Chapter 3 - THE MONSTER IN THE EMERALD GOWN
Luca stared at the signature.
Marcus Bellini. The head of the rival syndicate. The man who had brokered the peace treaty by offering his daughter, Vanessa, in marriage.
The peace treaty was a lie. It was a hostage situation.
Footsteps crunched on the broken glass behind us.
Vanessa stood in the doorway of the ruined greenhouse. She wasn't pretending to be the perfect fiancée anymore. Her face was twisted into a cold, arrogant sneer.
"You really shouldn't have dug that up, Luca," Vanessa said, wrapping her expensive shawl around her shoulders.
Luca stood up slowly. The grieving father vanished. The ruthless mafia don returned.
"Where is my son?" Luca asked quietly.
"Safe," Vanessa smiled. "He lives in a beautiful private estate. He has the best tutors, the best food. My father has taken excellent care of Leo."
"Leo," Luca repeated, the name breaking my heart.
"He thinks he's an orphan," Vanessa continued cruelly. "My father took him from the hospital ten years ago. It was the ultimate insurance policy. As long as you marry me and merge our empires, Leo gets to live."
"And if I don't?" Luca asked.
Vanessa’s smile vanished. "Then my father puts a bullet in his head tonight. You have no idea where he is, Luca. You have no power here."
She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me.
"Now," Vanessa ordered, "fire the maid. Shoot the gardener. And walk back into that dining room and announce our wedding date. Prove your loyalty to my family."
Luca looked at Antonio. He looked at me.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
"Daniel!" Luca roared.
From the shadows of the garden, Luca’s massive head of security appeared, flanked by four armed guards.
"Sir?" Daniel asked, eyeing the ruined greenhouse.
"Take Vanessa to the cellar," Luca ordered, his voice devoid of any mercy. "Zip-tie her to a chair. If she speaks, break her jaw."
Vanessa shrieked as Daniel grabbed her by the arms. "Are you insane?! My father will kill the boy! You just signed your own son’s death warrant!"
"Your father isn't going to touch my son," Luca said coldly. "Because I am going to tear his empire apart brick by brick until I find him."
They dragged a kicking, screaming Vanessa away.
Luca looked at the photograph of the little boy again. The desperation in his eyes was suffocating. Chicago was a massive city. Marcus Bellini owned dozens of properties. Leo could be anywhere.
"Mr. Moretti," I said softly, stepping closer.
He looked at me, completely exhausted. "You should go inside, Sophie. This is going to get violent."
"I know where he is," I said.
Luca froze. "What?"
I took the photograph from his hands and pointed to the background. Behind the little boy was a very specific wrought-iron gate shaped like a crest, and a row of ancient, weeping willow trees.
"My grandmother’s nursery supplied the fertilizer for this estate for years," I explained, my heart hammering. "It's the St. Jude Academy for Boys. It's an isolated boarding school an hour north of the city."
I looked up at Luca.
May you like
"I delivered soil there two years ago. I saw that little boy playing near the gates. I can get you inside."
TITLE: THE DRAWING ON THE EMPTY BED
