THE MAFIA BOSS WAS FORCED TO MARRY THE “HIDEOUS” MORETTI GIRL—BUT WHEN HE LIFTED HER VEIL, HE REALIZED HIS ENEMIES HAD JUST HANDED HIM THEIR MOST DANGEROUS SECRET

The white glove disappeared before the security team reached the outer road.

Tomasso sent two vehicles after the sedan, but the driver had chosen his route carefully. He passed through a construction zone, turned into a service alley, and vanished into the traffic near the expressway.

By noon, Marco had found no record of the car.

By one, Caterina had stopped pretending she was unaffected.

She stood in the library with her mother's old jewelry box open on the desk. The box contained a broken bracelet, a pair of pearl earrings, three photographs, and a narrow strip of fabric that looked as though it had been cut from a dress.

Tomasso entered without knocking.

"You're going to tell me what happened to your mother."

Caterina closed the box.

"She died of heart failure."

"That's the official story."

"She was thirty-nine. She had no history of heart problems. Two days before she died, she told me never to trust Lorenzo with a locked door."

"Did you tell the police?"

"There were no police I could trust."

Tomasso sat opposite her.

"What did she mean?"

Caterina took a breath.

"The east wing of the Moretti compound was sealed when I was twelve. My uncle said the rooms had water damage. But I heard people moving furniture at night. Sometimes I heard voices. Once, I heard my mother screaming."

"Did you ever enter?"

"Twice."

"What did you find?"

"The first time, I found an empty room with fresh paint. The second time, I found a bloodstained cufflink behind a loose floorboard."

She placed the strip of fabric beside the jewelry box.

"My mother's initials were embroidered inside it."

Tomasso examined the stitching.

"Who did it belong to?"

"Someone who visited the house the night my father died."

"Do you know who?"

"No. But I believe the answer is inside the east wing."

Tomasso stood.

"Then we'll go there."

She caught his wrist.

"No."

He looked down at her hand.

"You just told me you wanted answers."

"I do. But if Lorenzo discovers that you entered the east wing, he'll know I told you about it. He'll destroy whatever remains."

"Then we go before he learns."

Caterina released him slowly.

For the first time, she seemed uncertain.

"You would risk a war over a room?"

"I'm risking a war because someone threatened my wife."

The word hung between them.

Wife.

Neither acknowledged it.

That night, they left the estate in separate vehicles. Tomasso wore a dark overcoat and carried a concealed pistol. Caterina dressed as a household employee, her hair tucked beneath a scarf, and rode with Marco.

They reached the Moretti compound shortly after midnight.

The outer guards recognized Tomasso's vehicle and allowed it through after a tense exchange. Lorenzo was supposedly in New York, attending a meeting with investors. The household staff had been told that the new bride might return for personal belongings.

Caterina led Tomasso through a service corridor and down a staircase that smelled of damp stone.

At the end stood a narrow door painted the same color as the wall.

There was no handle.

Caterina removed the silver key from her chain.

It did not fit.

Tomasso examined the frame and discovered a small metal plate beneath the paint. Pressing it released a hidden latch.

The door opened inward.

Inside was a room containing a desk, two filing cabinets, a wall safe, and a single chair facing a blank wall.

There were no windows.

On the desk lay a fresh glass of water.

Tomasso touched it.

Still cold.