Chapter 5 - The Daughter Nobody Knew
Matteo’s gun remained raised.
But everything else inside him shifted.
Vittorio had a daughter.
A secret daughter.
A woman no one in the family had ever mentioned.
Marissa looked nothing like Vittorio at first glance.
Then Matteo saw it.
The eyes.
Cold gray.
The same eyes that had watched him learn to shoot at sixteen.
The same eyes that had watched him bury his father.
“You hid her,” Matteo said.
Vittorio closed his eyes.
“For thirty-seven years.”
Marissa laughed.
“He hid me because I embarrassed him.”
“That’s not true,” Vittorio said.
“Then tell them.”
Vittorio said nothing.
Marissa stepped closer to Sofia.
The guard tightened his grip on her shoulder.
Sofia looked at Matteo.
“Don’t.”
Matteo understood.
Don’t trade Lily.
Don’t give Marissa what she wanted.
Elena asked, “Why did you put me in this house?”
Marissa looked at her.
“Because Daniel was smarter than I expected.”
“You killed him.”
“I didn’t plan to.”
Elena surged forward.
Matteo caught her.
Marissa raised the gun.
“Careful.”
Elena trembled with rage.
“What did you do?”
Marissa tilted her head.
“Your husband found the shipments. He copied records. Then he contacted Vittorio.”
“You poisoned him.”
“He was supposed to hand over the drive.”
“He didn’t.”
“No.”
Marissa’s smile disappeared.
“He came home instead.”
Elena’s eyes filled.
“And you followed.”
“Yes.”
“Who made the tea?”
Marissa glanced toward Vittorio.
“He did.”
Elena stared at Vittorio.
Vittorio spoke quickly.
“I made tea. I did not poison it.”
Marissa laughed.
“He really believes that matters.”
Matteo looked at her.
“You added the aconite.”
“Yes.”
Elena’s knees almost gave out.
Matteo held her upright.
Marissa continued with chilling calm.
“Daniel went to check on Lily. I treated his tea.”
“You murdered my husband while our daughter was sleeping ten feet away.”
“He had something I needed.”
“The drive.”
“Yes.”
“But he hid it.”
Marissa’s jaw tightened.
“I searched the house. Never found it.”
“So you killed him for nothing.”
“For survival.”
Elena pulled away from Matteo.
“You sound just like him.”
She pointed at Matteo.
Matteo looked at her.
The words hurt more than he expected.
Marissa smiled.
“See? Even the maid understands this family.”
Vittorio stepped down.
“Enough.”
Marissa turned the gun toward him.
“No.”
He stopped.
“You should never have come back,” Vittorio said.
“Back?”
Matteo looked between them.
Marissa laughed.
“He really told you nothing.”
Vittorio said, “Matteo—”
“Stop saying my name like it’s an explanation.”
Vittorio looked older suddenly.
“My father had another family before yours.”
Matteo frowned.
“What?”
“Marissa’s mother.”
Marissa’s smile vanished.
Vittorio continued.
“I was young. I was stupid.”
“You abandoned us,” Marissa said.
“I paid for everything.”
“You sent money.”
“Yes.”
“You never came.”
“I was trying to keep you away from this life.”
Marissa laughed.
“And look how well that worked.”
She gestured toward the ballroom.
Matteo said, “This isn’t about abandonment.”
“No,” Marissa agreed. “It’s about inheritance.”
Vittorio flinched.
Matteo noticed.
“What inheritance?”
Marissa looked at him.
“When your father died, Vittorio became temporary trustee of several family companies.”
“I know.”
“He was supposed to divide ownership between surviving heirs.”
Matteo frowned.
“There were only Sofia and me.”
Marissa smiled.
“Exactly.”
Matteo looked at Vittorio.
“You erased her.”
“I protected you.”
“You stole from her.”
Vittorio’s silence answered.
Marissa’s eyes burned.
“Half of what you control should have been mine.”
Matteo said, “So you poisoned me for money.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I poisoned you because Daniel’s drive proves I rerouted assets through Belladonna. If you found the drive, you’d expose me.”
“You already knew we found it?”
“I knew Elena went to Warehouse Nine.”
“How?”
Marissa glanced toward Nico.
Matteo’s body went cold.
Nico slowly raised both hands.
“Don’t.”
Matteo turned.
“What did she mean?”
“I don’t know.”
Marissa laughed.
“Oh, Matteo.”
Nico cursed.
“She’s lying.”
“Am I?”
She nodded toward his pocket.
“Show him your second phone.”
Matteo looked at Nico.
Nico did not move.
Matteo’s voice dropped.
“Phone.”
Nico reached slowly into his jacket.
Pulled out a small black phone.
Elena stared.
Matteo felt something inside him crack.
“What is that?”
Nico said, “A tracker.”
“For who?”
“For her.”
Marissa smiled.
“Careful.”
Nico looked at Matteo.
“I’ve been tracking Marissa for six months.”
Vittorio stared.
“You knew about her?”
“I knew someone was moving money. I didn’t know who.”
Matteo stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because every time I got close, someone died.”
“Daniel?”
Nico swallowed.
“I found his name afterward.”
Matteo’s fist clenched.
“You let me walk into breakfast this morning.”
“I checked the kitchen.”
“You missed the poison.”
“Yes.”
“That almost killed me.”
“Yes.”
Matteo struck him.
Once.
Hard.
Nico fell against a table.
He did not fight back.
Sofia shouted, “Matteo!”
Marissa laughed.
“This is beautiful.”
Matteo turned toward her.
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“I’ve waited years.”
“For what?”
“To watch this family tear itself apart without me having to do all the work.”
Elena stared at Sofia.
The guard behind her had shifted.
His left hand was loose.
Nervous.
Elena took one small step sideways.
Matteo noticed.
He did not look at her.
Marissa continued talking.
“Where is Lily?”
Matteo said, “Safe.”
“Not for long.”
“You won’t find her.”
“I already did.”
Elena’s face changed.
Marissa pulled out her phone.
A live video appeared.
Dr. Russo’s safehouse.
The exterior.
A dark SUV parked across the street.
Elena lunged.
Matteo fired.
The guard behind Sofia dropped.
Nico tackled Marissa.
Vittorio grabbed Sofia’s chair and pulled it backward.
Chaos erupted.
Marissa fired twice.
One bullet shattered a mirror.
The other hit Vittorio in the shoulder.
He fell.
Matteo crossed the room in three strides and kicked the gun from Marissa’s hand.
Nico pinned her.
Sofia screamed.
Elena grabbed Marissa’s phone.
The video feed was still running.
The dark SUV outside Russo’s safehouse opened.
Two men stepped out.
Elena looked at Matteo.
“They’re going inside.”
Matteo grabbed his phone.
Called Russo.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Elena’s hands shook.
“Call again.”
He did.
Voicemail.
Marissa laughed from the floor.
“You’re too late.”
Elena slapped her.
Hard.
Marissa smiled through blood at the corner of her mouth.
“Your daughter remembers more than the smell.”
Elena went still.
“What?”
Marissa whispered, “She saw who put it in the cup.”
Then Matteo’s phone rang.
Dr. Russo.
He answered immediately.
“Where is Lily?”
There was breathing.
Not Russo’s.
A man spoke.
“Come alone.”
Then a child’s voice cried in the background.
May you like
“Mommy!”
The call ended.
