Chapter 8: The Night My Family Turned Against Me
The message remained on my phone screen.
*“Your daughter is not safe anymore.””*
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything.
Not Daniel.
Not Bianca.
Not Matteo.
Not even Livia’s frightened breathing beside me.
All I could see was that sentence.
A threat.
A promise.
A reminder that someone out there had been watching my family for longer than I realized.
I turned toward the door.
“We’re leaving.””
Nobody argued.
Not even Daniel.
That told me how serious this was.
I grabbed Livia’s hand.
“Stay with me, sweetheart.””
She nodded quickly.
Her small fingers wrapped around mine.
I hated that she looked scared.
Children weren’t supposed to understand fear like this.
They were supposed to worry about toys.
School.
Birthday cakes.
Not whether adults were planning to take them away.
Rosalie rushed toward us.
“I’ll get the car.””
“No,” Daniel said.
Everyone stopped.
I looked at him.
“What?””
“You can’t leave through the front entrance.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Why?””
“Because Victor knows you’re here.””
Bianca stepped closer.
“And if he sent that message, he knows where we are.””
My anger rose.
“You expect me to stand here?””
“No.””
Daniel pointed toward the back hallway.
“You leave through the service exit.””
Matteo frowned.
“How do we know you’re not leading us into a trap?””
Daniel looked at him.
“You don’t.””
The honesty surprised all of us.
“But right now, I’m the only person in this room who has spent years trying to stop Victor.””
I didn’t like trusting him.
I didn’t trust him.
But my daughter came first.
Always.
“Move.””
We left the office quickly.
The wedding venue that had looked beautiful only hours earlier now felt like a maze.
The flowers.
The lights.
The decorations.
Everything looked fake.
A perfect stage built on top of secrets.
As we moved through the hallway, I saw the guests.
Friends.
Family.
People smiling and waiting for a ceremony that would never happen.
I wondered how many of them knew something.
How many had seen the truth and stayed silent.
“Alessandro.””
I stopped.
A familiar voice.
My mother.
She stood near the entrance to the ballroom.
Her eyes moved from me to Bianca.
Then to Daniel.
Her face changed.
Fear.
“Mom?””
She looked at Livia.
“Take her away from here.””
My heart dropped.
“What?””
My mother stepped closer.
“Please.””
“Why?””
She looked toward Daniel.
“You know who he is?””
“Yes.””
Her face went pale.
“Then you know what he wants.””
I stared at her.
“What do you know?””
She looked away.
That was enough.
I felt something inside me break.
“Mom.””
She closed her eyes.
“Not here.””
I almost laughed.
Again.
Not here.
Nobody wanted the truth where other people could hear.
“My entire life has been people telling me ‘not here.’”
My voice shook.
“My wife died. My daughter was threatened. My wedding turned into a nightmare. And everyone keeps protecting secrets.””
My mother’s eyes filled.
“Alessandro…”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“I want the truth.””
She looked at Daniel.
Then whispered:
“Your grandfather made mistakes.””
I froze.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
“But your grandfather wasn’t the only one.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who else?””
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Because someone behind her did.
“Me.””
I turned.
Victor stood at the end of the hallway.
My uncle.
The man who had just threatened my daughter.
He looked different.
Not because of his appearance.
Because now I knew what I was looking at.
Not family.
Not a protector.
A stranger wearing a familiar face.
“Victor.””
He smiled sadly.
“I hoped you would never find out this way.””
My fists clenched.
“You threatened Livia.””
He looked toward my daughter.
For a moment, guilt appeared on his face.
Then disappeared.
“I warned you.””
“Warned me?””
“You’re making the same mistake Isabella made.””
The name burned.
“Don’t compare yourself to her.””
Victor sighed.
“She was stubborn.””
My anger exploded.
“She was your niece.””
“She was naive.””
The hallway went silent.
Daniel stepped forward.
“You haven’t changed.””
Victor looked at him.
“And you’re still obsessed with revenge.””
“No.””
Daniel’s voice was cold.
“I’m obsessed with justice.””
Victor smiled.
“That’s what Isabella believed too.””
I stepped between them.
“Enough.””
Everyone stopped.
I looked at Victor.
“Why?””
He stared at me.
“Why what?””
“Why did you do this?””
For the first time, his expression changed.
A tired look.
Almost regret.
“You think this started with you?””
“I don’t know what to think anymore.””
Victor looked around.
Then lowered his voice.
“Your family built everything on a lie.””
“My company?””
“Our entire legacy.””
He looked at me.
“Your grandfather destroyed Daniel’s family because he was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
“Losing power.””
The words hurt because they sounded possible.
I had spent my life believing my family’s success came from hard work.
Not from someone else’s suffering.
Victor continued.
“And when Isabella found out, she threatened to expose everything.””
“So you killed her?””
The question escaped before I could stop it.
The hallway became silent.
Victor looked shocked.
Then angry.
“No.””
His voice was immediate.
“I did not kill Isabella.””
I studied him.
Was that the truth?
Or just another lie?
Daniel stepped forward.
“Then tell him why you were there the night she died.””
My head turned.
“What?””
Victor’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“You were there?””
My voice became quiet.
Victor didn’t answer.
“Were you there?””
Finally, he whispered:
“Yes.””
Livia grabbed my hand tighter.
I felt sick.
“You were at my house?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Victor looked at me.
“Because Isabella called me.””
The answer surprised me.
“She called you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Victor’s expression became painful.
“Because she had discovered the truth.””
“What truth?””
He looked at Daniel.
Then at Bianca.
Then back at me.
“She discovered that someone inside your company was not working for me.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Victor’s voice lowered.
“It means I wasn’t the only person hiding something.””
The room went still.
“Who else?””
Victor didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at Bianca.
“She knows.””
All eyes turned toward her.
Bianca froze.
“No.””
Victor nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
I looked at Bianca.
“What does he mean?””
She looked terrified.
“Alessandro…”
“What does he mean?””
Her eyes filled.
“I didn’t want you to find out like this.””
My chest tightened.
“Find out what?””
She took a breath.
Then whispered:
“Isabella wasn’t investigating Victor.””
Silence.
“She was investigating me.””
I stared at her.
The room seemed to tilt.
“What?””
Bianca looked down.
“She thought I was connected to Daniel.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“Bianca.””
She ignored him.
“She was right.””
My blood ran cold.
“What are you saying?””
Bianca looked at me.
“I lied to Isabella.””
The words barely left her mouth.
“I lied to you.””
I stepped back.
“Why?””
She wiped her tears.
“Because I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.””
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then she said the sentence that shattered the last piece of my trust.
“I came into your life because Daniel sent me.””
My heart stopped.
Livia gasped softly.
Daniel looked away.
And Bianca whispered:
“But Isabella discovered something even I didn’t know.””
“What?””
Bianca looked at me.
“She discovered Daniel wasn’t the person you needed to fear.””
A cold silence filled the hallway.
“Then who?””
Bianca’s eyes moved slowly toward Victor.
“No one knew.””
She swallowed.
“Because the person controlling everything…”
A pause.
“…was someone Isabella trusted more than anyone.””
I felt my phone vibrate.
Another message.
This time, it was from an unknown number.
A picture appeared.
A hospital room.
Isabella.
Alive.
And beside her bed stood the person holding her hand.
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The caption below said:
*“Ask your mother why she helped Isabella disappear.””*
