Chapter 3 - The Name in the LedgerVittorio reached the bedroom corridor in seconds.
Lucy was standing near the stairs.
Emma was behind him.
Security searched every room.
Nobody was there.
Lucy ran to her father.
“Daddy!”
He grabbed her.
“Where is Bianca?”
Lucy shook her head.
“She wasn't here.”
“Then who screamed?”
Lucy looked frightened.
“I did.”
Vittorio frowned.
“Why?”
“Because somebody opened my bedroom door.”
“Who?”
Lucy whispered.
“I thought it was Mommy.”
He went still.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because she smelled like Mommy.”
Emma exchanged a glance with him.
The smell.
Perfume.
Elena's perfume.
Vittorio remembered Bianca had never worn it.
He suddenly understood.
Someone was impersonating Elena's scent.
Trying to frighten Lucy.
Trying to manipulate her memories.
He carried her to his office.
For the first time in months, he locked the door behind them.
Lucy sat beside him on the sofa.
Emma placed the memory cards on the desk.
“We need to know how long this has been happening.”
Vittorio looked at Lucy.
“Can you tell me something?”
She nodded.
“When did Bianca start hurting you?”
Lucy stared at her hands.
“After Mommy died.”
“Immediately?”
She shook her head.
“After Daddy started traveling.”
Vittorio closed his eyes.
That answer hurt more than he expected.
He had left her alone with them.
He thought he had been protecting his family.
Instead, he had created an empty space that Bianca and Marcus filled.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Lucy whispered.
“Bianca said you'd hate me.”
“Why?”
“She said I was making you unhappy.”
Vittorio pulled her close.
“You could never make me hate you.”
Lucy looked up.
“She said if I told you, you would send me to a hospital.”
Vittorio's face hardened.
“Who told you that?”
“Marcus.”
Emma looked at him.
“Their story was carefully constructed.”
“What do you mean?”
“They needed Lucy to distrust you before they could accuse you.”
Vittorio stood.
“I want every financial record.”
Emma looked confused.
“Why financial records?”
“Because nobody goes through this much trouble for nothing.”
He called his attorney.
“Bring me the trust documents for Lucy.”
There was a pause.
Then the attorney spoke.
“You don't have those.”
Vittorio frowned.
“Of course I do.”
“No.”
His voice became cautious.
“Those documents were transferred to Bianca six months ago.”
The room went silent.
Vittorio stared at Emma.
“What?”
“She was made temporary trustee after Elena's death.”
“Who authorized it?”
“My signature appears on the paperwork.”
“You're telling me I signed away control of my daughter's trust?”
“Yes.”
Vittorio's hand tightened around the phone.
“I didn't.”
The attorney paused.
“I know.”
That single sentence was enough.
Vittorio hung up.
Emma whispered.
“Forgery.”
He nodded.
He opened Elena's old financial files.
Most were missing.
Then Lucy spoke.
“Daddy.”
He turned.
“Mommy said there was a book.”
“What book?”
“A black book.”
“Where?”
“In her closet.”
Vittorio stood immediately.
They went to Elena's old bedroom.
The closet had been emptied months ago.
But Lucy walked directly to a tall cabinet.
She touched the bottom drawer.
“Here.”
Vittorio opened it.
Nothing.
He checked the back.
His fingers caught on a loose wooden panel.
He pulled.
A black ledger slid out.
Dust covered the cover.
Emma stared.
“What is it?”
Vittorio opened it.
Names.
Dates.
Amounts.
Bank transfers.
Payments.
Every page was written in Elena's handwriting.
Most of the names were unfamiliar.
Then Vittorio saw one he knew.
Marcus.
Next to his name was an amount.
$480,000.
Below that:
BIANCA.
$1,200,000.
Then:
FERRARO LAW GROUP.
$750,000.
Vittorio flipped the page.
His own company appeared.
Then Lucy's trust.
Then a final note from Elena.
He read it silently.
Emma watched his expression change.
“What does it say?”
Vittorio handed her the page.
It said:
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME, DO NOT TRUST THE PERSON WHO SAYS SHE LOVES LUCY.
Emma looked up.
“Bianca.”
Vittorio's eyes moved to the final line.
There was one sentence beneath it.
I FOUND OUT WHO HELPED THEM.
Before he could turn the page, the office window shattered.
Glass exploded across the carpet.
Emma screamed.
Vittorio pushed Lucy to the floor.
A bullet had struck the wall.
He grabbed Lucy and shielded her.
Security rushed into the room.
A car sped away outside.
Vittorio looked at the broken window.
Someone had tried to kill him.
Not scare him.
Kill him.
He looked back at the ledger.
The page after Elena's note was torn out.
But a corner remained.
May you like
Three words were visible.
THE DOCTOR KNOWS.
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