Chapter 12 - HER MOTHER'S FINAL WARNING|
Clara spent the night beside her father's hospital bed.
Edward was unconscious for several hours, and every time a nurse entered the room, she asked whether he was going to be all right.
By morning, his eyes finally opened.
"Clara?"
She leaned forward.
"I'm here."
He tried to sit up.
"Don't."
He winced.
"The photograph?"
She showed him the note.
His expression changed.
"Your mother wrote that?"
"Yes."
He looked away.
"What did you do, Dad?"
Edward remained silent for so long that Clara thought he wouldn't answer.
Then he began.
Twenty years earlier, he had discovered that Anselmo was secretly transferring Bellara assets into accounts controlled by members of the Marchetti family.
He and Clara's mother had gathered evidence.
But before they could expose him, Aurelio's father was murdered in what was reported as a car accident.
Edward believed Anselmo had arranged it.
He also suspected that someone inside their own circle had provided the information that made the attack possible.
Clara's mother wanted to go to the police.
Edward wanted to negotiate.
They fought.
She eventually left with Clara, refusing to trust him.
"She thought I had become like them," Edward said.
"Had you?"
He closed his eyes.
"I accepted money from Anselmo once."
Clara felt her stomach tighten.
"Why?"
"He threatened to take you. I was desperate. I thought I could buy time."
"And did you?"
"No."
He looked at her.
"I gave him the location of a witness. I didn't know he would kill the man."
Clara sat back.
The revelation hurt more than she expected.
"Did Mom know?"
"Yes."
"That's why she left you."
Edward nodded.
For several minutes, Clara couldn't speak.
She wanted her father to be innocent.
She wanted Aurelio to be innocent.
She wanted the entire nightmare to have a simple explanation.
But everyone she had trusted had made decisions that placed her life in danger.
She finally stood.
"I need some air."
Outside the room, Margaret was waiting.
She had brought fresh clothes, legal documents, and a message from Thomas Hale.
The investigators had found evidence that the original Bellara trust had been transferred illegally.
Clara was now officially listed as a potential victim and material witness.
Margaret handed her another document.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Valentina Sardo has agreed to cooperate."
Clara frowned.
"Why?"
"Her father has been secretly transferring assets to Anselmo. She says he intends to eliminate both Aurelio and Matteo once the Bellara deal is complete."
Clara looked toward the hospital room.
"Does Aurelio know?"
"Not yet."
Margaret lowered her voice.
"Valentina also claims the engagement dinner was arranged to make the Sardo family believe Aurelio had chosen their side."
"Why would she help us now?"
"Because she has a recording."
Margaret handed Clara a small memory card.
The recording was made the night before the engagement dinner.
Anselmo's voice was unmistakable.
"Once the girl signs the final documents, we won't need her anymore."
Valentina asked something.
"What about Aurelio?"
Anselmo laughed.
"His father made the mistake of thinking love was stronger than blood. Aurelio won't make that mistake twice."
Then came a sentence that made Clara's hands go cold.
"After the wedding, the girl will disappear. And the Marchetti heir will finally be free to marry the woman who belongs beside him."
Clara replayed the final seconds.
Anselmo wasn't talking about Valentina.
He was talking about someone else.
A woman's voice entered the recording.
Soft.
Familiar.
"Everything is ready, Uncle."
Clara looked at Margaret.
"Who is that?"
Margaret listened again.
May you like
Then she whispered:
"That's Aurelio's mother."
