Chương 6
“Trace this message.”
The security team moved instantly.
The room filled with quiet movement as they examined the hidden camera system.
Liana remained beside Nico.
The baby had already calmed again.
His small fingers rested against her sleeve.
Matteo noticed the same thing he had noticed every time.
Nico trusted her.
And now he wondered why.
A few minutes later, the security officer looked up.
“Sir.”
Matteo turned.
“What did you find?”
The officer hesitated.
“That camera was not connected to the mansion security network.”
Matteo’s eyes narrowed.
“Then how was it recording?”
“It was installed separately.”
A cold silence followed.
Someone had built a private surveillance system inside his home.
Someone had access to places even his own security team could not detect.
“How long has it been there?”
The officer looked at the screen.
“We are still checking.”
Matteo looked at Liana.
“You need to tell me everything you know about your mother.”
Liana lowered her eyes.
“I already told you what I remember.”
“Everything.”
His voice was not angry.
It was urgent.
Liana looked at Nico.
Then she slowly nodded.
“My mother was named Clara.”
Matteo listened carefully.
“She was quiet, but she noticed everything.”
Liana paused.
“She always told me that people were not always what they appeared to be.”
“Did she know Elena?”
“I do not know.”
Liana took a breath.
“But after seeing that document, I think maybe she did.”
Matteo waited.
“When I was little, I found a box hidden in her closet.”
“What was inside?”
“Letters.”
His expression changed.
“Do you still have them?”
Liana looked away.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because after she died, someone broke into our apartment.”
The room became still.
Matteo stared at her.
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“Did they steal anything?”
“I thought they did not.”
Liana’s voice became quieter.
“But now I think they were looking for something.”
Matteo felt the pieces slowly connecting.
Two women.
One child.
A hidden message.
A missing name.
A secret someone had protected for years.
Before he could speak, Nico suddenly moved in Liana’s arms.
The baby looked toward the corner of the room.
His expression changed.
Matteo noticed.
“What is it?”
Liana followed his gaze.
There was nothing there.
Only the nursery wall.
Only the soft lighting.
But Nico continued watching that direction.
As if he recognized something.
Matteo immediately called the security team.
“Search that wall.”
The officers carefully inspected the area.
At first, nothing appeared unusual.
Then one officer touched a small section of the wooden paneling.
A faint click sounded.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was another envelope.
Matteo took it slowly.
His name was written on the front.
Not printed.
Handwritten.
Elena’s handwriting.
Liana watched him open it.
The first words immediately changed his expression.
Matteo.
If you found this, then Nico has already shown you who he trusts.
His hands tightened around the paper.
He continued reading.
The person who helps him is not a stranger.
She is someone I trusted with my life.
Liana felt tears forming in her eyes.
Matteo looked at her.
The letter continued.
Do not judge her by what you see.
She carries a pain that connects her to us.
For years, Matteo had searched for answers about Elena’s final days.
But he had never imagined the answer would lead to a young woman standing in his nursery.
The letter contained only one more instruction.
Protect Liana.
The moment Matteo finished reading, he became completely silent.
Liana noticed.
“What did she say?”
Matteo looked at the paper.
Then at her.
“She knew you.”
Liana shook her head.
“That is impossible.”
“She wrote your name.”
Her face changed.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
All the memories she had buried began returning.
Her mother’s warnings.
The hidden letters.
The photograph she never understood.
The strange feeling she had when she first held Nico.
Matteo placed the letter on the table.
“We need to find those letters your mother left.”
Liana looked uncertain.
“They are gone.”
“Maybe not.”
Matteo walked toward the security officer.
“Find every record connected to Clara.”
The officer nodded.
“Immediately.”
For the first time since entering the mansion, Liana saw Matteo not as a feared man.
She saw him as someone searching for the truth beside her.
But before either of them could continue, the mansion alarm suddenly sounded.
The sharp noise cut through the nursery.
Everyone froze.
Matteo’s expression changed instantly.
“Lock down the house.”
The security team moved quickly.
Doors closed.
Lights changed.
The mansion entered emergency mode.
Liana held Nico closer.
“What happened?”
Matteo looked toward the hallway.
“Someone is inside.”
A security officer rushed in.
“Sir, the east entrance camera detected movement.”
Matteo’s eyes hardened.
“Show me.”
The monitor displayed the entrance hall.
A figure stood near the marble floor.
Still.
Waiting.
Liana recognized something before anyone else did.
The person was holding an old photograph.
Matteo looked at her.
“You know them?”
She shook her head slowly.
“No.”
But her voice trembled.
Because even from a distance, she felt something familiar.
The figure lifted the photograph toward the camera.
The security system zoomed in.
Matteo stared at the image.
It showed two women standing together.
Elena.
And Clara.
The two mothers who had hidden the truth from them.
Then the figure turned the photograph around.
Written on the back were four words.
The same words that changed everything.
“The child was never alone.”
The words on the photograph changed the air inside the mansion.
“The child was never alone.”
Matteo stared at the message while every instinct inside him told him that the person standing outside was connected to everything they had uncovered.
He had faced enemies who wanted his power.
He had faced people who wanted his name.
But this was different.
This was someone who knew Elena.
Someone who knew Clara.
Someone who knew Nico before Matteo understood the truth himself.
“Bring them inside,” Matteo ordered.
The security team looked surprised.
“Sir?”
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“If they wanted to hurt us, they would have already tried.”
His eyes remained on the figure outside.
