Chapter 3 - The Man Behind the Glass
The next morning, Alessandro moved me and Emma into the mansion.
I protested.
He ignored me.
“You're staying upstairs.”
“I work here.”
“Not anymore.”
My stomach dropped.
“You're firing me?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“You're under protection.”
“I don't need protection.”
“You almost became a hostage.”
Emma appeared behind my legs.
“Are we moving?”
I looked at Alessandro.
He crouched down.
“Only for a little while.”
Emma considered him.
“Can I bring Bunny?”
“Obviously.”
“And Mama?”
He glanced at me.
“She comes too.”
Emma smiled.
“Okay.”
I sighed.
“Traitor.”
She giggled.
For one impossible moment, Alessandro smiled too.
Then the moment disappeared.
His security chief, Gabriel Russo, entered.
“Boss, the terminal records are ready.”
Alessandro stood.
“Show me.”
Before he left, he looked at me.
“Don't leave this floor.”
“I won't.”
“And don't answer the phone.”
“I won't.”
“And—”
“I understand.”
He gave me a look.
“You don't.”
“Alessandro.”
He paused.
“I'm not running.”
He studied me.
“Good.”
The moment the door closed, Emma tugged my hand.
“Mama.”
“What?”
“Bad man lives upstairs?”
I froze.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because Daddy Wolf said no.”
My heart stopped.
“Daddy Wolf?”
She pointed toward the door.
“You.”
I stared at her.
“You called Alessandro Daddy Wolf?”
“He has wolf eyes.”
I almost laughed.
“Don't say that to him.”
“Why?”
“Because he's scary.”
Emma shook her head.
“He sad, not scary.”
I had no answer.
Later that afternoon, I was taken to the security room.
A wall of monitors showed every corner of the mansion and grounds.
Alessandro stood in the center.
Gabriel handed him a tablet.
“We traced the access.”
“And?”
“Someone used three credentials.”
“Whose?”
“Marcus Bell's. A temporary housekeeping account. And yours.”
Alessandro went still.
“My credentials?”
“Yes.”
“Could they have been copied?”
“Possibly.”
“Who had physical access?”
Gabriel looked at me.
Then away.
I immediately understood.
“Me?”
Alessandro looked at me.
“Not you.”
Gabriel hesitated.
“Who, then?”
“The old office administrator.”
“Evelyn?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Where is she?”
“She disappeared yesterday morning.”
Alessandro's expression became cold.
“Find her.”
An hour later, his men found Evelyn's apartment abandoned.
The place had been cleared with professional precision.
Except for one thing.
A laundry envelope.
Inside was another receipt.
This one had no names.
Only numbers.
Alessandro studied it.
“What are those?”
Gabriel answered.
“Dates.”
“Of what?”
“Payments.”
“Who made them?”
“We're still tracing that.”
I looked at the paper.
“Those aren't dates.”
Everyone looked at me.
I pointed.
“They're order numbers.”
Alessandro frowned.
“How do you know?”
“I used to help in the laundry office.”
I took the paper.
“These numbers match internal order codes.”
Gabriel looked impressed.
“Then whoever wrote this wasn't recording payments.”
I nodded.
“They were tracking jobs.”
Alessandro looked at me.
“Which jobs?”
I checked the codes.
My heart sank.
“Mine.”
Silence.
“Every laundry job connected to your cottage is here.”
Alessandro took the paper.
“Why?”
I shook my head.
“I don't know.”
He stared at the list.
Then suddenly he turned.
“Gabriel.”
“Yes?”
“Which order was the shirt?”
Gabriel checked.
“Order 1847.”
Alessandro's finger moved down the list.
“What's 1848?”
Gabriel froze.
“Child's blanket.”
Emma's voice came from the doorway.
“That's Bunny's blanket.”
I spun around.
“How did you get here?”
She held up Bunny.
“I followed him.”
Behind her stood Alessandro.
His face was unreadable.
“Followed who?”
Emma pointed at the hallway.
“The man.”
Every guard raised weapons.
I grabbed her.
“What man?”
She pointed again.
“The man with the red thing.”
Alessandro looked at Gabriel.
“What red thing?”
Emma frowned.
“On his hand.”
Alessandro crouched beside her.
“Can you draw it?”
Emma nodded.
Gabriel gave her a notepad.
She drew a crude circle with a red line through it.
Alessandro stared.
His face changed.
“You know that symbol?”
Gabriel nodded slowly.
“Triad.”
I didn't understand.
Alessandro did.
“Which one?”
Gabriel swallowed.
“The Red Serpent.”
Alessandro stood.
“The Hong Kong syndicate?”
“They've been fighting for territory on the East Coast.”
Alessandro looked at Emma.
“How did you see their symbol?”
Emma shrugged.
“The man had it.”
“Where?”
She touched her wrist.
“His hand.”
Alessandro's eyes became dangerous.
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
I froze.
“Yesterday?”
Emma nodded.
“He gave Mama a flower.”
I felt the blood leave my face.
“No one gave me a flower.”
Emma pointed behind me.
“You threw it away.”
I remembered.
Yesterday morning, I'd found a red rose outside the cottage door.
I had assumed it was from the gardener.
Alessandro's expression darkened.
“Where is it?”
“In the trash.”
He turned to Gabriel.
“Find it.”
Within minutes, the rose was placed inside a plastic evidence bag.
Gabriel examined it.
“Camera wire.”
A tiny silver filament was hidden inside the stem.
They had been listening.
Watching.
Recording.
My hands began shaking.
Alessandro noticed.
He took the evidence bag from Gabriel.
“You're done for today.”
I stared at him.
“I want answers.”
“You'll get them.”
“No. I want them now.”
He looked at me.
“You have a child to protect.”
“So do you.”
His face softened.
“My child?”
I hadn't meant to say it.
But the words were already there.
Emma looked between us.
“Daddy Wolf.”
Alessandro slowly closed his eyes.
I wanted to disappear.
But then something happened.
He laughed.
A quiet, broken laugh.
“I suppose I've been promoted.”
Emma smiled.
“You are.”
That night, while Emma slept in the guest room, I found Alessandro standing alone in the library.
“You shouldn't be awake.”
“Neither should you.”
He looked toward the window.
“They wanted me to become attached to her.”
“To control you.”
“Yes.”
“But why me?”
His eyes met mine.
“I don't know yet.”
Then he added quietly:
“But I know this.”
He stepped closer.
“They made one mistake.”
“What?”
“They assumed caring about you would make me weaker.”
I held my breath.
“What does it do?”
May you like
His voice became cold.
“It gives me something worth protecting.”
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