Chapter 4 - Isabella Romano Was Not Dead, and She Was the Woman Who Had Secretly Protected My Son Before Leaving Him in the Kitchen Shed for Sophia to FindWe found the old address.
Nothing.
The property had been abandoned.
Inside, we discovered a room.
A crib.
Blankets.
Medical supplies.
Photographs.
Of Luca.
Taken before his birth.
I stared at them.
My son had been monitored for months.
Not by the hospital.
By Isabella.
A note was taped to the wall.
HE MUST NOT GO TO THE FAMILY.
I read it twice.
Then another.
TRUST THE CHILD WHO FINDS HIM.
That explained Sophia.
But why?
We searched deeper.
We found Isabella's journal.
The first entry was twelve years old.
She wrote about my father.
He had been building a secret succession network.
She discovered children were being tracked.
Newborns.
Heirs.
Pregnancies.
Families.
She tried to expose him.
She disappeared.
Everyone believed she died.
But she survived.
And spent years dismantling the network from inside.
Then she met Valentina.
My wife.
The journal said:
Valentina knows what they are doing.
My blood went cold.
My wife knew.
Maybe not everything.
But enough.
I confronted her.
She didn't deny it.
“I knew your family had secrets.”
“How much?”
“I knew they were watching the baby.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because they threatened my life.”
“Who?”
“Your uncle.”
“Carlo?”
She nodded.
Carlo Moretti.
My father's younger brother.
The man I thought retired years ago.
He was alive.
And active.
I asked:
“Did you help them?”
“No.”
“Did you help move Luca?”
She looked at me.
“No.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I asked Isabella to protect him.”
I froze.
“You knew she was alive.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Before our wedding.”
That hurt.
“You lied to me.”
“I was terrified.”
“I lost seven years of trust because you were terrified?”
She started crying.
“I thought if you knew, they'd kill you.”
I wanted to be angry.
But her face told me she had lived with fear for years.
“Who moved the baby?”
“Carlo.”
“How?”
“He had someone inside the hospital.”
“Dr. Avery?”
“Yes.”
“And Matteo?”
“He tried to stop them.”
I stared.
For the first time, I realized my brother might not be the traitor.
He might have been fighting from inside.
But then I remembered the inheritance documents.
“Why did you let me name Matteo heir?”
“Because Carlo needed you to.”
“What?”
“He wanted you to sign.”
If I signed, Matteo would become the legal heir.
Then Carlo could control Matteo.
Or eliminate him.
The succession was a trap.
Everything had been.
The funeral.
The fake death.
The inheritance meeting.
All designed to make me transfer my empire before I discovered Luca was alive.
Then Isabella had interrupted the plan.
She had stolen Luca.
Hidden him.
And somehow, Sophia found him.
I asked:
“Where is Isabella?”
Valentina shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Then the lights went out.
The mansion went dark.
Security alarms failed.
My phone showed one message.
LEAVE LUCA WHERE HE IS.
Another appeared.
OR ISABELLA DIES.
I stared.
If Isabella was alive, someone had her.
I turned toward Matteo.
“Find her.”
He nodded.
Then Sophia ran into the room.
“Sir!”
“What?”
“I heard someone.”
“Where?”
“In the nursery.”
I sprinted upstairs.
Luca was gone.
The crib was empty.
My heart stopped.
The security cameras were still offline.
Then another message.
YOU HAVE ONE HOUR.
And underneath:
THE HEIR FOR THE ARCHITECT.
I knew exactly what it meant.
May you like
The person behind everything finally had my son.
And this time, there would be no substitute.
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