Chapter 3 - The Secret Behind the Casting
Vincent didn’t answer.
He walked toward the bar, poured himself a drink, and stood with his back to me.
“Who?” I repeated.
“Claire, you should not have followed us.”
“So I’m right.”
He closed his eyes.
“You don’t understand what you heard.”
“Then explain.”
Silence.
I stepped closer.
“You told Vanessa I could get killed.”
Vincent turned.
“I said you could become a target.”
“Because of her?”
“Because of me.”
That answer stunned me.
He put down his glass.
“My family has been fighting internal wars for years.”
“I knew there were conflicts.”
“You knew almost nothing.”
“Because you never told me.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By making me think you were in love with another woman?”
His jaw tightened.
“I never stopped loving you.”
My anger disappeared for a moment.
“What?”
He moved closer.
“I said Vanessa was important to me. I never said I wanted her back.”
“Then why does she have the role?”
He looked away.
“Because someone is watching her.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s convenient.”
“I don’t lie to you.”
I stared at him.
“You lied when you said the casting wasn’t personal.”
“It wasn’t about your ability.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“No.”
He took a breath.
“Someone has been trying to locate Vanessa for months.”
“Who?”
“A man named Adrian Cross.”
The name meant nothing to me.
“He’s connected to a rival organization. He believes Vanessa knows something about a financial operation that disappeared eight years ago.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
Vincent looked at me.
“Everything.”
Eight years ago.
The photograph.
I suddenly understood that the date wasn’t random.
“What happened eight years ago?”
Vincent didn’t answer.
“Vincent.”
He rubbed his hand across his face.
“That was the year my uncle Marco died.”
“And Vanessa was with you.”
“Yes.”
“What did she know?”
He said quietly, “Too much.”
Before I could ask more, his phone rang.
His expression changed after reading the screen.
“Stay here.”
“Who was it?”
“Security.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He was already walking toward the door.
“Lock the windows.”
“Vincent—”
“Claire.”
He looked back at me.
There was fear in his eyes.
Real fear.
“I need you to trust me.”
The door shut.
For the first time since I met him, I wasn’t sure that trust was enough.
The next morning, I went to Vanessa.
She was stretching alone.
“I know about Adrian.”
Her face went pale.
“Vincent told you?”
“Yes.”
She sat down.
“So it finally happened.”
“What happened?”
She looked at her hands.
“Eight years ago, Vincent and I were engaged.”
I felt my chest tighten.
“Engaged?”
“Yes.”
I stood there silently.
“We were young,” she continued. “Vincent was already being prepared to take control of his family. I thought I could change his life.”
“Could you?”
She smiled sadly.
“No.”
“What happened?”
“My brother, Ethan, discovered that Marco was stealing from the family.”
I frowned.
“Stealing?”
“Money. Property. Information. Marco had been building a secret network with outsiders.”
“And you knew?”
“I knew Ethan knew.”
“What happened to him?”
“He disappeared.”
The studio suddenly felt colder.
“Vincent investigated.”
Vanessa nodded.
“He found Ethan dead.”
I covered my mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
“Vincent blamed himself.”
“Why?”
“Because Ethan had warned him. Vincent ignored him.”
She looked at me.
“Marco ordered Ethan’s death.”
“Then why is Adrian after you?”
“Because I have something Marco gave me.”
“What?”
“A ledger.”
My heart stopped.
“A ledger?”
“A record of every payment and every name in the network.”
“Where is it?”
“Hidden.”
“Where?”
She stood.
“I never told Vincent.”
That surprised me.
“Why not?”
“Because if Vincent knew where it was, he could become obsessed with destroying everyone involved.”
“And what are you doing with it?”
“Waiting until the right time.”
“For what?”
“To expose them.”
Before I could ask anything else, a loud crash came from the entrance.
Everyone screamed.
A man ran into the studio.
“Vanessa!”
She turned.
I recognized the fear on her face.
“Down!” she shouted.
I dropped.
The studio windows shattered.
Someone had fired through the glass.
People screamed and ran.
Vincent’s security team rushed inside seconds later.
Vanessa was dragged behind a wall.
I crawled toward the side exit.
Then I saw someone outside.
A black coat.
A silver scar near his jaw.
He looked directly at me.
Then smiled.
I knew immediately.
Adrian Cross.
The police arrived.
The company shut down.
Vincent came for me within minutes.
The moment he saw me, he pulled me into his arms.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.”
His hands trembled.
I noticed.
Vincent Moretti was trembling.
That terrified me more than the gunfire.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I looked at him.
“For what?”
“For bringing this to your life.”
I swallowed.
“I married you because I loved you.”
He looked into my eyes.
“I still love you.”
Then Vanessa walked over.
She held out a small key.
“This is the last thing Ethan gave Vincent.”
Vincent stared at it.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m done running.”
May you like
She looked at both of us.
“It’s time you knew everything.”
