked toward the security monitor near Dad's office and switched cameras.

A black sedan sat outside the gates.

Nobody moved.

Then the rear door opened.

A man stepped out.

Older.

Gray suit.

Silver hair.

He looked directly toward the security camera.

Like he knew I was watching.

Mom came up behind me.

The moment she saw him, she stopped.

"No."

I turned.

"You know him?"

She backed away.

"No, no, no."

"Mom."

Her face had gone white.

"Who is he?"

She looked at me.

For the first time, there