Chapter 3 - THE KEY INSIDE THE RABBIT|
Aleandro did not take the key immediately.
He stared at the tiny brass object resting in Emma's palm, remembering the day Nico had hidden it inside a hollow chess piece. The brothers had been teenagers then, sneaking into their father's study to retrieve money for a charity event their father considered a waste of time.
Nico had always been the reckless one.
He laughed during arguments, trusted strangers, and believed that even dangerous men could choose kindness.
Aleandro had inherited their father's authority.
Nico had inherited their mother's heart.
"Where did you get that key?" Aleandro asked.
Emma hugged her rabbit.
"Daddy gave it to Mommy."
Sophia looked confused.
"He gave me the rabbit when he left. I didn't know there was a key inside."
Aleandro turned toward his security chief.
"Bring a secure evidence bag."
Sophia immediately pulled Emma closer.
"Nobody is taking anything from my daughter."
"Nobody will," Aleandro promised. "I need to establish whether this belongs to my brother."
He waited until Sophia nodded before accepting the key.
Valentina watched from beside the head table, her expression growing increasingly hostile.
"This is absurd," she announced. "A missing man, a mysterious child, and a key conveniently produced at my engagement party. Does nobody find any of this suspicious?"
"Yes," Aleandro replied. "Which is why we will investigate it."
"You can't seriously believe she's telling the truth."
"I believe the evidence deserves examination."
Sophia glanced toward the ballroom doors.
"I want to leave."
Aleandro nodded.
"Of course."
He instructed Marcus to arrange transportation for her and Emma. Sophia refused the limousine, insisting that she would take a cab. Aleandro accepted her decision and gave her his private number.
"Call me if anyone approaches you about the key."
"Why would anyone approach me?"
His expression darkened.
"Because if Nico entrusted it to your family, someone else may have been searching for it."
Sophia left with Emma.
Once the ballroom doors closed, Celeste approached Aleandro.
"Your brother was alive when I saw him," she whispered. "I am certain of that."
"Why would my father conceal it?"
"Because Nico had discovered something about the Moretti business that could have destroyed the family."
Aleandro's gaze hardened.
"What?"
Celeste looked toward Valentina.
"Your father was moving money through a charitable trust. Nico believed the money belonged to children whose families had disappeared through the family's operations. He intended to expose the accounts."
Aleandro remembered the last argument he had with Nico. His brother had accused him of protecting men who profited from fear. Aleandro had told him to stop acting like a child.
Two days later, the warehouse exploded.
He had spent three years believing Nico was dead.
Now a three-year-old girl had returned with her uncle's key.
Aleandro turned toward Marcus.
"Take the key to the safe, but don't open it alone. Photograph everything. No one touches Nico's old belongings without my authorization."
Marcus nodded.
As the ballroom emptied, Valentina approached Aleandro.
"You have just humiliated me in front of everyone I know."
He looked at her.
"Then perhaps you should remember how this evening began."
She stepped closer.
"If that woman is lying, I'll make sure she regrets it."
Aleandro's voice dropped.
"Touch Sophia or her daughter, and our engagement will be the least of your problems."
Valentina stared at him.
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For the first time, she realized she might lose more than a wedding.
She might lose the empire she had expected to marry.
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