Chapter 5 - The Name Hidden In The Past
The screen went black.
The entire ballroom fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone was waiting for the name.
The name Adrian Moretti had whispered before the darkness swallowed the room.
"Vincent."
I felt Adrian's grip tighten around my hand.
Not because he was afraid.
Because he knew exactly what that name meant.
Richard Moretti looked like he had aged ten years in a few seconds.
Evelyn covered her mouth.
And I stood there, confused, trying to understand why one name could change everything.
"Who is Vincent?"
Nobody answered.
The silence was the answer.
Adrian looked toward the entrance.
The men in black were still standing below.
Waiting.
Watching.
"They came here because of him," Adrian said.
I looked at him.
"Who is he?"
Adrian looked at Richard.
His father finally spoke.
"Your mother's brother."
I froze.
"My uncle?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"The man everyone thought disappeared twelve years ago."
My mind struggled to process everything.
A dead father.
A missing mother.
A hidden family.
A mafia boss protecting me.
And now an uncle who was supposed to be gone.
I looked at the screen again.
The family photograph was still there.
My mother.
My father.
Me.
But now I noticed something I had never seen before.
In the corner of the photograph, someone had been cut out.
A person removed from the picture.
Someone who was once standing beside us.
"Vincent?"
Richard nodded.
"He was your mother's closest family member."
"Then why would he hurt her?"
Richard looked away.
"Because he believed he was saving her."
That answer made no sense.
"People don't destroy families to save them."
Richard's eyes became heavy.
"Sometimes they do when they believe they are the only person who knows the truth."
A sudden noise came from the ballroom.
The speakers turned back on.
A man's voice filled the room.
Calm.
Confident.
Familiar.
"Sofia."
My body froze.
Because there was something about that voice.
Something that made my memories react before my mind did.
A voice from childhood.
A voice from the night my mother disappeared.
The voice continued.
"I know you are confused."
The guests looked around.
Nobody knew where the sound was coming from.
"But confusion is exactly what they wanted."
The camera screens around the ballroom suddenly showed a live feed.
A man appeared.
Older.
Dark hair.
A scar across his face.
I had never seen him before.
But somehow...
I recognized him.
Not his face.
His eyes.
My mother's eyes.
"Vincent," Adrian said quietly.
The man on the screen smiled.
"Hello, Adrian."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You should be dead."
Vincent laughed softly.
"That seems to be everyone's favorite sentence tonight."
I stared at the screen.
"Why are you doing this?"
Vincent looked directly at the camera.
Like he could see me.
"Because you deserve the truth, Sofia."
The ballroom became tense.
Adrian immediately moved in front of me.
"Don't listen to him."
Vincent smiled.
"You still protect her the same way your father did."
Richard's expression changed.
"What do you want?"
Vincent looked at Richard.
"I want everyone to stop pretending."
The screen changed.
A document appeared.
An old contract.
With my father's signature.
I stared at it.
"What's that?"
Richard didn't answer.
Adrian looked at the paper.
Then his face changed.
"No."
I looked at him.
"What?"
He didn't respond.
Vincent's voice continued.
"Your father didn't disappear because he was attacked."
The screen zoomed in on the signature.
"He made a deal."
My heart sank.
"No."
I whispered.
My father.
The man I barely remembered.
The man everyone described as a victim.
A hero.
"That's not true."
Vincent laughed.
"Ask Adrian."
I looked at him.
Adrian didn't speak.
And that scared me.
"Adrian."
His eyes met mine.
"I didn't know everything."
"But you knew something."
He looked down.
That was enough.
Pain spread through my chest.
Everyone had protected me.
Everyone had hidden things from me.
Even Adrian.
Vincent continued.
"Your mother discovered what your father had done."
I stared at the screen.
"What did he do?"
Nobody answered.
Then Vincent revealed another document.
A list of names.
People connected to powerful families.
People who had disappeared.
People who had died.
At the top was one name.
My father's.
"He wasn't trying to expose them."
Vincent said.
"He was working with them."
The room erupted in whispers.
I felt dizzy.
My entire childhood.
Everything I believed.
Everything I remembered.
It was changing.
"No."
I shook my head.
"My father loved my mother."
Vincent's expression softened.
"Yes."
That answer surprised me.
"He did."
The room went quiet.
"But love doesn't erase mistakes."
I looked at Richard.
"Tell me the truth."
He looked at me.
"I will."
Adrian turned.
"Father."
Richard ignored him.
"Sofia, your father made a terrible decision. He believed he could control dangerous people by working with them."
"And my mother?"
"She found out."
"What happened after?"
Richard closed his eyes.
"She tried to run."
I swallowed.
"But she didn't make it."
Evelyn suddenly spoke.
"That's not true."
Everyone turned toward her.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
"Sofia's mother escaped."
I froze.
"What?"
Evelyn looked at me.
"Your mother was alive after that night."
The world stopped.
"What are you saying?"
Evelyn stepped closer.
"She survived."
My hands started shaking.
"No."
I whispered.
"She was gone."
Evelyn shook her head.
"She wanted you to believe she was gone."
"Why?"
"Because someone was hunting her."
"Who?"
Nobody answered.
Then Adrian's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
"What happened?"
He didn't answer.
He walked away.
Then he returned slowly.
"We need to leave."
Richard looked at him.
"Who?"
Adrian showed him the message.
Only one sentence.
"My mother is ready to see Sofia."
I felt my heart stop.
Richard's face turned pale.
"Impossible."
Evelyn grabbed the phone.
Her hands started trembling.
"No."
I looked between them.
"What?"
Nobody spoke.
Then Adrian looked at me.
And for the first time since I met him...
He looked completely broken.
"Sofia..."
His voice was quiet.
"The person who sent this message..."
He stopped.
I waited.
"She is the woman everyone thought died twelve years ago."
My breathing stopped.
"My mother?"
Adrian nodded.
Before anyone could move, another message appeared.
A location.
A time.
And one final sentence.
"Come alone if you want the truth."
Adrian looked at the screen.
Then at me.
Because beneath the message was a photograph.
A photograph taken only minutes ago.
Of my mother standing outside the building.
May you like
And behind her...
was someone holding a gun.
