CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER TEN
THE WOMAN WHO KNEW
Camila had always known more than she pretended.
That was the first truth Julian discovered.
The second was far worse.
She had known about Elena.
She had known about the children.
And she had known that Julian's marriage had never legally ended.
Yet for four months, she had stood beside him at restaurants, charity galas, business meetings, and hotel openings, smiling as though she were simply the woman who had finally captured the heart of a lonely billionaire.
She had never been that woman.
She had been planted.
And the moment Julian understood why, everything about the past four months changed.
The ballroom of the Grand Alcazar had become silent.
Hundreds of guests stood frozen beneath the chandeliers.
Waiters had stopped moving.
The musicians had lowered their instruments.
And at the center of the room stood Matteo Rossi.
Julian's grandfather.
A man who had supposedly died twenty years ago.
He held a gun loosely at his side.
Not pointed at anyone.
Almost casually.
As if the weapon were merely another accessory.
Julian stared at him.
“You're alive.”
Matteo smiled.
“I was never dead.”
Elena stood beside Julian.
Her hands were trembling.
Julian noticed.
“You knew.”
She nodded.
“I knew he was alive.”
“How long?”
“Six years.”
Julian looked at Matteo.
Then at Elena.
“You've both been lying to me.”
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
“And he?”
Matteo answered.
“I was trying to keep the empire alive.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“By destroying my family?”
Matteo's expression hardened.
“Your family was already destroyed.”
Then a woman's voice came from behind them.
“That's enough.”
Julian turned.
Camila stood near the ballroom entrance.
She wasn't wearing the emerald gown from the night he had first seen Elena at the resort.
She wore a black dress.
Her hair was pulled back.
Her expression was completely different.
No softness.
No nervous laughter.
No carefully performed affection.
Just cold calculation.
Julian stared.
“Camila.”
She smiled.
“Hello, Julian.”
Elena stepped backward.
“Don't go near her.”
Camila looked at Elena.
“You always were difficult.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“What did you just say?”
Camila ignored him.
Instead, she looked at Matteo.
“It's time.”
Matteo nodded.
Julian felt something inside him break.
“You work for him.”
Camila laughed softly.
“No.”
She walked toward the center of the ballroom.
“I work for myself.”
Julian remembered their first meeting.
A charity dinner in Monaco.
Camila had been standing near the balcony.
A glass of champagne in her hand.
She had smiled when he approached.
“You look lonely.”
Julian had laughed.
“That's an unusual opening line.”
“I wasn't trying to impress you.”
He had found that irresistible.
She had seemed different.
Confident.
Independent.
Uninterested in his money.
She never asked about his companies.
Never asked about his wealth.
Never asked about his family.
Instead, she asked about him.
His childhood.
His grandfather.
His marriage.
His regrets.
At the time, he had thought she was emotionally intelligent.
Now he realized something.
She had been collecting information.
Every question had been deliberate.
Every conversation had been an interrogation disguised as intimacy.
Julian looked at her.
“How long have you been working against me?”
Camila shook her head.
“That's the wrong question.”
“Then what's the right one?”
“How long have you been useful to them?”
Julian froze.
Camila smiled.
“You were never the target, Julian.”
“Then who was?”
She looked at Elena.
“Her.”
Elena's face went pale.
Camila continued.
“Elena was the only person who could expose the original trust.”
Julian frowned.
“The trust?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she was the only one who knew where the original documents were.”
Julian looked at Elena.
“You knew?”
Elena shook her head.
“Not everything.”
Camila smiled.
“You knew enough.”
She walked closer.
“You knew your father had hidden the documents.”
“You knew the children were beneficiaries.”
“You knew Richard had been stealing from the trust.”
“And you knew Matteo had survived.”
Elena's voice broke.
“I didn't know where the documents were.”
Camila stopped.
“Until you found the Grand Alcazar.”
Silence.
Julian looked between them.
“So that's why Elena worked here.”
“Yes.”
Camila nodded.
“She was searching.”
“For the vault.”
“Yes.”
Julian's expression hardened.
“And you?”
Camila smiled.
“I was watching her.”
Julian felt sick.
“You followed her.”
“For months.”
“You knew she was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“You knew about Luca.”
Camila's smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
“And Amelia.”
“Yes.”
Julian stepped toward her.
“You knew my children were alive.”
“I knew one was alive.”
“Which one?”
Camila hesitated.
Then said:
“Luca.”
Julian's heart stopped.
“Where is he?”
Camila looked at Matteo.
Matteo said nothing.
Julian grabbed Camila's arm.
“WHERE IS MY SON?”
Elena rushed forward.
“Julian!”
Camila didn't fight him.
Instead, she whispered:
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere Voss can't reach him.”
“Who has him?”
Camila looked at Elena.
“Her mother.”
Julian released her.
His breathing was uneven.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because you weren't ready.”
“Ready?”
Camila laughed.
“You were still defending your father.”
Julian froze.
She continued:
“You believed Richard was protecting you.”
“He wasn't.”
“No.”
“He was protecting himself.”
“Yes.”
“Then why work with him?”
“I didn't.”
Julian stared.
Camila shook her head.
“Richard thought he was using me.”
“But?”
“I was using him.”
Matteo stepped forward.
“Camila was never Richard's ally.”
Julian looked at him.
“Then whose ally is she?”
Matteo said nothing.
Camila answered:
“My father's.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“Your father?”
Camila smiled.
“Adrian Voss.”
The ballroom erupted into whispers.
Julian stared at her.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Elena said your father was Voss's brother.”
Camila's expression changed.
“That's what she believed.”
Julian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“My father wasn't Voss's brother.”
She looked directly at Elena.
“He was Voss.”
Silence.
Elena's face went white.
“What?”
Camila nodded.
“Adrian Voss changed his identity decades ago.”
Julian stared.
“You're saying your father is Adrian Voss?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew who he was?”
“From birth.”
Julian's mind raced.
“Then why did you come into my life?”
Camila smiled.
“Because my father needed access to you.”
“For the trust.”
“Yes.”
“To get the documents.”
“Yes.”
“To find the children.”
“Yes.”
Julian's voice became bitter.
“And you pretended to love me.”
Camila looked at him.
“I did love you.”
Julian froze.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then she whispered:
“That was the part I wasn't supposed to do.”
The room became unbearably quiet.
Camila looked down.
“When I met you, I was supposed to study you.”
Julian said nothing.
“Your habits.”
“Your accounts.”
“Your relationships.”
“Your weaknesses.”
“I was supposed to find out whether you knew about the trust.”
“And?”
“You didn't.”
“So you stayed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Camila looked at Elena.
“Because she came back.”
Julian frowned.
“She was supposed to remain hidden.”
“Yes.”
“But she didn't.”
“No.”
“Then you had to get closer to me.”
Camila nodded.
“To make sure I didn't find her.”
Julian's face hardened.
“And the resort?”
“I arranged for you to come here.”
He stared.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“The business meeting?”
“Fake.”
“The hotel reservation?”
“Mine.”
“The dinner?”
“Mine.”
“The night you convinced me to stay an extra day?”
“I knew Elena would be working.”
Julian felt sick.
“You wanted me to see her.”
Camila smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed to know whether you still loved her.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“What did you discover?”
Camila looked at Elena.
“That you did.”
Elena stepped forward.
“Camila…”
Camila raised a hand.
“Don't.”
She turned toward her.
“You don't get to pretend we're friends.”
Elena's expression hardened.
“I never did.”
“You used me.”
“I survived.”
“You lied to me.”
“I protected my children.”
Camila laughed bitterly.
“So did I.”
Elena stared.
“What?”
Camila's voice became quieter.
“My father wanted Luca.”
Julian froze.
“He wanted to use him as leverage.”
Camila looked at Matteo.
“But Matteo refused.”
Julian looked at his grandfather.
“You protected my son?”
Matteo nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Luca is the rightful heir.”
Julian stared.
“Not me?”
“No.”
“Then why did everyone let me believe the empire was mine?”
Matteo's voice was cold.
“Because you were never supposed to know about the second trust.”
Julian's jaw tightened.
“What second trust?”
Camila answered.
“The one your grandfather created after he realized Voss would eventually come for the first.”
Julian looked at Elena.
“And the children?”
“Three beneficiaries.”
Camila nodded.
“Luca.”
“Amelia.”
“And the child Elena is carrying now.”
Julian looked at Elena's stomach.
“The third child.”
“Yes.”
“What happens when the baby is born?”
Matteo said:
“The trust becomes active.”
Julian's face changed.
“What happens then?”
“Voss loses everything.”
“And if the baby dies?”
Matteo didn't answer.
Camila did.
“The trust disappears.”
Julian understood.
“That is why Elena was hunted.”
“Yes.”
“That is why the children were hidden.”
“Yes.”
“That is why someone wanted the divorce.”
“Yes.”
“And that's why you came into my life.”
Camila nodded.
“To keep you distracted.”
Julian stared at her.
“You were the perfect distraction.”
Camila smiled sadly.
“I was supposed to be.”
Suddenly, a phone rang.
Everyone looked toward Matteo.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
Silence.
Then:
“Get out of the building.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
Matteo looked at him.
“Voss knows.”
“About what?”
“Everything.”
The ballroom doors suddenly slammed shut.
A series of explosions echoed outside.
Guests screamed.
The chandeliers shook.
Glass shattered.
Security alarms began blaring.
Julian grabbed Elena.
“Stay behind me.”
Camila pulled a small gun from beneath her dress.
Julian stared.
“You carry a weapon?”
She looked at him.
“I told you.”
“What?”
“I was never just your girlfriend.”
The ballroom doors burst open.
Armed men flooded inside.
Matteo fired.
Chaos erupted.
Julian pulled Elena behind a marble column.
Camila fired toward the attackers.
For the first time, Julian saw her without the mask.
She wasn't afraid.
She was trained.
Precise.
Cold.
She moved like someone who had spent years preparing for exactly this moment.
Then one of the attackers shouted:
“TAKE THE PREGNANT WOMAN!”
Julian's blood froze.
Elena was the target.
He grabbed her.
They ran.
Camila followed.
“LEFT!”
Julian turned.
“How do you know?”
“I designed the escape route!”
They entered a narrow hallway.
Behind them, gunfire echoed.
Elena stumbled.
Julian caught her.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“The baby.”
Camila looked at her.
“We have three minutes.”
“Until what?”
“The lower doors seal.”
Julian stared.
“You know everything about this place.”
Camila nodded.
“Because my father built it.”
Silence.
They reached a hidden elevator.
Camila inserted a key.
The doors opened.
They entered.
As the elevator descended, Julian looked at her.
“You said you loved me.”
Camila looked away.
“I did.”
“Do you still?”
She didn't answer.
Julian waited.
Finally she said:
“I don't know.”
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
They stepped into darkness.
At the end of the corridor was another door.
Behind it—
a small room.
A bed.
A table.
And a child sleeping beneath a blanket.
Julian stopped breathing.
He knew the face.
The photograph Elena had hidden.
The child he had spent eight months believing was dead.
Julian whispered:
“Luca.”
The boy opened his eyes.
He looked directly at Julian.
Then said:
“Are you my father?”
Julian's knees almost gave way.
He stepped forward.
“Yes.”
Luca stared at him.
Then smiled.
“I've been waiting for you.”
Elena began crying.
Camila turned away.
Julian hugged his son.
For the first time in years, the Rossi family felt whole.
But only for a moment.
Because Luca suddenly looked past Julian.
His eyes widened.
“She's here.”
Julian turned.
“Who?”
Luca pointed toward the doorway.
A woman stood there.
Elena's mother.
But she wasn't alone.
Beside her stood a man with silver hair.
Julian recognized him instantly.
Adrian Voss.
Camila's father.
The man who had hunted Elena.
The man who had wanted the children.
The man who had controlled the entire conspiracy from the shadows.
Voss smiled.
“Hello, Julian.”
Camila stepped between them.
“Dad.”
Voss looked at her.
“You've done well.”
Camila's expression hardened.
“No.”
She raised her gun.
“I've done what I should have done years ago.”
Voss smiled.
“And what is that?”
Camila looked at Julian.
Then Elena.
Then Luca.
“I chose my family.”
For the first time, Adrian Voss looked surprised.
Then the lights went out.
A single gunshot echoed through the corridor.
May you like
And when the emergency lights came back on—
Camila was gone.
