Chapter 8: The Enemy at the Table
The phone went silent.
But nobody in the room moved.
Helena Bellini’s warning remained hanging in the air.
They know where Adeline is.
Enzo stared at the dead screen.
His expression had become unreadable again.
But Adeline had learned something about him.
The colder he became, the more dangerous the situation was.
“What happened?””
Daniel’s voice broke the silence.
Enzo looked at him.
“They found us.””
Luca gave a humorless laugh.
“Of course they did.””
Adeline looked at him.
“You’re not surprised.””
“No.””
“Why?””
Luca looked toward the window.
“Because whoever has been controlling this from the beginning has always been three steps ahead.””
Enzo picked up the envelope from the table.
The one containing her father’s final message.
“The letter.””
Adeline watched him.
“What does it say?””
Enzo hesitated.
That hesitation told her everything.
It was bad.
“It’s not just a name.””
“Then what is it?””
He looked at her.
“Your father left instructions.””
“For what?””
“To find the evidence he collected.””
Adeline frowned.
“But you said the safe deposit box had the evidence.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
Everyone looked at him.
“The box contains proof.””
“Then what’s the difference?””
Daniel’s face became heavy.
“The evidence is useless without the key.””
Adeline looked at the metal key sitting on the table.
“That key?””
“Yes.””
“And the proof?””
Daniel looked at the envelope.
“Is hidden somewhere else.””
Luca smiled.
“Classic Daniel.””
Adeline looked at him.
“What?””
“He never trusted one hiding place.””
Luca leaned against the wall.
“Your father always believed the safest secret was one split into pieces.””
A sudden sound interrupted them.
A vehicle outside.
Then another.
Enzo moved toward the window.
His eyes narrowed.
“They’re here.””
The room changed instantly.
No more questions.
No more explanations.
Only survival.
Enzo looked at everyone.
“There’s a second exit.””
Luca laughed.
“Still keeping escape routes everywhere?””
“Yes.””
“You always were paranoid.””
“And you’re still alive because of it.””
The brothers stared at each other.
For a moment, Adeline saw something strange.
Not hatred.
Not even anger.
Something buried beneath years of pain.
They were still brothers.
No matter how much had happened.
“Adeline.””
She turned.
Enzo was looking at her.
“What?””
“Stay with me.””
The words were simple.
But they carried weight.
She almost asked why.
Then she realized.
Because he trusted her.
And somehow, that scared her more.
The safe house had been designed like a fortress.
Hidden doors.
Reinforced walls.
Emergency passages.
Adeline had stopped being surprised by the secrets of the Marchetti world.
Almost.
As they moved through the narrow corridor, Daniel walked beside her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then:
“You hate me.””
Adeline looked ahead.
“I don’t know.””
The answer seemed to hurt him.
“I deserve it.””
She stopped.
“No.””
Daniel looked at her.
“I’m angry.””
She swallowed.
“But I don’t hate you.””
His eyes softened.
That made it harder.
Because she wanted him to be a villain.
Villains were easier.
Villains could be blamed.
But her father was not a villain.
He was just a man who made choices that destroyed them both.
“Why didn’t you come back?””
The question was quiet.
Daniel looked down.
“Because the first person who found me after the accident was the person who caused it.””
Adeline froze.
“What?””
Daniel continued walking.
“I was injured. I couldn’t move. I heard them talking.””
“Who?””
“I didn’t know at first.””
His voice lowered.
“But I heard a name.””
She looked at him.
“Whose?””
Daniel stopped.
“Marchetti.””
The answer hit her.
“Enzo’s family?””
“Yes.””
“But not Enzo.””
“No.””
“His uncle.””
Daniel nodded.
“The man behind everything.””
They reached the end of the passage.
A hidden door opened.
Before stepping through, Adeline turned.
“Dad.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Why come back now?””
His expression changed.
Because the answer mattered.
“Because I found out he was going after you.””
A chill moved through her.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at Enzo.
Then back at her.
“The same person who killed your mother.””
The world stopped.
Adeline stared.
“My mother?””
Nobody had mentioned her mother.
Not once.
Because there was another wound.
Another silence.
Her mother had died when Adeline was young.
A car accident.
That was what she had always been told.
Another accident.
Another lie.
“No.””
Daniel’s eyes filled with regret.
“Adeline—”
“No.””
She stepped back.
“My mother died before all this.””
“I’m sorry.””
“You’re lying.””
“I wish I was.””
The door behind them suddenly exploded inward.
Everyone dropped.
The attack had started.
The next minutes blurred.
Running.
Shouting.
The sound of breaking glass.
Adeline had never understood what danger felt like until that moment.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something deeper.
The realization that the world could change between one heartbeat and the next.
Enzo moved like someone who had lived in chaos his entire life.
He protected.
Calculated.
Reacted.
But Adeline noticed something.
He kept looking back.
At her.
Making sure she was there.
They reached an underground garage.
A black vehicle waited.
Luca opened the door.
“Move.””
Everyone climbed inside.
The engine started.
As they escaped, Adeline sat silently.
Her mind was drowning.
Her father alive.
Her mother’s death connected.
Enzo’s family betrayal.
A missing brother.
A secret war.
And somewhere at the center of it all—
Her.
“Why me?””
Nobody answered.
She looked at Enzo.
“Why am I important?””
His eyes met hers in the mirror.
“I don’t know.””
That honesty surprised her.
“Then why are they hunting me?””
Daniel spoke quietly.
“Because your father didn’t hide the evidence.””
Adeline looked at him.
“He hid the person who could reveal it.””
A cold feeling spread through her.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at her.
“You.””
Silence.
“What?””
“Your father didn’t just collect information.””
He reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small photograph.
A picture of a young Adeline.
Maybe twelve years old.
She was standing beside her father.
Holding a notebook.
“What is this?””
Daniel’s voice was barely audible.
“The day he realized you had seen something important.””
Her stomach tightened.
“I don’t remember.””
“You were young.””
“What did I see?””
Daniel looked away.
“That’s what they’re afraid you’ll remember.””
The car became silent.
Then Luca suddenly leaned forward.
“Wait.””
Everyone looked at him.
He stared at the photograph.
“Where was this taken?””
Daniel answered:
“His office.””
Luca’s face changed.
“No.””
“What?””
Luca grabbed the photo.
“This wasn’t the office.””
Adeline frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Luca pointed at the background.
A small detail.
A painting.
A window.
A wooden cabinet.
“This was inside the Marchetti estate.””
Nobody spoke.
Enzo took the photograph.
His expression hardened.
“That’s impossible.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
He looked at him.
“It’s not.””
Adeline stared.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“It means your father wasn’t investigating the Marchetti family from the outside.””
A pause.
“He was already inside.””
Enzo looked at the photograph again.
Then at Adeline.
And suddenly, she understood.
The job offer.
The strange invitation.
The reason she had been hired as a maid at the Marchetti estate.
It was never random.
Someone wanted her there.
Someone wanted her close.
“Why was I brought into the estate?””
Nobody answered.
Then Luca spoke.
“Because whoever hired you knew one thing.””
The car slowed.
Everyone looked at him.
“He knew Daniel Croft would eventually come back for his daughter.””
Adeline felt her blood run cold.
A phone began ringing.
Not Enzo’s.
Not Daniel’s.
Hers.
She stared at the screen.
Unknown number.
Everyone went silent.
“Don’t answer it,” Enzo said.
But the phone kept ringing.
And then a message appeared.
One sentence.
From the person who had been watching her all along.
*I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO REMEMBER, ADELINE.*
Her hand trembled.
Another message appeared.
*ASK YOUR FATHER WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT YOUR MOTHER DIED.*
Adeline slowly looked up.
At Daniel.
His face had gone pale.
Because he knew.
He knew exactly what she was about to ask.
“Dad…”
The car continued through the darkness.
“Tell me the truth.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
And whispered:
“Your mother wasn’t killed in an accident.””
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A pause.
“She was killed because she found out who you really are.””
