Chapter 2 - The Secret Hidden Inside the Mansion
The message on Luca Moretti’s phone remained on the screen.
They were looking for the little girl’s file.
For several seconds, nobody in the laundry room moved.
Emma was still holding onto her mother’s hand.
Mia was still frozen.
And Luca was no longer looking at the damaged shirt.
He was looking at the child.
A three-year-old girl who somehow had a file important enough for someone to break into his mansion.
That made no sense.
Unless someone had been hiding something from him.
Luca put his phone away.
"Emma."
The little girl looked up.
"Did anyone come to talk to you today?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Did anyone ask you questions?"
Again, she shook her head.
"Mama says I don't talk to strangers."
Luca glanced at Mia.
"Your mother taught you that?"
Mia nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Good."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Mia knew that tone.
Everyone who worked for Luca Moretti knew it.
It meant he was no longer angry.
He was thinking.
And that was more dangerous.
"Luca..."
Mia stopped herself.
She had almost said his first name.
Almost.
Most employees called him Mr. Moretti.
Nobody forgot who he was.
But Luca noticed.
"You were about to say something."
Mia lowered her eyes.
"I was going to apologize."
"For what?"
She didn't answer.
Luca looked at the woman in front of him.
A maid who had worked quietly in his home for two years.
A woman who never asked for favors.
Never complained.
Never caused trouble.
Yet tonight, her daughter was standing in his laundry room, trying to repair an expensive shirt because she believed her mother’s job depended on it.
Something about that bothered him.
Not because of the shirt.
Because of the reason behind it.
"Take Emma upstairs."
Mia looked surprised.
"Sir?"
"You heard me."
"But I need to finish cleaning."
"No."
His answer was immediate.
Mia stared at him.
Luca pointed at Emma’s hands.
"Your daughter’s fingers are freezing."
Emma quickly hid her hands behind her back.
"I’m okay."
Luca looked at her.
"No, you're not."
The little girl became quiet.
Nobody had spoken to her like that.
Not with anger.
With concern.
Mia picked Emma up.
The child rested her head against her mother’s shoulder.
Before leaving, Emma looked back at Luca.
"Are you mad at me?"
The question stopped him.
Luca had faced men twice his age holding weapons.
He had negotiated with people who wanted him dead.
But a little girl asking if he hated her was somehow harder.
"No."
Emma blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Even though I ruined your shirt?"
Luca looked at the white shirt floating in the basin.
Then back at her.
"You didn't ruin it."
"But the spot..."
"The spot doesn't matter."
Emma looked confused.
"Then what matters?"
Luca didn't answer immediately.
Because he didn't know.
Not yet.
Mia carried Emma away.
The laundry room became silent again.
Luca stood there alone.
Then his security team entered.
Three men in black suits stopped near the doorway.
"Boss."
Luca turned.
"Report."
One of them handed him a tablet.
"We found someone accessed the employee records room."
"When?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
"Who?"
The guard hesitated.
That was unusual.
Luca noticed immediately.
"Say it."
"We don't know."
Luca stared at him.
"Nobody enters my property without being identified."
The guard swallowed.
"The cameras were disabled."
Silence.
That was impossible.
His mansion security system was designed by professionals.
The kind of system even experienced criminals struggled to bypass.
Someone had turned it off.
Someone who knew the house.
Someone who knew security procedures.
Someone inside.
"What file were they searching for?"
The guard looked down.
"We recovered the search history."
"And?"
The man hesitated.
"The system was searching for..."
He stopped.
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"For what?"
The guard looked at the tablet.
"The name Emma."
The room became colder.
Luca slowly took the tablet.
A search record appeared.
EMPLOYEE CHILD INFORMATION DATABASE
SEARCH TERM: EMMA
No last name.
No details.
Just a name.
A child.
A child who was washing his shirt downstairs.
Luca stared at the screen.
"Find everything."
The guards nodded.
"And boss..."
Luca looked up.
"There's more."
"What?"
The guard opened another file.
"We found an old employee document."
He turned the tablet around.
A scanned page appeared.
A document from years ago.
At the top was a name.
MIA CARTER.
Luca read the information.
Then stopped.
Because underneath Mia's name was a section that had been covered.
Someone had tried to hide it.
But not well enough.
A small line was visible.
Emergency contact: Luca Moretti.
Luca's expression changed.
"No."
The guard looked confused.
"Boss?"
"How old is Emma?"
"Three years old."
Luca stared at the document.
Three years.
The same amount of time since the one event he had never talked about.
The night everything changed.
The night someone disappeared.
"Where is Mia now?"
"Upstairs with the child."
"Bring her to my office."
The guard nodded.
But before he could leave, Luca stopped him.
"Alone."
The man understood.
No guards.
No intimidation.
Just answers.
A few minutes later, Mia entered Luca's office.
She looked nervous.
But she was not surprised.
Maybe she had always known this moment would come.
Emma was sleeping upstairs.
That meant Mia couldn't hide behind protecting her daughter anymore.
Luca stood by the window.
He didn't sit.
Neither did she.
"How long were you planning to keep this from me?"
Mia's face lost color.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie."
His voice remained quiet.
That made it worse.
Luca placed the tablet on the desk.
The document was open.
Mia saw it.
Her eyes widened.
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to run.
Then she looked tired.
Completely tired.
"How did you find this?"
"Someone else was looking for it."
That frightened her more.
"Who?"
Luca noticed.
"You know who."
Mia looked away.
"No."
"You do."
Silence.
Luca stepped closer.
"Why was someone searching for my employee's daughter?"
Mia's eyes filled with tears.
"Because they know."
"Know what?"
She shook her head.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because if they know I told you..."
She stopped.
Luca waited.
"What happens?"
Mia whispered.
"They will come back."
The answer was not what he expected.
Not fear of losing a job.
Not fear of being fired.
Fear of someone coming back.
Luca looked toward the door.
Then upstairs.
Emma was sleeping somewhere in his mansion.
A child connected to a secret someone wanted buried.
"Mia."
She looked at him.
"Who is Emma's father?"
The question broke something in her face.
She looked down.
"I can't."
"That's not an answer."
"Please."
"Tell me."
Mia closed her eyes.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she whispered:
"Emma's father is the reason I left."
Luca's heart tightened.
"Who?"
Mia opened her eyes.
There was fear in them.
Real fear.
And then she said a name.
A name Luca had not heard in three years.
A name that should have been impossible.
"His name was..."
Suddenly, the lights in the mansion went out.
Every screen in Luca's office turned black.
The security alarm did not sound.
That was the worst part.
Someone had turned it off.
Luca immediately reached for his weapon.
Mia grabbed the edge of the desk.
Then Luca's phone lit up.
One new message.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
There was only a photo.
A photo taken seconds ago.
May you like
Emma was sleeping upstairs.
And standing beside her bed was someone Luca knew.
