Chapter 14: The Last Enemy Inside The House
Chapter 14: The Last Enemy Inside The House
The sound of the gunshot disappeared into the darkness.
But Vincent Torino heard it again.
Over and over.
Not because the shot was loud.
Because he knew what it meant.
Another betrayal.
Another person hiding behind a smile.
Another shadow inside his family.
Daniel Cross lay in Vincent’s arms.
The man who had spent decades carrying secrets.
The man who had been both enemy and ally.
The man who had finally given Vincent the truth.
And now he was bleeding because of it.
“Stay awake.”
Vincent pressed his hand against the wound.
Daniel gave a weak smile.
“Still giving orders.”
“Stay awake.”
Daniel looked at him.
“You sound like Maria.”
For a second…
Vincent froze.
Because everyone who knew Maria eventually said the same thing.
You sound like her.
Maybe because after losing her, he spent thirty years trying not to.
And somehow…
he became more like her than ever.
Tony rushed inside with the team.
“Boss!”
Vincent looked up.
“Find him.”
Tony checked Daniel’s injury.
“Who?”
Vincent’s eyes moved toward the open exit.
“The person who shot him.”
Tony nodded.
Then stopped.
“Boss…”
“What?”
“There was no one on the cameras.”
Vincent’s expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
“The shooter wasn’t outside.”
A pause.
“He was already inside.”
The hospital was silent.
Daniel survived.
Barely.
The bullet had missed his heart by centimeters.
Doctors called it luck.
Vincent called it unfinished business.
He sat outside the emergency room.
Waiting.
Something he hated.
Waiting meant having no control.
And Vincent Torino built his entire life around control.
But lately…
everything he thought he controlled had collapsed.
His family.
His empire.
His past.
Even his own heart.
Tony sat beside him.
“We checked everyone.”
Vincent looked at him.
“And?”
“No one from our team is missing.”
“Impossible.”
Tony nodded.
“I know.”
Vincent looked through the hospital window.
“Someone got close enough to shoot Daniel.”
A pause.
“Someone we trusted.”
Tony became quiet.
Because they both knew what that meant.
The enemy was not outside.
The enemy was already home.
When Vincent returned to the mansion, everyone was gathered.
Elena.
Sophie.
Alexander.
Isabella.
The people connected by decades of secrets.
The people who had survived everything.
And now...
one of them was hiding something.
Sophie immediately ran toward Vincent.
“You’re okay.”
He knelt down.
“I’m okay.”
She looked at his face.
“You’re sad again.”
Vincent almost smiled.
“You always notice.”
Sophie nodded.
“My mama says people hide sadness behind their eyes.”
Vincent looked at Elena.
For once, he understood why.
Elena had been carrying pain too.
Not because she was weak.
Because she loved people.
Something Vincent was slowly learning.
The meeting began.
No servants.
No outsiders.
Only family.
Vincent stood at the head of the table.
For decades, he had sat there as a king.
Tonight, he sat there as something else.
A man searching for the truth.
“Someone inside this house tried to kill Daniel.”
Nobody spoke.
Vincent continued.
“They know about Sophie.”
Silence.
“They know about Maria.”
Silence.
“They know about everything.”
Alexander looked around.
“Then we search everyone.”
Vincent shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because the person we are looking for already knows how we think.”
A pause.
“They would expect a search.”
Isabella studied him.
“You are changing.”
Vincent looked at her.
“Maybe.”
A long silence.
“Or maybe I’m finally becoming who Maria wanted me to be.”
The investigation began.
Every security recording.
Every message.
Every access log.
Every person connected to the mansion.
Then Tony found something.
“Boss.”
Vincent entered the security room.
“What?”
Tony showed him the screen.
A security record.
Time stamp.
Three hours before Daniel was shot.
A person entering the mansion.
Vincent stared.
The face was hidden.
But the movement.
The posture.
The way the person walked.
He knew.
“No.”
Tony looked at him.
“You recognize them?”
Vincent said nothing.
He replayed the footage.
Again.
And again.
Then he whispered:
“Impossible.”
The person in the video was someone Vincent trusted.
Someone who had protected Sophie.
Someone who had been beside Elena.
Someone who had been there since the beginning.
Tony looked at him.
“Who is it?”
Vincent didn’t answer immediately.
Because saying the name made it real.
Finally…
he spoke.
“Elena’s brother.”
The room became silent.
Tony frowned.
“Elena has a brother?”
Vincent nodded.
“Apparently.”
Elena was brought into the room.
She looked confused.
“What happened?”
Vincent placed the footage in front of her.
Her face changed instantly.
“No.”
The word escaped before she could stop it.
Vincent noticed.
“You know him.”
Elena looked away.
“His name is Gabriel.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
The answer came too quickly.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“Elena.”
She closed her eyes.
“I thought he was dead.”
Everyone became silent.
“Explain.”
Elena sat down slowly.
“Gabriel disappeared twenty years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because of the Torino family.”
Vincent looked confused.
“What does that mean?”
Elena looked at Sophie.
Then at Vincent.
“He was involved with Maria.”
The room froze.
Vincent stepped closer.
“What?”
“Gabriel was one of Maria’s sources.”
Elena’s voice trembled.
“He helped her investigate your family.”
Alexander looked shocked.
“Then why hide him?”
Elena answered:
“Because after Maria died…”
A pause.
“Gabriel blamed Vincent.”
Vincent said nothing.
“He believed you became exactly what destroyed her.”
The words hurt.
Because part of Vincent feared they were true.
Suddenly, Sophie spoke.
“He came to see me.”
Everyone turned.
Vincent immediately moved closer.
“When?”
“Before I disappeared.”
His expression changed.
“What did he say?”
Sophie thought carefully.
“He said…”
She looked nervous.
“He said my family made a mistake.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“What else?”
“He said…”
A pause.
“He said Mr. Vincent would understand when he knew the truth.”
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
The sound came from the table.
A hidden phone.
Nobody knew it was there.
Vincent picked it up.
A voice answered.
Older.
Familiar.
Gabriel.
“You found me.”
Vincent’s grip tightened.
“Where is Sophie’s family?”
A pause.
“You still think this is about her.”
“Where are you?”
Gabriel laughed softly.
“I spent twenty years trying to expose the Torino family.”
A pause.
“And now I finally understand.”
“What?”
“You are not the disease.”
Vincent became still.
Gabriel continued:
“You are the cure.”
Silence.
“Then why attack Daniel?”
“Because Daniel was going to tell you the final secret.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“What secret?”
Gabriel’s voice lowered.
“The truth about Sophie.”
Vincent looked at the child.
“What about her?”
Gabriel whispered:
“She is not the hidden heir.”
Everyone froze.
Vincent’s heartbeat slowed.
“Then who is she?”
A long pause.
Then Gabriel answered:
“She is the reason Maria died.”
The phone went silent.
Nobody spoke.
Sophie stood frozen.
Elena covered her mouth.
Alexander looked confused.
Isabella looked terrified.
And Vincent…
Vincent looked at the little girl who had changed his entire life.
The little girl who ran into his restaurant asking for help.
The little girl who brought his heart back.
Could she really be connected to Maria’s death?
No.
His instincts rejected it.
But the truth had betrayed him too many times.
Gabriel’s final words echoed:
“Come find me, Vincent.”
May you like
“And when you do…”
“You will finally understand why Maria chose to die.”
