Chapter 4 - The Secret Hidden Inside the Russo Family
The envelope was waiting on my hospital locker when I arrived for my shift.
I opened it with shaking hands and found a bloodstained key taped to a photograph of Adrien’s father.
But carved into the metal was a message:
"Ask Adrien about Room 17."
I suddenly realized someone wanted me to uncover the truth before Adrien did.
I stared at the key for almost a full minute.
I didn’t touch it again.
I didn’t move.
The hospital hallway continued around me like nothing had happened.
Doctors walked past carrying charts.
Nurses rushed between rooms.
Patients called for help.
Everything looked normal.
But my life had stopped feeling normal a long time ago.
I placed the key back inside the envelope and closed my locker.
Then I locked it.
Then I checked the lock again.
Because that was the kind of person I had become.
A woman who checked behind herself.
A woman who noticed every unfamiliar face.
A woman who looked at every shadow and wondered if someone was waiting inside it.
Adrien Russo’s world had followed me into mine.
And the worst part was…
I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave his world anymore.
That thought scared me more than the threats.
I spent the entire shift distracted.
I made mistakes I normally never made.
I almost gave a patient the wrong medication.
I forgot to update a chart.
Twice, I caught myself staring at my phone, waiting for a message from someone I had no reason to trust.
Adrien.
The man I was supposed to fear.
The man who had probably hurt people.
The man who controlled an empire built on things I didn’t understand.
Yet every time my phone stayed silent, I wondered if he was okay.
I hated myself for that.
At 6:00 p.m., I finally checked the envelope again.
The key was old.
Heavy.
Not something from a normal lock.
It looked like it belonged somewhere that was built decades ago.
And then I noticed something else.
A small engraving.
R17.
Room 17.
The message suddenly felt less like a threat.
And more like a challenge.
Someone wanted me to find something.
The question was why.
I waited until my shift ended before calling Adrien.
He answered after one ring.
"Helena."
I froze.
He always said my name differently.
Like it mattered.
Like he was making sure I was real.
"How did you know it was me?"
A pause.
"Because I know your number."
I looked down at my phone.
"You memorized it?"
"Yes."
That answer was so simple that I didn’t know how to respond.
Then I remembered why I called.
"I found something."
The silence on the other end changed immediately.
"What?"
I looked around the empty hospital hallway.
"Not over the phone."
Five minutes later, the black sedan arrived.
This time, I didn’t hesitate before getting inside.
That bothered me.
Because fear should have stopped me.
But it didn’t.
When I reached the Russo estate, Adrien was already waiting.
Not in the living room.
Not upstairs.
Outside.
In the cold night air.
Like he had been watching for the car.
The moment he saw me, his expression changed.
"You shouldn’t be carrying that."
I stopped.
"What?"
His eyes moved toward my bag.
The envelope.
"You found something."
It wasn’t a question.
I slowly pulled it out.
The second he saw the key, all emotion disappeared from his face.
"Where did you get this?"
"My locker."
His jaw tightened.
"When?"
"This morning."
He took the key.
His fingers tightened around it.
I had never seen him react to anything like that.
Not the threatening pictures.
Not the warnings.
Not even the message about his father.
But this key…
This scared him.
"Adrien."
He looked at me.
"What is Room 17?"
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he turned away.
"My father had a private office."
I waited.
"He kept records there."
"What kind of records?"
His eyes returned to mine.
"Everything."
The word was quiet.
But heavy.
"His business."
"His enemies."
"His allies."
I swallowed.
"And his secrets."
Adrien didn't answer.
That was enough.
I followed him through the mansion.
Not upstairs.
Not to the bedroom.
Somewhere deeper.
A place I had never seen before.
The estate suddenly felt different.
The beautiful rooms.
The expensive furniture.
The perfect design.
It was all a mask.
Behind it was something older.
Something darker.
We stopped in front of a hidden door.
Adrien removed a small device from his pocket.
A security scanner.
He unlocked it.
Inside was a narrow hallway.
The air changed immediately.
Colder.
Older.
The walls were covered with photographs.
Names.
Documents.
I walked slowly.
"This is your father's room?"
Adrien nodded.
"He built this after he became head of the family."
I looked around.
"Why hide it?"
His expression hardened.
"Because he trusted almost nobody."
We reached a door at the end.
The number was carved into the metal.
My heart started beating faster.
Adrien inserted the key.
It fit.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he turned it.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Inside was a small room.
No luxury.
No decoration.
Just shelves.
Files.
Boxes.
A single desk.
Adrien walked in slowly.
Like he was entering a grave.
I stayed behind him.
He opened the first box.
Inside were photographs.
Documents.
Newspaper articles.
Then he found something.
A folder with his name.
ADRlEN RUSSO.
His expression changed.
I stepped closer.
"What is it?"
He opened it.
The first page was old.
A handwritten note.
His father's handwriting.
Adrien read it silently.
Then his hands froze.
"What?"
He handed it to me.
The message was short.
But it changed everything.
"If you are reading this, it means I was right to be afraid."
I continued reading.
"The person who betrayed me is someone you trust."
I looked at Adrien.
Someone he trusted.
The words stayed between us.
Then Adrien found another page.
A list.
Names.
I recognized one immediately.
Mateo.
I looked up.
"No."
Adrien’s face became unreadable.
"He was with my father the night he died."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"Do you think he betrayed him?"
Adrien didn’t answer.
Because answering meant admitting it was possible.
Then something moved outside.
A sound.
A footstep.
Adrien reacted instantly.
He pulled me behind him.
The man who had been vulnerable beside me disappeared.
The mafia boss returned.
His entire body changed.
His eyes became cold.
Focused.
Ready.
"Stay behind me."
I whispered.
"Who is it?"
He didn’t answer.
The door at the end of the hallway slowly opened.
A shadow appeared.
Then a familiar voice spoke.
"Adrien."
My blood went cold.
Because it wasn’t an enemy.
It was someone we knew.
Mateo stepped into the room.
His expression was calm.
Almost sad.
His eyes moved from Adrien.
To me.
Then to the open folder.
"I was hoping you would never find this room."
Adrien’s hand tightened.
"How long?"
Mateo looked at him.
"How long what?"
"How long have you known?"
The silence answered before Mateo did.
And in that moment, I understood something.
The person standing in front of us wasn’t surprised.
He was waiting.
Waiting for us to discover the truth.
Mateo slowly closed the door behind him.
Then he said the words that changed everything.
"Adrien… your father wasn't killed by your enemies."
May you like
He looked directly at him.
"He was killed by the person who taught you how to survive."
