Chapter 4 - Unraveling the Web
Down the hall in the east wing, Valentina paced furiously across her bedroom floor, her heels clicking rhythmically against the hardwood. The door was locked, and outside, two of Rocco's most trusted guards stood watch. She was trapped in her own golden cage.
"Open this door right now!" Valentina shouted, slamming her palm against the heavy wood.
The small sliding peephole on the door opened, and Marco’s cold eyes stared back at her. "Orders from the boss, Mrs. Moretti. You remain in your quarters until the investigation of the kitchen sector is complete."
"You are making a catastrophic mistake," Valentina hissed, trying to mask her rising panic with aristocratic disdain. "Rocco is letting himself be manipulated by a servant's brat. Call my attorney immediately."
"Your attorney is currently sitting in the holding room downstairs with the other lawyers," Marco replied flatly. "Nobody is making calls tonight."
The peephole snapped shut. Valentina gripped the edge of the doorframe, her fingernails digging into the grain. She had spent ten years positioning herself as the undisputed queen of the Moretti empire. She had eliminated obstacles, cultivated alliances, and ensured that any potential threat to her future dominance was quietly neutralized.
How had it all unraveled because of an eight-year-old girl walking barefoot by the kitchen?
Back in the study, Rocco was systematically dismantling the lies of the past three hours. He had laid out the hospital records next to the small plastic bracelet.
"Elena," Rocco said without looking up from the desk. "Tell me everything you saw or heard near the service wing this evening before Sophia found the baby."
Elena looked nervously at her daughter before speaking. "Mr. Moretti... I was cleaning the second-floor landing near the west corridor around ten o'clock. I saw... I saw Mrs. Moretti's personal assistant, Mr. Vance, carrying a heavy duffel bag down the service stairs. He looked very nervous. He was heading toward the back exit."
Rocco’s eyes narrowed. "Vance."
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"Yes, sir. And... and right after he passed, I heard a car door shut outside in the rain. A dark sedan. It didn't belong to any of our drivers."
Rocco closed the black leather binder with a soft thud. The pieces were falling into place with terrifying clarity. Valentina hadn't just known about the hospital; she had orchestrated a cover-up years ago, and whatever plan she had set in motion tonight had been botched by an observant little girl.
