Chapter 12: Whispers of the Past
The ghost did not stay hidden for long.
Two days later, Elena was in the estate's sprawling greenhouse, tending to the orchids, when Rafael approached her. His face was unreadable, but the tightness in his shoulders betrayed his tension.
"Elena," Rafael started, holding out a crumpled, dirty envelope. "One of the perimeter guards found this taped to the eastern gate. It has your name on it."
Elena wiped the soil from her hands and took the envelope. Her heart plummeted into her stomach the moment she recognized the frantic, messy handwriting. It was a handwriting she hadn't seen in six years.
With trembling fingers, she tore it open.
Elena. I know you're in there. I saw you on the news with Verrone. You hit the jackpot, huh? I need to see you. I need to see my daughter. Meet me at St. Patrick's Cathedral tomorrow at noon. Come alone. Or I go to the press and tell them the new Mafia Queen is keeping a father from his child.
— Marcus.
The greenhouse spun wildly around her. She grabbed the edge of a potting table to steady herself.
Marcus was dead. At least, that was what she had been told. When she was pregnant with Mia, Marcus had gotten heavily involved in underground gambling. He owed thousands to loan sharks. One night, he simply vanished. The police found his car abandoned by the river, and after a year, everyone assumed he had jumped.
Now, he was back. And he wanted money.
"Elena?" Rafael asked sharply. "What is it? Do I need to alert the boss?"
"No!" Elena snapped, perhaps too quickly. She shoved the note into her jeans pocket. "No, Rafael. It’s just... junk mail. A crazy fan. You know how the tabloids have been since the gala."
Rafael narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced, but he nodded slowly. "If you say so. But remember, in this house, there are no secrets. Secrets get people killed."
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That night, Elena lay awake in the massive four-poster bed, staring at the ceiling. Damiano was asleep beside her, his arm thrown protectively over her waist, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
She couldn't tell him. If Damiano found out that another man—Mia’s biological father—was trying to extort her, he wouldn't just pay him off. Damiano would slaughter him. And while Marcus was a coward and a deadbeat, Elena didn't want Mia’s biological father's blood on her hands. She had to fix this herself.
