Chapter 6 - The Man Guarding My Estate Had Been Working for My Enemy the Entire TimeI should have known.
Marco was too good.
Too loyal.
Too informed.
Too calm.
He always knew where everyone was.
He always knew which cameras worked.
He always knew which guards were on duty.
He had access to every room.
And now he was gone.
I checked the security feed.
His car had left fifteen minutes earlier.
But there was no footage.
The cameras had been disabled.
Again.
Eight minutes.
Always eight minutes.
I called every guard.
No answer.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
Marco's voice.
"You should stop looking."
"Where is Elsie?"
"Alive."
"Sienna?"
"Alive."
"What do you want?"
"Your father's ledger."
"You have it."
"No."
"You helped steal it."
"I helped protect it."
I laughed bitterly.
"By kidnapping a three-year-old?"
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
Marco paused.
Then said:
"Elena isn't the mastermind."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Who is?"
"Someone you trust."
The line went dead.
I looked around my father's study.
Who did I trust?
Only three people had access to everything.
Marco.
My legal advisor, Daniel.
And my mother.
My mother had been dead for fifteen years.
So that left two.
I called Daniel.
No answer.
I went to the law office.
Empty.
His assistant had been frightened.
"He left this morning."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Did he say anything?"
She hesitated.
"He said something about the Lilac Room."
I froze.
The room where the recordings had been labeled.
The room connected to my mother.
The room where Adrian had apparently hidden evidence.
I returned to the estate.
Nero was waiting.
He walked toward the west hallway.
I followed.
Behind the blue room was another passage.
It descended beneath the house.
At the bottom was the Lilac Room.
The door was open.
Inside stood Daniel.
And beside him was Elena.
Sienna sat in a chair.
Alive.
Elsie sat beside her.
Her red coat was gone.
Nero growled.
Daniel pointed a gun.
"Stay back."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because you don't know what you're protecting."
"Explain."
Daniel looked at Elsie.
"She isn't simply Adrian's daughter."
"What does that mean?"
"Your father didn't leave his empire to her."
He pulled out a document.
"He left it to whoever proved the child was legitimate."
"And?"
"Adrian was not the father listed on her birth certificate."
Sienna screamed.
"That's not true!"
Daniel looked at her.
"Your boyfriend was protecting the wrong secret."
I stared at Sienna.
She looked devastated.
"I didn't know."
Elsie began crying.
"Mama."
I moved toward her.
Daniel raised his weapon.
"Don't."
Nero stepped forward.
Daniel fired.
The bullet missed him by inches.
Nero lunged.
The gun fell.
Elena screamed.
I rushed forward.
Sienna grabbed Elsie.
Nero pinned Daniel to the floor.
And from beneath the old wooden table, Elsie whispered:
"Mister Alessio."
I turned.
She held a small key.
"I found this in the bad man's pocket."
I stared at it.
The key carried an engraving.
A.R.
May you like
Adrian Russo.
The same key that opened the final compartment of the Red Ledger.
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