Chapter 6 - THE ADOPTION PAPERS
The red safelight in the darkroom cast long, bloody shadows across Rafael's face as he confessed.
"Lorenzo Rossi is her biological father," Rafael wept, the words tumbling out as if they had been burning his throat for thirty years. "He abandoned her mother. When the mother died, I took Camilla. I raised her. I loved her like my own."
Dario stood perfectly still, his eyes locked on the dripping photograph. The woman he was supposed to marry today was the daughter of the man who had murdered his family.
"When did she find out?" Dario asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
"A year ago," Rafael said, wiping his face. "She found the adoption papers I kept hidden. The original birth certificate. She confronted me. I begged her to let it go. I told her Rossi was a monster. But she didn't care about the monster. She only cared about the power."
Answer One: Camilla's motive was blood and power. She wanted her rightful place in the Rossi empire.
Open Two: Why did Miguel have this film? And what was Daniel’s endgame?
"Miguel found out," I said quietly from the corner, holding Sofia tight. Both men looked at me. "Miguel must have found out she was betraying you, Mr. Moretti. That’s why she paid him the hundred thousand dollars. To keep quiet and leave the city."
"But he didn't take the money," Rafael said proudly, standing a little taller. "My son didn't take the bribe. He took these pictures instead. He was going to expose her."
"And that’s why Camilla had Daniel kill him," Dario finished, the puzzle finally complete. "Daniel gets the smuggling route at my mother's estate, and Camilla gets her brother silenced."
Dario turned away from the photos, his jaw set. "She wasn't just selling me out. Tonight was a trap. The engagement dinner. Rossi's men are probably already moving into my territory."
Suddenly, Sofia tugged on my apron.
"Maya?" she whispered, her small voice trembling.
"What is it, sweetie?" I asked, crouching down to her level.
Sofia reached into the pocket of her oversized coat. She pulled out a folded piece of heavy, cream-colored paper. It was sealed with a wax stamp.
"Auntie Camilla gave me this when we were in the hallway," Sofia said. "Before the bad man grabbed her. She said to give it to Mr. Dario, but only after he went to sleep."
Dario took the paper from the little girl's hand. He broke the wax seal and unfolded it.
He stared at it for a long time.
"What is it?" Rafael asked anxiously.
Dario turned the paper around for us to see. It was a hand-drawn map of the city. Several of Dario's warehouses and legitimate businesses were circled in red ink. But the largest circle was drawn around the old Moretti estate—the construction site where Miguel died.
Written across the bottom in Camilla's elegant cursive were the words: He is waiting for you.
"It's a challenge," Dario said. "Rossi knows the element of surprise is gone. He's at the estate. He wants to end this tonight."
"It's a suicide mission, Mr. Moretti," I said, my voice shaking. "Call the police. Give them the photos. Let them take Rossi down."
"The police are on Rossi's payroll," Dario said coldly. "If I don't face him tonight, he will hunt down everyone I care about. Including you, Rafael. And the girl."
Dario looked at me. "Maya. You used to clean the old estate before my mother died, didn't you?"
"Yes, sir. For five years."
"Do you remember the old servant's tunnels? The ones that run beneath the wine cellar?"
My blood ran cold. I knew exactly where they were. They were dark, flooded, and terrifying, but they led directly into the heart of the main house without ever crossing the perimeter grounds.
"I remember them," I whispered.
"Show me," Dario commanded. "You guide us to the cellar, and then you take Rafael and Sofia and you run."
Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my apron pocket. The harsh buzz made us all jump.
I pulled it out. The caller ID was unknown. I answered it cautiously on speakerphone.
"Maya," Daniel’s voice came through, ragged and breathless.
"Daniel?" Dario demanded. "Where are you?"
May you like
"I don't have Camilla hostage," Daniel choked out, coughing heavily. "She's holding the gun on me. She used me. Mr. Moretti... she rigged the estate. The whole foundation is wired with C4."
Before Daniel could say another word, a loud gunshot echoed through the phone, followed by a sickening thud. The line went dead.
