Chapter 6: The secret between them
1132 Words
Chapter 8: The secret between Them
Elena barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the burning warehouse, the frightened security guard, and heard his final words.
They were looking for her.
By the time the first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, she had given up trying to rest.
After taking a quick shower, she changed into a cream-colored blouse and a pair of dark jeans that Martha had thoughtfully placed in her wardrobe.
A soft knock came from the door.
"Come in."
Martha entered with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Romano."
Elena smiled awkwardly.
"You don't have to call me that."
Martha chuckled.
"I'm afraid I do. Mr. Romano insists that everyone in this house addresses you with the respect you deserve."
The words caught Elena by surprise.
Lucien had insisted on that?
"Breakfast is ready," Martha continued. "Mr. Romano is waiting."
A few minutes later, Elena stepped into the dining room.
The table was large enough to seat twenty people, yet only Lucien occupied one end.
He was reading a newspaper while sipping black coffee.
Without looking up, he spoke.
"Sit."
She quietly pulled out a chair opposite him.
Almost immediately, a maid served her breakfast.
Fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, and juice.
It was far more food than she could possibly eat.
Lucien folded the newspaper.
"Did you sleep?"
"Not really."
"I expected that."
She hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering her all night.
"Do you really think someone is trying to hurt me?"
Lucien placed his coffee cup down.
"I think someone wants to use you."
"Why?"
"I don't know yet."
His honesty was oddly reassuring.
He wasn't pretending to have all the answers.
Just then, Marco entered the room.
"Boss."
Lucien looked up.
"What did you find?"
"We recovered part of the surveillance footage."
Elena straightened.
"And?"
Marco placed a tablet on the table.
"The attackers wore masks, but one camera captured their vehicle."
Lucien studied the image.
A black SUV.
No license plate.
"What else?"
Marco swiped to another image.
"This."
The screen showed a close-up of the vehicle's windshield.
There, fixed to the inside of the glass, was a silver pendant shaped like a phoenix.
Lucien frowned.
"I've seen that symbol before."
Before he could say another word, one of the guards hurried into the dining room.
"Boss, someone is here to see Mrs. Romano."
Elena blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
The guard glanced nervously at Lucien before answering.
"He says... he's your father."
Elena pushed back her chair so quickly it nearly fell over.
"My father?"
Lucien stood.
"I told them to take him to the sitting room."
Without waiting another second, Elena hurried out of the dining room.
She found Richard Hart sitting on the edge of an expensive leather sofa.
The moment he saw her, he stood and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice shaking.
Tears filled Elena's eyes.
"Dad... you're okay."
He cupped her face with trembling hands.
"I never wanted you dragged into my mistakes."
Before Elena could respond, Richard's expression changed.
His face drained of color as he looked past her.
At Lucien.
For several long seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Richard took a slow step forward.
His voice was barely audible.
"You..."
"I hoped we'd never meet again."
Mr Hart stared at Lucien and Elena with fear
"You two know each other?"
The silence that followed was answer enough.
And suddenly, Elena realized her father's debt was only a small part of a much bigger story.
"What happened between you two? about the debt......"
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Elena looked from her father to Lucien, waiting for someone to explain.
Neither man spoke.
Richard lowered his gaze, guilt written all over his face.
Lucien remained as calm as ever, his face unreadable.
"How did you owe him father" Elena asked again.
Richard forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"It's... a long story."
"I have time."
Her voice was firm.
Lucien walked past them and poured himself a glass of water.
"You should tell her."
Richard sighed deeply before sitting back down.
"It was almost twenty-five years ago."
Elena slowly took the seat beside him.
"I worked as an accountant for Romano Group."
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"You worked for the Romano family?"
Richard nodded.
"I wasn't important. I handled financial records and investment files."
"What happened?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"I made a mistake."
Lucien let out a quiet scoff.
"It wasn't a mistake."
Richard looked at him.
"I've spent years regretting it."
"You regret getting caught."
Elena's heart raced.
"What are you talking about?"
Richard's shoulders slumped.
"There were people inside the company who wanted confidential financial records."
"You sold them?" Elena asked in disbelief.
"No!"
He answered so quickly that she almost believed him.
"I was threatened."
He looked at Lucien.
"They said if I didn't cooperate, they would kill your mother."
Lucien's grip tightened around the glass in his hand.
"My mother?"
Richard nodded.
"I thought I was helping protect her."
"And instead..." Lucien finished coldly, "...you handed information to people who nearly destroyed my family."
"I never knew they were criminals."
"You should have."
Richard buried his face in his hands.
"I've lived with that guilt every day."
Elena struggled to process everything.
Her father had worked for the Romano family.
He had betrayed them.
But there was something that still didn't make sense.
"If that's true," she asked, "why didn't Lucien take revenge years ago?"
Richard looked toward Lucien.
"He had every opportunity."
Lucien remained silent.
Richard continued.
"But he didn't."
"Why?" Elena whispered.
Lucien finally answered.
"Because the man responsible wasn't your father."
Both Elena and Richard stared at him.
"What?"
"Your father was manipulated."
Lucien walked toward the window overlooking the gardens.
"The people who orchestrated everything disappeared before I could find them."
He turned back to face them.
"I've spent years searching."
Richard frowned.
"You mean... you know I wasn't behind it?"
"I know you weren't smart enough to plan something that complicated."
Despite the insult, Richard gave a weak smile.
"I suppose that's your way of forgiving me."
Lucien didn't respond.
A sharp knock echoed through the room.
Marco entered without waiting.
"Boss."
"What is it?"
Marco looked uneasy.
"We've identified the owner of the SUV from the warehouse attack."
Lucien's expression hardened.
"Who is it?"
Marco swallowed.
"The vehicle belongs to someone inside the Romano family."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Which one?" Lucien asked.
Marco hesitated.
"I'm afraid... the registration belongs to your stepmother."
Silence filled the room.
Elena's heart pounded.
The attack hadn't come from an outsider.
Someone inside the Romano family had made the first move.
And the war had only just begun.
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