Chapter 5 - THE GOLD BRACELET
The armored SUV tore through the midnight streets, the rain violently lashing against the bulletproof windows.
I sat in the back seat, holding little Leo, completely paralyzed by Gabriel’s words.
The blue train ticket had been meant for Sofia. Someone had tried to force my twin sister to abandon her husband and her child, threatening her with death. And when she refused, they killed her.
Now, ten months later, they were using the exact same ticket to threaten me.
“Where did Carlo go?” Gabriel demanded, dialing a number on his encrypted phone. “Marco, put a team on the restaurant owner. He stole my wife as a baby, and he slipped this ticket into Elina’s pocket tonight. I want him found.”
“Yes, boss,” Marco replied from the driver’s seat.
We pulled into the underground garage of a massive, heavily guarded high-rise in the city's financial district. This was the Corsi family’s primary safehouse—a fortress in the sky.
Gabriel escorted me and Leo into the private elevator. The doors opened to a stunning, modern penthouse overlooking the entire city.
But I couldn't appreciate the luxury. Every shadow felt like a threat.
I sat on the velvet sofa, gently rocking Leo, who had finally fallen asleep against my shoulder.
The penthouse doors suddenly opened.
A beautiful woman with dark, sharp features and an expensive designer coat rushed into the room. She was surrounded by three guards.
It was Carmela. Gabriel’s sister.
“Gabriel!” she cried, running toward him. “Marco called me. He said someone bugged Leo’s coat! Is he safe?”
Gabriel didn't hug her. He stood like a stone wall, his dark eyes glaring down at his sister.
“You bought that coat yesterday, Carmela,” Gabriel said, his voice devoid of any warmth.
Carmela stopped in her tracks, her face draining of color. “Gabriel... you don't think I did this? I love Leo! He’s my nephew!”
“Then how did a military-grade listening device end up sewn into the lining?” Gabriel roared, his voice echoing off the glass walls.
Carmela backed away, trembling. She looked at me sitting on the sofa. When she saw my face, she let out a sharp gasp, covering her mouth with her hands.
“My God,” Carmela whispered. “Sofia.”
“No,” Gabriel corrected coldly. “Her name is Elina. She is Sofia’s twin sister. And whoever murdered my wife is now coming for her.”
Carmela collapsed into an armchair, sobbing openly. “Gabriel, I didn't plant the bug. But... I know who did.”
Gabriel stepped toward her. “Who?”
“Uncle Vincenzo.”
The name hit the room like a physical blow. Marco stiffened by the door. Gabriel’s face went completely blank, masking a sudden, devastating shock.
Vincenzo was the Corsi family Consigliere. He was Gabriel’s mentor, his father’s brother, and the man who had raised Gabriel after his parents died.
“You’re lying,” Gabriel whispered, refusing to believe it.
“I’m not!” Carmela cried, digging frantically into her expensive leather purse. “Vincenzo asked to hold the coat yesterday before I wrapped it! I didn't think anything of it! But Gabriel, you have to believe me, Vincenzo is the one who ordered the hit on Sofia!”
“Why would Vincenzo kill my wife?” Gabriel demanded, his voice breaking.
Carmela pulled a heavy object from her purse and placed it on the glass coffee table.
It was a thick, solid gold bracelet, encrusted with diamonds.
“Because Sofia found this,” Carmela sobbed. “I found it hidden in Sofia’s jewelry box after she died. I was too terrified to show it to you. Vincenzo had been looking for it for years.”
I stared at the gold bracelet.
My heart completely stopped.
I slowly stood up, carefully laying the sleeping baby onto the sofa cushions. I walked toward the glass table, my hands trembling violently.
“Elina?” Gabriel asked, watching my reaction. “Do you recognize this?”
I picked up the heavy gold bracelet. My fingers traced the familiar, deep scratch near the clasp.
“Yes,” I whispered, tears spilling hot and fast down my cheeks. “I’ve seen it before.”
“Where?” Gabriel asked.
May you like
I looked up at him, the horrifying truth unlocking a childhood memory I had buried for eighteen years.
“The man who wore this bracelet visited my mother’s apartment the night she died,” I said. “He told the police it was a heart attack. But I saw him slip something into her tea.”
