Chapter 4 - The House Where Everything Began
The old Romano estate stood outside Chicago, abandoned for nearly twenty years.
Luca hadn't returned since his father's funeral.
The house looked smaller than he remembered.
Broken windows.
Overgrown vines.
A rusted gate.
Emma stood beside him.
"Your father died here?"
"Yes."
"Why was the house abandoned?"
"Because nobody wanted to remember what happened."
They entered.
Dust covered everything.
The smell of old wood filled the halls.
Luca walked slowly toward the study.
Emma followed.
On the wall hung a photograph of Giovanni Romano.
She stopped.
"Your father looked kind."
"He was."
"Then why did he build an empire?"
Luca smiled sadly.
"He thought money could protect people."
"Did it?"
"No."
They searched for hours.
Nothing.
Then Emma noticed something strange.
A small scratch beneath the fireplace.
"Look."
Luca crouched.
She touched the stone.
"This was moved."
Together, they pushed.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a metal box.
Luca's heart accelerated.
He opened it.
Documents.
Photographs.
And a black leather ledger.
Emma stared.
"The ledger."
Luca opened the first page.
Names.
Payments.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police officials.
Business owners.
It wasn't simply a record of stolen money.
It was a map of corruption.
Then Emma saw something.
Her father's signature.
Beside it was a date.
The day before his death.
Luca turned another page.
There was Giovanni's signature.
And underneath it:
Victor knows.
Luca's jaw tightened.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed upstairs.
Emma froze.
Someone was inside.
Luca pulled her behind a wall.
Three armed men entered the room.
One spoke into a phone.
"The ledger is here."
Luca whispered.
"Stay behind me."
The first man entered.
Luca moved quickly.
The confrontation was short but brutal.
When it ended, the three men were disarmed and restrained.
Emma stared at Luca.
"Who are you really?"
He looked at her.
"A man who has spent too long pretending violence is the only language powerful people understand."
"Is it?"
"No."
He looked at the ledger.
"Sometimes truth is worse."
One of the captured men laughed.
"You think you've won?"
Luca turned.
"Who sent you?"
The man smiled.
"Victor."
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"Where is he?"
The man leaned closer.
"Closer than you think."
Then he bit down.
Marco rushed forward.
Too late.
The man's body went limp.
Emma covered her mouth.
Luca immediately looked at her.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded.
But she wasn't.
She was beginning to understand the world Luca lived in.
And she was terrified that she had already become part of it.
They returned to the safe house.
That evening, Emma found Luca alone on the balcony.
"You should leave."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because this is dangerous."
"I know."
"No. You don't."
"Then tell me."
Luca turned.
"If you stay near me, people will use you to hurt me."
Emma's voice softened.
"And if I leave?"
"They'll still come after you."
She stepped closer.
"So there's nowhere safe."
"Not anymore."
Emma looked at the city lights.
"I spent my whole life believing poor people were invisible."
Luca watched her.
"They're not."
She smiled faintly.
"Apparently being invisible is overrated."
For the first time, Luca laughed.
A real laugh.
Emma looked at him.
"You should do that more."
"What?"
"Smile."
He shook his head.
"You're dangerous."
She smiled.
"Maybe."
Then Marco rushed onto the balcony.
"Boss."
Luca turned.
"What?"
"We found Victor."
"Where?"
Marco handed him a photograph.
Luca stared.
His uncle stood beside a woman.
Emma's mother.
Margaret.
Emma saw the photograph.
Her face went white.
"My mother knew him."
Luca shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the date.
The photograph had been taken twenty-three years earlier.
Before Emma was born.
Then Emma noticed something else.
A small child stood beside Margaret.
A little girl.
Emma.
She stared.
"Why was I there?"
Nobody answered.
Then Marco said quietly:
"Because Victor wasn't watching your father."
May you like
He looked at Emma.
"He was watching you."
