Chapter 8: The Impossible Betrayal
Chapter 8: The Impossible Betrayal
Leo Rossi had faced bullets.
He had faced enemies who wanted him dead.
He had faced men who had spent years trying to destroy everything he built.
But nothing prepared him for the image on the security screen.
Beatrice Miller.
Walking into Lily’s bedroom.
Taking his daughter.
The woman he trusted.
The woman who saved Lily’s life.
The woman Isabella had trusted.
For several seconds, Leo simply stared.
His mind rejected what his eyes were seeing.
“No.”
The word came out quietly.
Almost like a denial.
Mateo looked at him carefully.
“Leo…”
“No.”
This time his voice was stronger.
“That’s not possible.”
Victoria stood behind them, watching silently.
For once, she did not look satisfied.
She looked confused.
Because she knew something was wrong too.
“Play it again.”
Leo’s command was immediate.
The security officer replayed the footage.
The hallway.
The bedroom door.
The figure entering.
The same height.
The same hair.
The same clothing.
Beatrice.
Then the screen went black.
Leo stared.
“Where is Lily’s room?”
Mateo answered immediately.
“Second floor.”
Leo was already moving.
When they reached Lily’s bedroom, the door was open.
The room was untouched.
Almost.
Her stuffed rabbit was lying on the floor.
Her blanket was pulled back.
But Lily was gone.
Leo stood frozen.
The same feeling returned.
The same terror from the cellar.
The fear of arriving too late.
“Daddy…”
The faint voice came from the hallway.
Leo turned instantly.
Lily stood there.
Alive.
Safe.
And holding Beatrice’s hand.
The entire world stopped.
Leo looked between them.
Then at the security team.
Nobody understood what was happening.
“Lily?”
The little girl ran to him.
He dropped to his knees and hugged her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Bee came to get me.”
Leo looked up.
Beatrice stood behind Lily.
Her expression was devastated.
Because she knew exactly what this looked like.
“She didn’t take her.”
Beatrice’s voice was quiet.
“She saved her.”
Nobody spoke.
Leo stood slowly.
“Explain.”
Beatrice looked at him.
“I saw someone outside Lily’s window.”
Mateo immediately turned.
“Someone?”
She nodded.
“I knew the security footage would make it look like me.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“Because they wanted you to stop trusting me.”
A painful silence followed.
“And you thought taking Lily out of the room was the best option?”
Beatrice looked down.
“I thought keeping her alive was more important than making myself look innocent.”
Leo stared at her.
The answer hurt because he believed it.
Because it sounded exactly like her.
Mateo moved toward the window.
He examined the area outside.
After a moment, he found something.
A small device attached beneath the window frame.
“A tracker.”
Leo looked at it.
Someone had planted it.
Someone wanted to know exactly where Lily was.
Beatrice had noticed.
And she acted.
Again.
The security officer stepped forward.
“Mr. Rossi.”
Leo turned.
“We checked the footage.”
“And?”
The officer looked uncomfortable.
“The footage was edited.”
Mateo immediately understood.
“Someone replaced the original recording.”
Leo looked at Beatrice.
She was telling the truth.
Again.
But one question remained.
Who had entered the system?
Who had enough access to manipulate Rossi security?
The answer was terrifying.
Only a few people could do it.
And all of them were close.
Later that night, Leo sat in Isabella’s old office.
Lily was asleep upstairs.
Beatrice had refused to leave until he told her she was safe.
Even after everything.
She was still worried about them.
Not herself.
Never herself.
Leo looked at the letter from Isabella.
The person you trust most is the person you should fear.
The words haunted him.
Because now he understood something.
The person Isabella warned him about might not be Beatrice.
It might be someone who wanted him to believe it was her.
A knock came at the door.
Beatrice entered slowly.
“Can I come in?”
Leo nodded.
She stood near the desk.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at her.
“For what?”
“For making your life more complicated.”
The answer surprised him.
“You almost died saving my daughter.”
She looked away.
“That doesn’t change the fact that trouble follows me.”
Leo stood.
“Beatrice.”
She looked at him.
“You need to stop apologizing for surviving.”
Her eyes became emotional.
Nobody had ever said that to her.
Not once.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Beatrice reached into her pocket.
“I found something.”
Leo looked at the object in her hand.
A small key.
Old.
Worn.
Recognizable.
“Where did you get that?”
“Isabella gave it to me.”
Leo froze.
“When?”
“The night she died.”
The room became silent.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t know what it opened.”
Leo took the key.
On the metal was a symbol.
The same symbol from the mysterious man’s ring.
The Falcon.
Before Leo could say anything, Mateo rushed into the office.
“Leo.”
His face was serious.
“We found the person who hacked the security system.”
Leo looked up.
“Who?”
Mateo hesitated.
“It was an inside job.”
“Who?”
Mateo placed a photograph on the desk.
Leo looked down.
And felt the entire world shift.
The person in the photograph was someone he had known his entire life.
Someone who had stood beside him through every battle.
Someone he trusted more than anyone.
Mateo whispered:
“It was me.”
Leo stared at the photograph.
Then at Mateo.
“What are you saying?”
Mateo’s face was pale.
“I’m saying someone used my access.”
“You’re the only one with that level of clearance.”
“I know.”
The pain in Mateo’s eyes was real.
“I swear to you, Leo… I didn’t betray you.”
Leo said nothing.
Because for the first time…
He was surrounded by people he trusted.
And every single one of them had become a question.
That night, another message appeared on Leo’s phone.
No number.
No location.
Just words.
YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE WRONG PEOPLE.
Then another message appeared.
A photograph.
A photograph of Isabella.
Taken moments before her death.
May you like
And standing beside her…
Was Leo Rossi himself.
