Chương 7
“They came here because they want us to know something.”
The front doors opened slowly.
The person stepped inside the grand foyer.
Liana held Nico close while Matteo moved slightly in front of them.
Even now, his first instinct was protection.
The figure removed the hood covering their head.
An older woman stood beneath the crystal chandelier.
Her silver hair was tied back neatly.
Her face showed years of exhaustion.
But her eyes carried recognition.
When she saw Liana, tears immediately filled them.
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered.
Liana froze.
She did not know this woman.
But the woman looked at her like she was seeing someone she had lost.
Matteo noticed the reaction.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked at him.
“My name is Sofia.”
The name meant nothing to him.
“I knew Elena.”
Silence filled the foyer.
Liana looked at Matteo.
The connection was becoming impossible to ignore.
Sofia slowly looked at Nico.
“He looks just like her.”
Matteo’s expression hardened slightly.
“You knew my wife?”
Sofia nodded.
“I was there when Nico was born.”
The words struck him immediately.
“You were the woman removed from the hospital records.”
Sofia lowered her eyes.
“Yes.”
Liana felt her heartbeat increase.
“Why was your name removed?”
Sofia looked toward the staircase.
“Because someone wanted everyone who knew the truth to disappear.”
Matteo stepped closer.
“What truth?”
Sofia looked at Nico.
“The truth about what happened before he was born.”
No one spoke.
The mansion seemed to hold its breath.
Matteo controlled his emotions.
“Explain.”
Sofia took a slow breath.
“Elena discovered that someone close to you was planning to use Nico.”
Matteo’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
“She did not know at first.”
Sofia looked at him.
“But she knew the person had access to the mansion.”
A memory passed through Matteo’s mind.
The hidden cameras.
The secret recordings.
The person entering the nursery.
“Why did Elena not tell me?”
Sofia’s expression softened.
“Because she was afraid.”
“Afraid of me?”
“No.”
Sofia looked toward the security team.
“She was afraid that if you knew, you would react before she had proof.”
Matteo looked away.
He understood Elena.
He knew his own nature.
If someone threatened his family, he would destroy everything standing in his way.
Sofia continued.
“She asked me to protect two children.”
Liana’s face changed.
“Two?”
Sofia nodded.
“Nico.”
Then she looked at Liana.
“And you.”
The room became silent.
Liana shook her head slowly.
“I do not understand.”
Sofia stepped closer.
“Your mother and Elena were friends long before you knew.”
Liana felt tears forming.
“My mother never told me.”
“She wanted to.”
Sofia looked sad.
“But she was trying to keep you safe.”
Matteo watched Liana carefully.
For the first time, he saw how deeply this affected her.
All her life, she believed she had been left with unanswered questions.
Now she was discovering that the people who loved her had been protecting a secret.
“What happened to Clara?” Matteo asked.
Sofia looked down.
“She found out too much.”
Liana’s breathing became unsteady.
“My mother died because of this?”
Sofia hesitated.
The hesitation answered before the words did.
Liana looked away.
Matteo noticed her hands trembling.
He stepped closer but stopped himself.
He did not want to overwhelm her.
“She protected you,” Sofia said gently.
“She spent her final years making sure the secret survived.”
Liana wiped away a tear.
“What secret?”
Sofia looked at Nico.
“The reason Elena believed Liana was the key.”
Matteo waited.
Sofia reached into her coat and removed another envelope.
“This was the last thing Elena gave me.”
She handed it to Matteo.
“She told me to deliver it only when Liana and Nico were together.”
Matteo opened it carefully.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was Elena’s.
Matteo read silently.
My dearest Matteo.
If you are reading this, then the person I trusted most has finally found you.
Do not fear her.
Do not question why Nico knows her.
Some connections are created before people understand them.
Matteo looked at Liana.
The words felt impossible.
He continued.
Liana’s mother saved my life.
And when she did, I promised I would protect her daughter as my own.
Matteo stopped.
Liana covered her mouth.
Sofia looked at her.
“Your mother and Elena shared something.”
“What?”
“A promise.”
Matteo continued reading.
The secret is not about blood.
It is about love.
The person who helps Nico heal is the person who understands loss.
She will remind him that he is not alone.
The letter ended with one final sentence.
Trust the woman who carries the same sadness I carried.
Matteo lowered the paper.
He looked at Liana.
The grieving maid who entered his mansion carrying linens had unknowingly been part of his family’s story for years.
But before anyone could process the revelation, the security monitor suddenly flickered.
Everyone turned.
The hidden camera feed returned.
A new image appeared.
A man stood inside the old hospital corridor.
The recording date was from the night Nico was born.
Matteo stepped toward the screen.
“Who is that?”
Sofia’s expression changed instantly.
Fear appeared on her face.
“I thought he was gone.”
Matteo looked at her.
“Who?”
Sofia whispered the name.
“The man who started all of this.”
The footage showed the figure walking toward Elena’s hospital room.
Then the screen zoomed in.
The face became visible.
Matteo’s expression changed completely.
Because the man in the recording was someone he knew.
Someone he trusted.
Someone who had been inside his home for years.
Liana looked at Matteo.
“What is wrong?”
Matteo did not answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
The person responsible for the secret surrounding Nico had not been a stranger.
It had been someone standing beside him the entire time.
The person who had been standing beside Matteo for years was finally revealed on the screen.
Matteo felt the room become unbearably quiet.
The face staring back at him belonged to Adrian Voss.
May you like
His oldest advisor.
The man who had helped build his organization.
