Chapter 7 - Adrienne returned home before sunset.The entire estate was surrounded by security.
Tony refused to let him enter alone.
But Adrienne insisted.
“He wants me.”
Tony frowned.
“He wants you dead.”
“Not yet.”
Adrienne walked into the study.
At exactly 8:00 PM, the lights went out.
A projector activated.
Anthony Cole appeared on the wall.
Older.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
Adrienne recognized the eyes immediately.
His father's eyes.
But there was something else.
The same scar Adrienne remembered from childhood.
“You look like him,” Anthony said.
Adrienne stared.
“Where's Mia?”
Anthony smiled.
“Straight to business.”
“She isn't part of this.”
“She's the entire point.”
Adrienne stepped toward the screen.
“You took her.”
“I protected her.”
“You kidnapped her.”
Anthony laughed.
“You still believe everything has a simple name.”
“Tell me where she is.”
Anthony leaned forward.
“Do you remember your mother?”
Adrienne's expression changed.
“Leave her out of this.”
“She knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That your father was not the man you thought.”
Adrienne stared.
Anthony continued.
“Your mother discovered the trust.”
“What trust?”
“The Moretti Legacy Trust.”
Adrienne looked at the ledger.
“Why hide it?”
“Because your father wanted it.”
“For himself?”
“No.”
Anthony's smile faded.
“For you.”
Adrienne froze.
“The trust was created to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From your father's partners.”
Anthony paused.
“Men who believed blood gave them ownership.”
Adrienne's voice hardened.
“You're one of them.”
“I was.”
“What changed?”
“You did.”
Adrienne narrowed his eyes.
Anthony continued.
“Your father wanted to kill you when he discovered Sofia was pregnant.”
Adrienne felt his chest tighten.
“Why?”
“Because a legitimate blood heir would override everything.”
“Mia.”
“Yes.”
Adrienne looked down.
Anthony said:
“When Mia was born, your father tried to erase her.”
Adrienne's voice cracked.
“And you saved her?”
“No.”
Anthony shook his head.
“I saved the money.”
Adrienne's eyes narrowed.
Anthony smiled.
“That's why Bruno mattered.”
“What does Bruno have to do with the trust?”
“Your father trained him.”
Adrienne frowned.
“For what?”
“To recognize the safe room.”
Silence.
Adrienne remembered Bruno sleeping outside the study.
Every night.
For years.
Anthony continued.
“Your dog knew where the original trust documents were hidden.”
Adrienne looked at the ledger.
“But I found the ledger.”
“You found the decoy.”
Adrienne's face changed.
“What?”
Anthony smiled.
“The real trust isn't in the house.”
“Where is it?”
Anthony leaned back.
“Ask Bruno.”
Adrienne stared at the screen.
“What does that mean?”
Anthony's voice softened.
“He remembers.”
The screen went black.
At that exact moment, Bruno began barking from the hallway.
Adrienne turned.
The dog was staring at the wall.
The same wall where his father's portrait had once hung.
Bruno scratched twice.
Adrienne moved toward him.
The dog's paw touched a hidden panel.
Adrienne pressed it.
The wall opened.
Inside was a narrow chamber.
A metal box sat on a stone pedestal.
Tony entered behind him.
“Boss…”
Adrienne opened the box.
Inside was a cassette tape.
An old key.
And a birth certificate.
He picked up the certificate.
His hands began to shake.
The child's name was blank.
Mother:
Sofia Romano.
Father:
Adrienne Moretti.
Date of birth:
September 14, 2014.
Adrienne stared.
Mia.
His daughter.
But beneath the certificate was something else.
A second document.
Death certificate.
Adrienne Moretti.
Date of death:
September 14, 2014.
Adrienne stared at his own supposed death.
The same day Mia was born.
Tony whispered:
“They declared you dead.”
Adrienne looked at the cassette.
“Why?”
Tony found an old player.
Adrienne inserted it.
Static.
Then his father's voice.
“If you are hearing this…”
A pause.
“…I failed to kill my son.”
Adrienne went rigid.
The recording continued.
“I had two choices.”
“Kill Adrienne…”
“…or kill his daughter.”
Adrienne closed his eyes.
The tape clicked.
His father whispered:
“I chose neither.”
The recording stopped.
Then another voice appeared.
A woman's voice.
Sofia.
“Adrienne…”
Adrienne's eyes flew open.
“If you hear this, it means Mia found you.”
He could barely breathe.
Sofia continued:
“Your father lied about everything.”
A pause.
“And there is one thing you must know.”
The tape crackled.
“He didn't take Bruno.”
Adrienne looked toward the dog.
Sofia's voice whispered:
“Bruno came looking for Mia.”
May you like
Then the tape ended.
And from somewhere inside the house came the sound of a woman screaming.
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