Chapter 8 - The Last Message From Her Mother
Dante refused to go alone.
For the first time, I saw him lose control.
He ordered every available man to search the surrounding properties. Police contacts were alerted. Private investigators were dispatched.
But the message had one purpose.
It was designed to make him reckless.
I stood in his study, looking at the photograph of my mother.
"He's using me to control you."
Dante didn't look up.
"I know."
"Then don't let him."
His jaw tightened.
"You don't understand Victor."
"Maybe I understand him better than you think."
I placed the locket on his desk.
"My mother spent her entire life protecting me from this family. I won't let her sacrifice mean nothing."
Dante finally met my eyes.
"You're not going anywhere near him."
"Then find another way."
Orion suddenly began barking.
He ran toward the hallway and stopped beside the old wooden cabinet near the entrance.
Margaret hurried after him.
"That cabinet belonged to Daniel!"
Dante opened it.
Inside were old photographs, letters, and a small brass mechanism.
The mechanism matched the key we had found beneath the carpet.
When Dante inserted it, a hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a cassette recorder.
And a handwritten note.
For Olivia, when she is old enough to know the truth.
I pressed the play button.
A woman's trembling voice filled the room.
"Olivia, my darling. If you are hearing this, then Eleanor succeeded in keeping you safe."
I covered my mouth.
It was Isabella.
"My little girl, I need you to know that your father loved you. Daniel never wanted power. He wanted a quiet life with us."
There was a pause.
Then she continued.
"Victor arranged the attack. He wanted your father dead because Daniel had discovered that Victor was selling company secrets to rival organizations."
Dante leaned forward.
"Keep listening."
Isabella revealed that she had secretly recorded Victor discussing the murder with a senior family associate.
The original recording was hidden inside a music box.
Then came the final confession.
"Your mother, Eleanor, helped me escape. She gave you her name because Victor was searching for Daniel's daughter. If anything happens to me, please forgive her for keeping the truth from you."
The recording ended.
I was crying.
Dante gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"She loved you."
"I know."
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Margaret noticed something written on the back of the cassette.
An address.
An abandoned church in Queens.
Dante recognized it immediately.
"It was one of my father's properties."
We arrived shortly before midnight.
Orion accompanied us.
The church was dark, its stained-glass windows broken and its doors hanging crookedly.
Dante's men searched the building.
I stayed beside him.
Then Orion suddenly ran toward the altar.
He barked and scratched at a loose floorboard.
Beneath it was a small metal music box.
Dante opened it.
Inside was a memory card.
But before he could remove it, the church lights came on.
Victor stood at the entrance.
Two armed men flanked him.
He smiled when he saw me.
"Well," he said. "Daniel's little girl finally came home."
Dante stepped in front of me.
"Your games are over."
Victor laughed.
"Not quite, nephew."
He raised his phone.
A video appeared on the screen.
It showed Margaret tied to a chair.
And standing behind her was another man.
May you like
A man Dante had believed dead for twelve years.
His father.
