Chapter 22: The First Lead
583 Words
The package had arrived just after sunrise.
Matteo inspected it himself.
Every clasp.
Every hinge.
Every instrument.
Only when he was satisfied did he carry the wooden case into the library.
Sofia looked up from the portrait.
"What's that?"
"Apparently..."
He placed the case on the table.
"...someone thinks you're under-equipped."
She frowned.
"I didn't order anything."
"Neither did Boss."
Matteo lifted the lid.
Inside lay the finest restoration tools Sofia had ever seen.
Japanese conservation brushes.
Precision scalpels.
Magnifying loupes.
Natural sponges.
Bone folders.
Each tool rested in its own velvet-lined compartment.
She stared.
Almost afraid to touch them.
"They're beautiful..."
Matteo noticed the tiny card tucked beneath the lid.
He handed it to her.
Six words.
Every masterpiece deserves the right tools.
No name.
No signature.
Her fingers lingered over the elegant handwriting.
"Who would send something like this?"
Before Matteo could answer—
"I know."
Luca's voice came from behind them.
Sofia turned.
"You do?"
Luca picked up one of the scalpels, testing its balance.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Only one man would think of sending restoration tools instead of flowers."
"Dante Romano."
The name lingered between them.
Sofia looked back at the case.
"He remembered what I do."
"He notices details."
Luca answered quietly.
"Annoyingly well."
For the first time...
There wasn't resentment in his voice.
Only reluctant admiration.
Sofia carefully lifted the magnifying loupe.
"It's exactly what I needed."
"I know."
She looked up.
"You knew?"
Luca nodded toward the card.
"No."
"He did."
Silence settled for a moment.
Then Sofia looked back at the altered portrait.
"I'd like to begin."
Luca folded his arms.
"So would I."
---
An hour later...
The library had become a temporary conservation studio.
The portrait lay flat beneath soft lamps.
Cotton gloves covered Sofia's hands.
She examined the overpaint through the loupe.
Her movements slowed.
"There..."
Luca stepped closer.
"What is it?"
She pointed to a nearly invisible line beneath the dark varnish.
"This c***k shouldn't continue."
"It stops."
"And starts again."
She adjusted the light.
"The surface was filled before someone painted over it."
"You mean..."
"They changed the original composition."
Matteo frowned.
"Can you remove it?"
"Eventually."
She looked almost disappointed.
"But not today."
"Why?"
"Because if I rush..."
She gently rested her fingertips on the frame.
"...I'll destroy whatever they're trying to hide."
Luca smiled.
That answer sounded exactly like Marco.
Patience before force.
He wondered if Sofia realized how much she resembled the man who had raised her.
Probably not.
Not yet.
A soft knock interrupted the room.
One of Luca's men entered.
"Boss."
"What is it?"
"The archives."
Luca's expression sharpened.
"We found something."
"What?"
"The painting..."
"It isn't from a private collection."
Everyone froze.
"It was commissioned."
"By whom?"
The guard swallowed.
"The records don't say."
"They were removed."
Sofia slowly lowered the loupe.
"Someone erased the commission?"
The guard nodded.
"Not completely."
He unfolded a brittle piece of paper recovered from the archives.
One line remained legible.
«Property of the House of Moretti»
The room fell silent.
Sofia's heartbeat echoed in her ears.
The painting hadn't found her by chance.
It had belonged to her family all along.
Luca looked at the faded words.
Then at Sofia.
"This changes everything."
Outside...
Far beyond the walls of the estate...
A black Ferrari rolled out of Rome.
Dante Romano had stopped waiting.
For the first time...
Both kings were following the same trail.
Neither knew...
They were about to arrive at the same destination.
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