Chapter 2: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Grace had not opened the envelope.
Not immediately.
She sat on the narrow bed in the staff quarters, listening to Lily breathe softly beneath the thin blanket.
The little girl had fallen asleep with one hand resting against her chest. Her pink pajamas were still stained at the knees from the marble floor.
Grace looked at the envelope again.
ISABELLA MORETTI.
Three years.
Three years since the funeral.
Three years since Grace had stood in the rain outside a Queens cemetery, holding an umbrella over a little girl who had been too young to understand why everyone was crying.
And now Isabella's handwriting had appeared inside the most dangerous house in New York.
Grace's fingers trembled.
She carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a single folded sheet of paper.
There were only six words.
*If Lucas is still alive, protect the boy.*
Grace read them again.
Then again.
Her breath caught.
The boy.
There was only one boy Isabella could have meant.
Daniel.
But Daniel was dead.
Grace had attended his funeral. She had watched Lucas carry the tiny white coffin. She had heard the priest speak about a child whose life had ended far too soon.
She had believed it.
Everyone had.
A soft noise came from the bed.
“Mommy?””
Grace quickly folded the paper.
“I'm here, sweetheart.””
“Are we going home?””
“Soon.””
“Can we go tomorrow?””
Grace looked toward the dark window.
“I don't know yet.””
Lily sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Did I make Mr. Lucas sad?””
“No, baby. Why would you think that?””
“He looked at a picture.””
Grace waited.
“Of a lady. She had pretty hair.””
Grace's blood ran cold.
“Where did you see that?””
“In the big room. When the men carried him upstairs, I saw it on the table.””
Grace looked down at her daughter.
“Did you touch anything?””
Lily shook her head.
“No. But Mr. Lucas looked like he wanted to cry.””
Grace pulled her close.
“Go back to sleep.””
But Lily was already staring at the folded paper.
“Mommy, why are you shaking?””
Grace pressed her lips against her daughter's hair.
“Because sometimes the past comes back when we least expect it.””
At midnight, Lucas was sitting in his study.
The room smelled of leather, old paper, and the coffee he had forgotten to drink.
On his desk lay three objects.
His empty inhaler.
The photograph of Victor holding the medical bottle.
And an old wedding photograph of Isabella.
Lucas stared at the woman he had loved.
“Why is your name on this?””
Elias stood near the window.
“We traced the bottle through the private medical supplier. It was ordered under Isabella's old medical account.””
“Who authorized the order?””
“Victor.””
Lucas looked up.
“When?””
“Six weeks ago.””
A muscle tightened in his jaw.
“Why would he use her name?””
“We're still checking.””
Lucas picked up the bottle's photograph.
The label listed a medication Lucas had been prescribed after a respiratory infection. It was supposed to be administered under medical supervision.
The doctor had warned him about interactions with his existing medication.
A dangerous interaction.
“Who gave this to me?””
Elias hesitated.
“Your personal medical attendant.””
“Name.””
“Dr. Samuel Price.””
Lucas looked toward the door.
“Bring him here.””
Elias didn't move.
“There's something else.””
“What?””
“The doctor disappeared two hours ago.””
Lucas slowly put down the photograph.
“Disappeared?””
“His apartment is empty. His phone is switched off. His car was found near the East River.””
Lucas leaned back.
For a moment, he seemed almost amused.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the pieces were beginning to fit.
“Victor knows,” he said.
“Knows what?””
“That I remember enough to become dangerous.””
Elias stepped closer.
“Should I bring the guards in?””
“No. I want the house locked down quietly. No calls outside. Nobody leaves without my authorization.””
“Understood.””
“And Elias?””
“Yes?””
“Find out where Victor was three years ago on the night Isabella and Daniel died.””
Elias's face changed.
“You think the warehouse attack was connected?””
“I think the warehouse attack was the reason I wasn't home.””
Lucas looked at Isabella's photograph.
“And I think someone made sure I never found out what happened after I left.””
At 12:35 a.m., Grace finally stepped outside the staff quarters.
She needed water.
She also needed to find a way to understand the message.
The kitchen was empty, but a light remained on in the adjoining pantry.
As she reached for a glass, she heard voices.
“She's still here?””
Victor.
Grace stopped.
Another man answered.
“Her employment hasn't been terminated officially.””
“I don't care about the paperwork.””
“Then what do you want?””
“I want her out of this house before sunrise.””
Grace pressed herself against the wall.
The second man lowered his voice.
“What about the child?””
Victor paused.
“The child is the problem.””
Grace's hand tightened around the glass.
“She saved the boss,” the other man said.
“Exactly.””
A chair scraped against the floor.
Victor continued.
“Lucas is already asking questions about the inhaler. If he connects the medication to the doctor, we're finished.””
“And the mother?””
“She was there three years ago. She knows more than she should.””
Grace's breath stopped.
The glass slipped slightly in her hand.
A tiny sound escaped.
Silence.
“Who's there?”” Victor demanded.
Grace stepped backward.
A hand suddenly grabbed her arm.
She turned and found Elias standing behind her.
“Mrs. Carter?””
Grace nearly screamed.
Elias placed one finger against his lips.
“Quiet.””
Victor appeared at the pantry door.
“What are you doing here?””
Elias didn't release Grace's arm.
“Getting water.””
Victor looked at Grace.
“At this hour?””
“She works here,” Elias replied.
“She's allowed to use the kitchen.””
Victor's gaze shifted between them.
“Lucas wants her in his study.””
Grace felt the blood drain from her face.
“Why?””
Victor smiled.
“Why don't you ask him?””
Lucas was waiting when Grace entered the study.
He sat behind his desk, wearing a dark sweater instead of the suit he had collapsed in earlier.
The oxygen equipment had been removed, but the doctor had insisted he remain under observation.
Grace stood near the door.
“Mr. Moretti.””
“Sit down.””
“I'm fine standing.””
Lucas studied her.
“You've worked here for three years?””
“Yes, sir.””
“You were here when my wife was alive?””
Grace nodded.
“I worked in the kitchen. Sometimes I helped with the laundry.””
“Did you know Isabella well?””
A long silence followed.
“Not very well.””
Lucas leaned forward.
“That's interesting.””
Grace looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because you look like someone who knows more about my wife than she's willing to admit.””
Grace's fingers tightened.
Lucas opened a drawer and removed the white envelope.
He placed it on the desk.
Grace stared at the handwriting.
Her face went white.
“Where did you get that?””
“Someone left it in the staff kitchen.””
“Did you open it?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because I wanted to know who recognized it.””
Lucas studied her.
“Do you?””
Grace swallowed.
“Yes.””
“Whose handwriting is it?””
Grace looked at the photograph beside the envelope.
“Isabella's.””
Lucas didn't move.
“How do you know?””
“She wrote notes for the kitchen staff. Birthday lists. Grocery orders. Sometimes she left little messages for Daniel.””
His eyes hardened.
“What does the note say?””
Grace looked down.
Then she made a decision.
“If I tell you, you have to promise something.””
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
“You're negotiating with me?””
“I'm asking you to listen before you decide what to do.””
“Go on.””
“Whatever happened three years ago, don't punish Lily for it.””
Lucas stared at her for several seconds.
“Your daughter has nothing to fear from me.””
Grace's voice cracked.
“People have said things like that before.””
Something shifted in his expression.
“Tell me what happened.””
Grace placed the note on the desk.
Lucas read it.
His face changed.
“Protect the boy?””
Grace nodded.
“Do you know what that means?””
“I don't know.””
“Don't lie to me.””
Grace looked directly into his eyes.
“I am not lying.””
Lucas stood.
“Daniel is dead.””
Grace flinched.
“I know.””
“Then who is this boy?””
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, a loud crash sounded from the hallway.
Elias burst into the study.
“Boss!””
Lucas turned.
“What?””
“The staff room.””
Grace's stomach dropped.
“Lily?””
Elias nodded.
“She isn't there.””
Grace ran.
Lucas followed despite the doctor's warning.
They reached the staff quarters in seconds.
The small bed was empty.
The blanket lay on the floor.
The window was open.
And on the pillow was a single sheet of paper.
Lucas picked it up.
There was no signature.
Only one sentence.
*Stop asking questions about the boy, or the little girl will be next.*
Grace made a broken sound.
“Lily!””
She ran toward the open window.
Lucas caught her before she could climb through it.
“Elias! Lock down the entire property!””
Guards rushed into the corridor.
“Check every exit! Every vehicle! Nobody leaves!””
Grace turned toward Lucas, tears streaming down her face.
“You said she had nothing to fear!””
Lucas looked at the empty bed.
For the first time in three years, his voice lost its authority.
“I'm going to find her.””
Then a phone rang.
It was coming from the small bedside table.
Lily's phone.
Lucas picked it up.
The screen showed an incoming video call.
And the caller's name made Grace collapse against the wall.
*DANIEL.*
The video connected.
For several seconds, the screen showed only darkness.
Then a small voice whispered:
“Dad?””
Lucas stopped breathing.
He knew that voice.
He knew the slight hesitation before the final consonant. He knew the way the child pronounced the word as if he were afraid of using it.
“Daniel?””
A small face appeared.
Brown hair.
Blue eyes.
A tiny scar above the left eyebrow.
Lucas's fingers began to shake.
The boy looked directly into the camera.
May you like
“Dad, don't trust Uncle Victor.””
The screen went black.
