Chapter 2 - The Secret Elena Had Carried for Three YearsVincent held his breath as Elena finished her sentence.
“This isn’t just about money or territory.”
Her voice was steady now, but her eyes carried the fear of someone who had lived beside death for far too long.
“They're here to erase the Torino bloodline.”
The words struck harder than any bullet.
Vincent stared at her, searching for any sign she was mistaken.
There was none.
Outside the closet, Marcus continued giving orders with frightening confidence.
“Once we get the codes, no survivors. Burn the security room first. Make it look like an electrical fire.”
Another man chuckled.
“The newspapers will call it a tragic accident.”
Vincent felt rage surge through his body. Marcus wasn't simply stealing an empire—he intended to erase thirty years of history and every person loyal to the Torino name.
Elena slowly removed her hand from Vincent's mouth.
“I've been listening to them for six months,” she whispered. “Every time they met in this house, they assumed the maid didn't exist. Invisible people hear everything.”
“You knew?” Vincent asked quietly.
“I couldn't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because the first guard I trusted disappeared the next morning.”
Vincent froze.
Anthony, his oldest bodyguard, had vanished seven weeks earlier. Everyone believed he had betrayed the family for money.
“You're saying Anthony was murdered?”
Elena nodded.
“He tried to warn you. Marcus found out before he could.”
The realization was devastating.
Every missing ally...
Every failed operation...
Every security breach...
They were not random accidents.
Someone inside the family had been dismantling Vincent's empire piece by piece.
Suddenly, Marcus stopped speaking.
Silence filled the bedroom.
Then came slow footsteps toward the closet.
Vincent instinctively reached for the pistol beneath Elena's dress, but she caught his wrist.
“Not yet,” she mouthed.
The footsteps stopped directly outside the closet door.
Neither of them dared breathe.
The handle turned halfway.
Then Marcus spoke.
“Wait.”
Another man asked, “What is it?”
Marcus's voice lowered.
“Do you smell perfume?”
Elena's face lost every trace of color.
She had cleaned the room only minutes before Vincent unexpectedly returned, leaving behind the faint scent of jasmine she always wore.
Marcus stepped even closer.
“No one's supposed to be upstairs.”
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His hand closed around the closet handle once again.
This time, it began to turn all the way.
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