Chapter 4: The Man Behind Alejandro’s Shadow
For fifteen years, Marco DeLuca had stood beside Alejandro Moretti.
Through wars.
Through betrayals.
Through nights when the streets ran red and enemies disappeared before sunrise.
Everyone in the city knew one thing.
If Alejandro Moretti was the king, Marco was the man standing beside the throne.
The loyal right hand.
The trusted friend.
The person Alejandro would call before anyone else.
But now...
Alejandro was staring at a photograph proving Marco had been connected to Isabella’s disappearance.
And for the first time in fifteen years, Alejandro wondered if the man beside him had ever truly been loyal.
The photograph remained on his phone.
Isabella.
Alive.
Standing beside Marco.
The date was clear.
Three weeks after her disappearance.
Three weeks after the entire city believed she was gone forever.
Alejandro zoomed in.
The location.
An abandoned warehouse outside the city.
A place Marco knew well.
A place where Alejandro had once stored weapons and confidential documents.
His jaw tightened.
“Boss?”
Marco’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Alejandro didn’t turn.
That was unusual.
Normally, when Marco entered a room, Alejandro acknowledged him immediately.
But not tonight.
Tonight, silence was safer.
“You were gone for a long time,” Marco said.
“I was investigating something.”
Marco looked at Emma, then back at Alejandro.
“Something about Isabella?”
The question was too quick.
Too natural.
Alejandro slowly turned.
“How did you know?”
For a fraction of a second...
Marco froze.
Only a fraction.
But Alejandro noticed.
A mistake.
A tiny crack in a perfect mask.
“I guessed,” Marco answered.
Alejandro walked closer.
“You guessed?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
The room became colder.
“Because I didn’t tell anyone I was looking into Isabella.”
Marco stayed calm.
“I know you.”
“No.”
Alejandro’s eyes hardened.
“You knew me.”
The difference was small.
But dangerous.
Emma watched the two men carefully.
She didn’t understand their history.
But she understood tension.
The kind of tension that appeared before something exploded.
Marco looked at her.
“So this is the woman replacing Isabella?”
Emma immediately felt uncomfortable.
Alejandro noticed.
“Careful.”
Marco looked surprised.
“Defending her already?”
Alejandro said nothing.
But his silence was enough.
Marco smiled slightly.
“That’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“You spent eleven months believing your wife was dead.”
He looked at Emma.
“Then a woman appears who looks like her.”
A pause.
“And suddenly you trust her?”
Alejandro stepped closer.
“Choose your next words carefully.”
Marco raised his hands.
“I’m only saying we should be cautious.”
For years, Marco had been the only person allowed to speak to Alejandro this way.
But tonight was different.
Because tonight, Alejandro was no longer sure where the danger was coming from.
Later that night, Alejandro entered Marco’s office.
Alone.
The room smelled exactly the same.
Old whiskey.
Leather.
Wood.
A place where thousands of decisions had been made.
Some legal.
Some not.
Alejandro opened drawers.
Nothing.
He checked documents.
Nothing.
Then he noticed something.
A small scratch on the bottom of the desk.
A hidden compartment.
Something Marco had never mentioned.
Alejandro opened it.
Inside was a folder.
His heart stopped.
Because on the folder was one word.
ISABELLA
Inside were documents.
Photos.
Reports.
Everything about Isabella.
Her movements.
Her conversations.
Her private meetings.
Marco had been investigating her.
For years.
Alejandro continued reading.
Then he found a document dated six months before Isabella disappeared.
A psychological report.
But the name at the top was not Isabella.
It was:
Emma Valdez.
Alejandro froze.
Again.
The same name.
The same mystery.
The same woman who appeared out of nowhere.
The report contained one sentence.
"Subject shows strong memory suppression. Possible trauma-related identity fragmentation."
Alejandro stared at the page.
“What are you hiding?”
Meanwhile, Emma was sitting in Isabella’s old bedroom.
A room filled with memories that didn’t belong to her.
She touched the paintings.
The books.
The jewelry.
Everything felt strangely familiar.
Not because she knew Isabella.
Because some part of her remembered this place.
A memory suddenly hit her.
A little girl running through the hallway.
A woman laughing.
A voice saying:
“Emma, never trust anyone wearing the Moretti ring.”
Emma opened her eyes.
Her breathing became faster.
She looked at the mirror.
“What is happening to me?”
Then she noticed something.
A small box hidden behind an old painting.
She pulled it out.
Inside was a necklace.
A necklace she had seen before.
Her own necklace.
The same one she had worn when Alejandro found her on the street.
But she never knew where it came from.
Underneath the necklace was a letter.
Her hands shook as she opened it.
The handwriting was familiar.
A handwriting she had never seen before.
But somehow...
She recognized it.
Emma,
If you are reading this, it means Alejandro found you.
Her heart stopped.
I know he will not remember you.
I know he will believe you are just a stranger.
But you are the last person who can expose the truth.
Emma continued reading.
Each sentence felt like a door opening inside her mind.
The night I disappeared, I discovered the reason your memories were erased.
You were never a victim.
You were a witness.
Emma dropped the letter.
Witness.
A witness to what?
At that exact moment, Alejandro entered the room.
He saw the letter in her hand.
“Where did you get that?”
Emma looked at him.
Her face was pale.
“It was hidden here.”
Alejandro took the letter.
The moment he saw Isabella’s handwriting, he knew.
This was real.
“What does it say?”
Emma hesitated.
Then she answered:
“She knew I would come here.”
Alejandro read the letter.
Then his expression changed.
Because there was one final line.
One sentence Isabella had written at the bottom.
A sentence meant only for Alejandro.
"The enemy you are searching for has been beside you from the beginning."
Alejandro looked up.
Slowly.
“Marco.”
Before Emma could respond, the mansion lights suddenly turned off.
Complete darkness.
Then...
A gunshot echoed through the hallway.
Everyone froze.
Another shot.
Closer.
Alejandro immediately grabbed Emma and pulled her behind him.
The guards rushed into the room.
“Boss!”
A guard entered, breathing heavily.
“Sir…”
Alejandro looked at him.
“What happened?”
The guard swallowed.
“Someone attacked the security room.”
“How many attackers?”
The guard hesitated.
Then whispered:
“None.”
Alejandro frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The guard looked terrified.
“Because the cameras show only one person entering.”
A pause.
“And it was Marco.”
Silence.
Alejandro’s expression became empty.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Something worse.
Betrayal.
Because the man he trusted most...
May you like
Had just declared war.
To be continued...
