Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Knew My Family's Darkest Secret
The phone slipped from Elena's hand.
It hit the hospital floor.
The sound was small.
But the silence that followed felt enormous.
Everyone looked at her.
I watched her face change.
The exhaustion disappeared.
The fear appeared.
Not the fear of me.
Not the fear of my reputation.
The fear of someone who had just heard a voice from the past.
A voice she thought was gone forever.
"Elena."
She didn't move.
"Who was that?"
Her eyes slowly lifted toward mine.
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to tell me everything.
Then she looked at Leo.
And I understood.
Whatever she knew...
It was connected to my son.
"Tell me."
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that usually came before violence.
Elena took a breath.
"His name was Victor."
Marco immediately looked at her.
"Victor?"
She nodded.
"He was the man who called me."
Marco stepped closer.
"Victor died three years ago."
Elena's face went pale.
"I know."
The room became silent again.
I hated secrets.
I hated them more than enemies.
Because enemies announced themselves.
Secrets waited.
They grew.
They destroyed everything from the inside.
"Start talking."
Elena looked at me.
"My husband wasn't killed because of a random attack."
I waited.
"He was investigating someone inside your organization."
My eyes moved toward Marco.
Then back to Elena.
"Who?"
She hesitated.
I saw it.
The fear.
The same fear I had seen when I asked about the message.
"Your father."
Nobody spoke.
The world seemed to stop.
My father.
The man whose name I hadn't heard spoken in years.
The man who built the foundation of everything I inherited.
The man everyone described as a legend.
But legends were often just stories told by people who didn't know the truth.
"You are saying my father was involved?"
Elena shook her head.
"No."
A small pause.
"He was trying to stop it."
That answer confused me more.
"My father has been dead for eight years."
"I know."
"Then explain."
Elena looked down.
"My husband found documents."
"What documents?"
She swallowed.
"Records showing that someone had been moving money through fake companies connected to Costa family businesses."
Marco's expression changed.
Because he understood.
I saw it immediately.
"You knew."
He looked away.
That was enough.
I turned toward him.
"You knew about this?"
Marco didn't answer.
My patience disappeared.
"Did you know?"
"Yes."
The word came out quietly.
But it hit harder than a scream.
My men immediately reached for their weapons.
I didn't need to tell them.
Betrayal had a sound.
And tonight, I had heard it too many times.
"You lied to me."
Marco looked at me.
"I protected you."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"You protected yourself."
His expression hardened.
"You have no idea what I protected you from."
I almost laughed.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
I looked around the room.
"My brother betrayed me."
"My employees betrayed me."
"Now you."
I pointed toward Leo.
"And my son almost died because everyone around me had a secret."
The words were sharper than I intended.
But they were true.
Elena looked at me quietly.
Then she said something I didn't expect.
"Your son almost died because you trusted the wrong people."
I turned toward her.
"And you think you are different?"
She held my gaze.
"No."
A pause.
"I'm worse."
That surprised me.
"Why?"
"Because I knew the truth."
The room became quiet.
"I knew your family was dangerous."
She looked at Leo.
"I knew what could happen."
Her voice became softer.
"But I still walked into that hospital because I knew that little boy was alone."
For the first time in years...
I didn't know what to say.
Because I had spent my life surrounded by people who wanted something.
Money.
Power.
Protection.
Respect.
But Elena wanted nothing.
She had everything to lose.
And she still stayed.
My phone rang.
Everyone looked at me.
The number was unknown.
I answered.
"Who is this?"
A voice came through.
Older.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Still protecting strangers, Damian?"
My blood froze.
I knew that voice.
No.
It couldn't be.
"Antonio."
Silence.
Then a quiet laugh.
"You always were too slow."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Where are you?"
Another laugh.
"You really think I would tell you?"
I looked at the hospital window.
The black vehicle outside was still there.
Waiting.
"Why did you attack my son?"
A pause.
Then Antonio spoke.
"I didn't."
I frowned.
"What?"
"I saved your son."
The room went silent.
I looked at Leo.
Then at Elena.
Nothing made sense.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No."
His voice became colder.
"I expect you to find the truth before the wrong people convince you."
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Nobody moved.
Then Marco spoke.
"He wants you confused."
I looked at him.
"Maybe."
I walked toward the window.
"Or maybe everyone has been lying to me."
Outside, the black vehicle suddenly started moving.
My men rushed to follow.
But before they reached the exit...
The hospital lights went out.
Complete darkness.
A second later, emergency lights turned on.
Red.
Flashing.
The alarm began screaming.
And then Leo started panicking.
"Elena!"
She ran to him.
I followed.
But before I reached the bed...
The monitor screen changed.
A message appeared.
Not a medical warning.
A message.
Written across my son's heart monitor.
Three words.
COME ALONE, DAMIAN.
My phone vibrated again.
A new message appeared.
One photo.
One location.
And one name.
May you like
The name of the person waiting for me there...
was my dead father's.
