Chapter 3: The Secret Elena Left Behind
Clara spent the entire night convincing herself Rico Moretti was wrong.
There was no reason Elena Moretti would know her.
Clara was a waitress.
A twenty-four-year-old woman who spent her days serving coffee and her nights worrying about rent.
She wasn’t connected to powerful families.
She wasn’t part of dangerous secrets.
She wasn’t important.
At least, that was what she believed.
Until Rico showed her the envelope.
It was waiting on his desk inside the private office above Il Destino.
A room Clara had never entered before.
The walls were covered with photographs of businesses, cities, and people.
A map of a world she didn’t understand.
Rico stood near the window.
“Before you say anything,” he said, “I know how this looks.””
Clara crossed her arms.
“You think my wife secretly knew me?””
“I think someone wants me to believe that.””
“That’s not an answer.””
Rico looked at her.
“No. It isn’t.””
He opened the envelope.
Inside was a small handwritten note.
Not a copy.
Not a printed message.
A real note.
The handwriting was elegant.
The same handwriting from the photograph frame on his desk.
Clara stared.
“She wrote that?””
“Yes.””
“To me?””
“Yes.””
Her heartbeat increased.
“What does it say?””
Rico hesitated.
For the first time since she met him, he looked afraid.
Not angry.
Not powerful.
Afraid.
Then he handed her the paper.
Clara read the first line.
And immediately recognized the name.
Clara Vance.
Her fingers went cold.
“She knew my name.””
Rico nodded.
“She did.””
“How?””
“I’m trying to find out.””
Clara looked at the rest of the note.
Only one sentence was written beneath her name.
If anything happens to me, find Clara Vance. She is the only person I trust to protect my son.
The room became silent.
Clara looked up.
“Protect your son?””
Rico’s eyes stayed on hers.
“Why would my wife write that?””
“I don’t know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
The honesty surprised her.
Rico stepped closer.
“I expect you to tell me the truth.””
“I am.””
“Have you ever met Elena?””
“No.””
“Have you ever spoken to her?””
“No.””
“Has she contacted you before?””
“No.””
He studied her face.
Clara hated that she felt like she was being interrogated.
“I don’t know why she wrote this.””
Rico looked away.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message.
He opened it.
His expression changed.
“What?””
He turned the screen toward her.
A photo.
Taken from outside the restaurant.
Of Clara.
Walking in with Leo earlier that evening.
Under it was a message.
She is closer than you think.
Clara felt a chill move through her.
“Who is sending these?””
Rico locked the phone.
“Someone who knows too much.””
“And now they know about me.””
“Yes.””
She swallowed.
“Am I in danger?””
Rico didn’t answer immediately.
That silence was worse than any answer.
Then he said:
“Yes.””
A normal person would have walked away.
A normal person would have quit.
A normal person would have told Rico Moretti to solve his own problems.
But Clara thought about Leo.
The little boy who had been screaming so loudly everyone feared him.
The little boy who only wanted someone to sit beside him.
“Then what happens now?””
Rico looked at her.
“Now you stay away from my son.””
The words hurt more than she expected.
She blinked.
“Excuse me?””
“If someone is using you to get to him, you can’t be near him.””
Clara laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because she was angry.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
Rico’s eyes narrowed.
“Clara.””
“No.””
She stepped closer.
“You spent six months trying to fix your son with money, security, and control.””
His expression hardened.
“And?””
“And then a waitress sat on the floor and listened to him.””
The words landed.
Rico didn’t move.
“You need to understand something,” Clara continued.
“Leo doesn’t need another person protecting him from the world.””
She looked at him.
“He needs someone who makes him feel safe in it.””
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then a small voice came from the doorway.
“Clara?””
They both turned.
Leo stood there.
Holding his favorite blue toy.
He looked between them.
Then he walked straight to Clara.
Rico watched his son choose her again.
But before Clara could answer, Dante rushed into the room.
“Boss.””
Rico turned.
Dante’s face was pale.
“There’s a problem.””
“What?””
Dante looked at Clara.
Then back at Rico.
“The person who sent the messages…”
He paused.
“We found the security footage.””
Rico’s expression changed.
“Show me.””
Dante swallowed.
“The person who left the envelope at the restaurant was not a stranger.””
A terrible silence filled the room.
“Who was it?”” Rico asked.
Dante looked at him.
May you like
And whispered:
“Elena Moretti’s brother.””
