Chapter 3 - The Enemy Inside The Mansion
The message stayed on Adrian’s phone screen.
"They found your daughter."
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
For a few seconds, the only sound inside the room was the rain hitting the windows.
Then Dominic reached for the phone.
"Who sent this?"
Adrian did not stop him.
That alone told me something was wrong.
A man like Adrian did not allow anyone to touch his phone.
But now he just stood there.
Silent.
Dominic read the message again.
Then he looked at the number.
Unknown.
No name.
No location.
Nothing.
"Trace it."
The guards immediately moved.
Dominic looked at Lily.
The little girl was standing beside me, trying to understand what was happening.
She had arrived at this mansion believing she was finally meeting the father she had searched for.
Instead, she walked into a war she never knew existed.
Dominic noticed her expression.
He lowered himself slightly so they were at the same eye level.
"Lily."
She looked at him.
"I'm sorry."
The words surprised everyone.
Especially me.
Because Dominic Moretti was not known for apologizing.
He was a man who made other people apologize.
But with Lily, he sounded different.
"I should have known about you."
The girl's eyes filled with tears.
"My mom said you didn't know."
Dominic looked away for a second.
That hurt him more than any accusation.
"Your mother was right."
He looked back at her.
"I didn't know."
Lily nodded slowly.
Then she asked the question that broke the silence.
"Did you want me?"
Nobody expected it.
Not even Dominic.
His face changed.
The anger disappeared.
The fear disappeared.
Only pain remained.
He reached out carefully.
Like he was afraid she would disappear.
"I would have wanted you."
His voice became quiet.
"Every single day."
Lily looked at him.
And for the first time since she arrived, she smiled.
A small smile.
A child’s smile.
But it changed something in the room.
Because everyone there understood.
Dominic Moretti was no longer protecting a secret.
He was protecting his daughter.
Then the lights went out.
The mansion fell into darkness.
Lily immediately grabbed my hand.
The guards reached for their weapons.
Dominic stood up.
"Nobody moves."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
A second later, emergency lights turned on.
Red lights.
The kind used when something had gone seriously wrong.
One of the guards ran into the room.
"Mr. Moretti."
"What happened?"
"The east entrance camera detected movement."
"How many?"
The guard hesitated.
"One."
Dominic stared at him.
"One person disabled my entire security system?"
The guard said nothing.
Because the answer was obvious.
Whoever entered was not ordinary.
Adrian walked toward the window.
His face looked worried.
Not scared.
Worried.
That made Dominic notice.
"You know who this is."
Adrian didn't answer.
"Adrian."
The older man slowly turned.
"Yes."
"Tell me."
Adrian looked at Lily.
Then at Dominic.
"It is the person Sofia was running from."
The room became silent again.
I felt my chest tighten.
"Who?"
Adrian looked at Dominic.
"The person who made everyone believe your daughter never existed."
Dominic stepped forward.
"Name."
Adrian hesitated.
Then said:
"Richard Vale."
The name meant something.
I could see it in Dominic's face.
A memory.
A betrayal.
"Richard?"
Dominic repeated the name quietly.
Adrian nodded.
"He was one of your closest advisers."
I looked at Dominic.
"You trusted him?"
Dominic didn't answer.
Because the answer was already on his face.
Yes.
He had trusted him.
Richard had been someone close enough to know everything.
Someone close enough to erase a person from Dominic's life.
The guard returned.
"Sir."
Dominic turned.
"What?"
"We found something."
The guard held a tablet.
On the screen was a security image.
A man standing outside the mansion.
The picture was blurry.
But the face was visible.
Dominic froze.
I saw his hand tighten.
"That's impossible."
Adrian looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
"He's alive."
I looked between them.
"Who?"
Dominic didn't answer.
He walked closer to the screen.
The man outside looked older.
But recognizable.
Someone from Dominic's past.
Someone who was supposed to be gone.
"Richard Vale died six years ago."
The guard looked confused.
"Then who is standing outside?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Dominic immediately ordered the guards to bring the man inside.
But Adrian stopped him.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
Dominic’s eyes turned cold.
"You don't give me orders."
Adrian looked serious.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
Adrian lowered his voice.
"If Richard is here..."
He looked at Lily.
"Then this was never about hiding her."
A pause.
"It was about waiting for her to come back."
Those words made the entire room uncomfortable.
Because they changed everything.
Someone had not just hidden Lily.
Someone had been watching her.
Waiting.
Following her.
For eight years.
Dominic looked at me.
"Did Sofia ever tell you about Richard?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did she tell you about anyone else?"
I thought back.
The nights Sofia looked over her shoulder.
The times she changed phone numbers.
The way she always checked doors twice.
Then I remembered something.
Something I had ignored because I thought it was fear.
"She used to say one thing."
Dominic waited.
"What?"
I swallowed.
"She said the person who hurt her was not a stranger."
Nobody moved.
"She said it was someone who knew exactly where to find her."
Dominic looked toward the entrance.
The guards were still waiting.
Then the front door camera suddenly turned on.
Everyone looked at the screen.
The image showed the mansion entrance.
A man stood outside.
Richard Vale.
Alive.
Older.
Smiling.
And holding something in his hand.
Dominic walked closer.
"What is that?"
The camera zoomed in.
It was a small envelope.
Similar to Sofia's.
Adrian whispered:
"No..."
Dominic looked at him.
"What?"
Adrian's face lost all color.
"That is Sofia's handwriting."
The room froze.
Because Richard was not holding a threat.
He was holding a message.
A message written by the woman Dominic believed he had lost forever.
The guards opened the door.
Richard stepped inside.
Rainwater dripped from his coat.
He looked directly at Dominic.
Then at Lily.
And smiled.
"I was wondering when you would finally meet your daughter."
Dominic stepped forward.
"Where did you get that letter?"
Richard ignored the question.
His eyes stayed on Lily.
Then he said:
"Because before you read it, Dominic..."
He placed the envelope on the table.
"You need to know the truth about why Sofia disappeared."
Dominic stared at him.
"Tell me."
Richard looked around the room.
Then quietly said:
"Because Sofia wasn't running away from me."
A pause.
"She was running away from you."
Dominic's expression changed.
Before anyone could react, Richard opened the envelope.
And pulled out a photograph.
A photograph showing Dominic holding Lily as a baby.
But written on the back was a date.
May you like
A date that was impossible.
Because it was taken after Sofia was supposed to be dead.
