Chapter 6 - The Ledger
Nobody spoke.
Not even Leo.
The old house seemed to absorb Adrian's words.
Sold children.
The sentence hung in the air like smoke.
Beatrice stared at him.
"You're lying."
Adrian shook his head.
"I wish I were."
"My mother?"
"She discovered it."
"Children?"
"Families paid money. Powerful families. Politicians. Criminals. Men who wanted heirs. Men who wanted leverage."
Leo's face became cold.
"My father?"
Adrian nodded.
"He built the network."
Leo's stomach turned.
"How many?"
"Dozens."
"Where?"
"Some survived."
"And the others?"
Adrian looked away.
"Some didn't."
Beatrice began crying.
"My mother found out."
"Yes."
"She tried to stop him."
"Yes."
"And he killed her."
Adrian's silence was enough.
Beatrice turned toward Leo.
"And you knew nothing?"
"No."
"How convenient."
Leo accepted the accusation.
"I deserve that."
"No."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You don't understand."
"What?"
"Our father didn't just hide the children."
He looked directly at Leo.
"He used them to control families."
Leo frowned.
"Explain."
"Every child became a secret."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"A secret powerful enough to destroy a dynasty."
Leo understood.
"Blackmail."
"Exactly."
Adrian reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small black ledger.
"This is the original record."
Leo stared at it.
"Where did you get it?"
"I stole it from Father."
"When?"
"Twenty-two years ago."
Beatrice stepped closer.
"Why didn't you expose him?"
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"Because I tried."
He opened the ledger.
Names filled the pages.
Politicians.
Businessmen.
Judges.
Police chiefs.
Foreign officials.
And beneath each name was a child.
Date of birth.
Location.
Payment.
Transfer.
Leo's blood ran cold.
Then he saw a name he recognized.
Victoria Kensington.
Beatrice looked at him.
"Why is she here?"
Adrian flipped the page.
Victoria's name was followed by a transaction.
Twenty-two years ago.
A child.
Female.
Initials:
B.M.
Beatrice stopped breathing.
"No."
Adrian looked at her.
"Victoria wasn't supposed to raise you."
"Then why?"
"Because she was supposed to deliver you."
"To whom?"
Adrian closed the ledger.
"Your father."
Beatrice stared.
"You."
Adrian nodded.
"I came back for you."
"What happened?"
"Victoria betrayed me."
Leo stepped forward.
"She took Beatrice?"
"Yes."
"Then why did she become part of my family?"
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Because Victoria wanted something from Father."
"What?"
"Power."
Leo understood.
"She married into the family."
"Exactly."
"And my wife?"
Adrian's eyes changed.
"Your wife discovered the ledger."
Leo went completely still.
"How?"
"She found it after Lily was born."
"Then the bombing..."
"Wasn't meant for you."
Leo's face drained of color.
"It was meant for her."
Adrian nodded.
"Your wife knew that Lily's life was in danger."
"She knew?"
"She knew everything."
Leo looked down.
All the memories came rushing back.
His wife had been frightened in the weeks before her death.
She had asked him strange questions.
She had begged him to leave the city.
She had once asked him:
If I ever disappear, promise me you'll protect Lily.
He had thought she was afraid because of the business.
He had been wrong.
She had known.
She had been trying to save their daughter.
And perhaps Beatrice too.
Adrian reached into his pocket again.
He pulled out a second photograph.
It showed Leo's wife holding Lily as a baby.
Beside her stood Elena.
And beside Elena stood Beatrice as a child.
On the back were three words:
They are sisters.
Leo stared.
"No."
Adrian nodded.
"Lily and Beatrice."
Leo looked at him.
"What are you saying?"
Adrian's voice was quiet.
"Beatrice isn't only your daughter."
He looked at the photograph.
"She is Lily's half-sister."
The room seemed to tilt.
Leo stared at Beatrice.
She was crying.
"How?"
Adrian answered:
"Elena was my wife."
Leo's eyes widened.
"And Lily's mother?"
Adrian looked at him.
"Your wife was my sister."
Silence.
A family secret stretching across two generations.
A secret that meant Leo had been connected to Elena.
Adrian had been connected to Lily's mother.
And the two children had been tied together by blood.
But there was one question Leo couldn't ignore.
"Why did Victoria lock Lily in the cellar?"
Adrian's expression changed.
"Because she found the ledger."
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
Adrian pointed toward the mansion.
"She knows you have it."
Mateo looked at the black book.
"But we took it from here."
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
He looked at Beatrice.
"That's not the ledger she was looking for."
Leo's face hardened.
"What?"
Adrian smiled grimly.
"The real ledger has never left the cellar."
Leo went silent.
Adrian continued.
"That book is only a copy."
Mateo stared at him.
"Then where is the original?"
Adrian looked toward the door.
"Under Lily's bedroom."
Leo's blood froze.
"My daughter's room?"
Adrian nodded.
"And Victoria knows exactly where it is."
Suddenly Leo's phone rang.
He answered.
A nurse's terrified voice came through.
"Mr. Rossi..."
Leo's face changed.
"What happened?"
"It's Lily."
"What?"
"She's gone."
Leo's heart stopped.
"Where is my daughter?"
The nurse began crying.
"We don't know."
Leo turned toward the door.
Adrian was already moving.
Mateo grabbed his weapon.
Beatrice stood frozen.
Then Leo shouted the only thing that mattered.
"Find my daughter."
May you like
And somewhere across the city, Victoria Kensington smiled.
Because she had finally taken the one person Leo Rossi would burn the entire world to get back.
