Chapter 7: The enemy within
1162 Words
Marco's words hung heavily in the air.
"The vehicle belongs to your stepmother."
Elena's eyes widened.
"Your... stepmother?"
Lucien's expression remained unreadable, but she noticed his jaw tighten.
"Are you certain?" he asked.
Marco nodded. "The SUV is registered under Mrs. Beatrice Romano's name. However, that doesn't necessarily mean she was in it."
Lucien walked to the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
"No. Beatrice is too careful to leave evidence that obvious."
"Then someone wanted you to find her name," Elena said quietly.
Lucien turned to look at her.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"You're learning."
Marco looked between them.
"What are your orders, Boss?"
"Don't confront her."
Marco frowned.
"But..."
"If she's innocent, confronting her will warn the real culprit. If she's guilty, she'll destroy every piece of evidence before we can act."
Marco nodded in understanding.
"I'll keep watching her."
"Quietly."
After Marco left, silence settled over the room.
Richard Hart slowly stood from the sofa.
"I should go."
Elena looked at him.
"So soon?"
"I've caused enough trouble already."
Lucien finally spoke.
"My men will drive you back to the hospital."
Richard hesitated before nodding.
As he walked past Lucien, he stopped.
"I owe you more than an apology."
Lucien didn't answer.
Richard lowered his head and left the room.
The front door closed with a soft click.
Elena released a long sigh.
"My father has made terrible mistakes."
"He has."
"But you still helped him."
Lucien looked at her.
"I helped you."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Before she could respond, Martha entered carrying a silver tray.
"Mr. Romano, Mrs. Beatrice has arrived."
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"She's here?"
"Yes."
"And she insists on seeing both of you."
Elena exchanged a nervous glance with Lucien.
"Should I leave?"
"No."
He straightened his suit jacket.
"If she's here to play games, she'll do it in front of both of us."
Moments later, the drawing room doors opened.
A graceful woman in an emerald-green dress stepped inside.
She appeared to be in her early fifties, carrying herself with effortless elegance.
Her smile was warm.
Almost too warm.
"So," she said, her eyes settling on Elena.
"This must be my new daughter-in-law."
Elena offered a polite smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Romano."
"Oh, none of that." The woman laughed softly.
"Call me Beatrice."
She stepped closer and gently held Elena's hands.
"I've been dying to meet the woman who finally convinced Lucien to marry."
Lucien remained standing.
"You didn't come here for introductions."
Beatrice's smile faded only slightly.
"Straight to business, as always."
She reached into her designer handbag and removed a sealed envelope.
"This arrived at my house an hour ago."
Lucien accepted it but didn't open it immediately.
"It has your name on it."
He broke the seal.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
His eyes scanned the message.
For the first time, genuine shock flickered across his face.
Elena had never seen that expression on him before.
"What is it?" she asked.
Without a word, Lucien handed her the letter.
Her hands trembled as she read.
Congratulations on your marriage.
The game has begun.
Let's see which of you loses the baby first.
Elena's blood ran cold.
Instinctively, her hand moved to her stomach.
She wasn't even pregnant.
Yet someone was already threatening the child they might one day have.
Lucien slowly folded the letter.
His gray eyes turned as cold as winter.
"They've crossed a line."
For the first time since the inheritance challenge began...
The room fell into complete silence.
Elena's fingers tightened around the letter as she read the words again.
Let's see which of you loses the baby first.
A shiver raced down her spine.
"I... I'm not even pregnant," she whispered.
Lucien gently took the letter from her hands, his face devoid of emotion. But Elena had spent enough time with him to recognize the subtle signs.
His clenched jaw.
The rigid set of his shoulders.
He was furious.
Beatrice broke the silence.
"I swear I know nothing about this."
Lucien's piercing gaze shifted to his stepmother.
"Why was it delivered to your house?"
"I don't know. It was left with the gatekeeper this morning. When I saw your name, I brought it here immediately."
She looked genuinely shaken.
For a long moment, Lucien studied her face.
Finally, he handed the letter to Marco, who had just entered the room.
"Have the paper examined."
Marco accepted it carefully.
"Fingerprints?"
"Everything."
"And the handwriting?"
"I want every expert available."
"Yes, Boss."
As Marco left, Lucien turned back to Elena.
"We're leaving."
She frowned.
"Leaving?"
"This mansion is no longer safe."
Beatrice looked alarmed.
"You think someone can get inside?"
Lucien didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
Within thirty minutes, a convoy of black SUVs rolled out of the Romano estate.
Elena sat beside Lucien in the back seat, watching the mansion disappear through the rear window.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"My private residence."
"I thought the mansion was your home."
"It belongs to the Romano family."
He looked out the window.
"My home belongs to me."
An hour later, the convoy stopped before a secluded estate hidden behind towering iron gates and dense pine trees.
Unlike the Romano mansion, this place was quiet.
Peaceful.
It felt less like a fortress and more like a sanctuary.
"This is beautiful," Elena murmured.
Lucien unlocked the front door himself.
"No one knows this place exists."
She looked at him in surprise.
"Not even your family?"
"They know I own land."
"They don't know where."
For the first time since the threats began, Elena felt a small sense of relief.
Maybe they were finally safe.
As they stepped inside, a golden retriever came running toward them, its tail wagging excitedly.
Without hesitation, it jumped onto Lucien.
Elena stared in disbelief.
"You have a dog?"
Lucien scratched behind the dog's ears.
"He was here before me."
The dog barked happily before walking over to Elena and nudging her hand with his nose.
She laughed softly as she petted him.
"I think he likes me."
"He doesn't like everyone."
Lucien watched the scene quietly.
It was the first genuine smile he had seen on Elena's face since they married.
For a brief moment, the weight of the family war disappeared.
Until Marco's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
His expression darkened.
"Boss..."
Lucien looked up.
"What happened?"
Marco swallowed hard.
"Our men searched every security camera near Mrs. Beatrice's estate."
"And?"
"The person who delivered the letter never appeared on any camera."
Elena frowned.
"That's impossible."
Marco slowly shook his head.
"Not impossible."
He looked directly at Lucien.
"The cameras were turned off... exactly fifteen minutes before the letter arrived."
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"An inside job."
Marco nodded.
"Someone with access to the family's security system is helping them."
Lucien fell silent.
The enemy wasn't just watching.
They were already inside the Romano family's inner circle.
And that meant no one could be trusted.
- Writer
