Chapter 5 - The Man Who Raised the Monster
Mateo stood in the doorway holding a gun pointed at the floor.
Adrien stared at him and whispered:
"Tell me you’re lying."
But Mateo only placed the weapon on the table.
Then he said:
"I was there the night your father died."
And I realized the man Adrien trusted most had been hiding the truth for years.
The silence inside Room 17 felt heavier than anything I had ever experienced.
Even the air seemed frozen.
I looked between them.
Adrien.
Mateo.
Two men who had spent years standing side by side.
Two men who looked like family.
But one of them was carrying a secret that could destroy everything.
"Say it again."
Adrien’s voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
I had learned something about him during the weeks I spent beside him.
The loud anger was never the most dangerous part.
The silence was.
Mateo looked at him.
"I was there."
Adrien stepped forward.
"You were there when my father died."
Mateo didn’t look away.
"Yes."
My heart tightened.
I expected anger.
I expected shouting.
But Adrien only stared.
Like he was trying to force his mind to accept something it refused to believe.
"My father trusted you."
Mateo lowered his eyes.
"I know."
"You protected him."
"I did."
"You were his right hand."
"I was."
Adrien laughed once.
But there was no humor in it.
"Then explain why his final message says the person who betrayed him was someone who taught me how to survive."
Mateo looked at the folder.
Then at me.
His expression changed.
"You shouldn't be here, Helena."
I immediately felt my body tense.
Adrien noticed.
His eyes became cold.
"Don't look at her."
Mateo sighed.
"This is bigger than her."
"No."
Adrien moved between us.
"This involves her now."
Those words surprised me.
Not because he said them.
Because of how naturally he said them.
Like protecting me had become instinct.
Mateo noticed too.
And something sad crossed his face.
"That’s exactly what I was afraid of."
Adrien’s expression hardened.
"What does that mean?"
Mateo walked toward the desk slowly.
He picked up the old photograph of Adrien’s father.
"He knew."
Adrien frowned.
"Who?"
"Your father."
Mateo placed the photograph down.
"He knew someone inside the family was planning to betray him."
I looked at the papers.
"Then why didn’t he tell you?"
Mateo looked at me.
"Because he didn't know who he could trust."
The answer made the room colder.
Adrien looked at the files again.
"How long have you known about this room?"
Mateo didn’t answer immediately.
That hesitation hurt more than anything.
"Since before the explosion."
Adrien’s face changed.
"You knew?"
"I found the room after your father died."
"And you never told me?"
Mateo looked at him.
"Because your father left instructions."
Adrien froze.
"What instructions?"
Mateo reached into his jacket.
For a second, I thought he was reaching for a weapon.
Adrien reacted immediately.
But Mateo pulled out a small envelope.
Old.
Worn.
The edges were damaged.
He placed it on the table.
"Your father gave me this two days before he died."
Adrien stared at it.
"Why give it to you?"
"Because he knew you would come after the wrong person."
Nobody spoke.
Then Adrien opened it.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
I watched his eyes move across the page.
At first, nothing changed.
Then his jaw tightened.
Then his hand started shaking.
Not from fear.
From anger.
"Adrien?"
He didn't answer.
He handed me the letter.
I hesitated.
Then I read.
My son,
If you are reading this, I failed to protect you.
The first thing I felt was sadness.
Not because I was gone.
Because I left you with enemies you cannot see.
The person who attacked me is not someone from outside this family.
It is someone who has been standing beside us.
Someone who helped build your trust.
Someone who knows your weaknesses.
Protect your heart, Adrien.
The person who can destroy you is not the one who hates you.
It is the one you believe loves you.
I looked up.
Adrien was staring at Mateo.
"Who?"
Mateo looked away.
"I don't know."
Adrien’s expression changed.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to understand that your father was afraid."
"Afraid of who?"
Mateo stayed silent.
And that silence was enough.
Because there was one person neither of them wanted to name.
Someone close.
Someone powerful.
Someone with access.
Someone who could move through the Russo family without suspicion.
I looked at Adrien.
"Who else knew about your father’s plans?"
He didn't answer.
Then his phone rang.
The sound cut through the room.
Adrien looked at the screen.
His expression immediately changed.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Who is this?"
No voice.
Only a recording.
A familiar voice.
His father’s voice.
Adrien froze.
The message played.
"Adrien, if you hear this, it means you found Room 17."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The recording continued.
"Do not trust the person who tells you they protected you."
Adrien’s eyes slowly moved toward Mateo.
Then the recording continued.
"Because the person who saved you from the darkness may be the person who created it."
The message ended.
Silence.
I looked at Mateo.
He looked destroyed.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Destroyed.
Adrien slowly lowered the phone.
"Was he talking about you?"
Mateo closed his eyes.
"I don't know."
"That’s not an answer."
"I know."
Adrien turned away.
For the first time since I met him, he looked lost.
Not weak.
Lost.
Like the entire foundation beneath him had disappeared.
I wanted to say something.
But I didn't know what.
How do you comfort someone whose entire life might have been built on a lie?
How do you tell a man who trusts almost nobody that maybe the person he trusted most was the reason he suffered?
A few minutes later, we left Room 17.
Nobody spoke.
The mansion felt different.
Like the walls had heard too much.
When we reached Adrien’s bedroom, he stopped.
"You should go home."
I looked at him.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"After everything that happened?"
His eyes were tired.
"Especially after everything that happened."
I stepped closer.
"Adrien."
He looked at me.
"I don't want you near this."
"You don't get to decide that."
His expression changed slightly.
Nobody talked to him that way.
But I didn’t care.
"You think pushing me away keeps me safe."
"It does."
"No."
I shook my head.
"It just means you’re alone."
Those words hit him.
I saw it.
A small crack in the armor.
Because that was the truth he never wanted to admit.
Adrien Russo was surrounded by people every day.
But he was alone.
The same man who controlled everything had nobody he could trust.
Except maybe me.
That scared both of us.
That night, I stayed.
Not because of the agreement.
Not because of the money.
Because something inside me knew Adrien needed someone there.
The lights were off.
The city outside was silent.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then Adrien finally whispered.
"Helena."
"Yes?"
"If I find out Mateo betrayed my father..."
He stopped.
I waited.
"What will you do?"
I looked at him.
"I don't know."
A long silence followed.
Then he said something I never expected.
"I'm scared of becoming him."
I turned toward him.
"Who?"
"My father."
The answer broke something inside me.
Because I realized the biggest battle Adrien Russo was fighting wasn't against his enemies.
It was against the fear that he was becoming the same man who destroyed his family.
I reached over.
Not thinking.
Not planning.
I placed my hand over his.
And for once…
He didn't pull away.
The next morning, Mateo disappeared.
His guards were gone.
His phone was turned off.
And on Adrien’s desk was a single piece of paper.
Three words.
"Ask Helena’s doctor."
My blood ran cold.
Because I knew exactly who they meant.
Dr. Harrison Hayes.
The man who first brought me into Adrien Russo’s world.
The man who had lied from the beginning.
May you like
And suddenly, I wondered…
How much of my life had been planned before I ever met Adrien?
