Chapter 12 — The Third Person
Chapter 12 — The Third Person
The first bullet shattered the rear window.
Emma screamed.
Elena pulled her down.
“Get low!”
Another round punched through the roof.
Lorenzo slammed his foot against the accelerator.
The SUV surged forward.
“Hold on!”
Rico twisted around and fired through the broken rear window.
“Three vehicles!”
Gabriel gripped his wounded side.
“How many men?”
“Enough.”
Lorenzo swerved around a truck.
The black SUV behind them followed.
Then another appeared ahead.
They were being boxed in.
Isabella tightened her arms around Hope.
“Lorenzo!”
“I see them.”
“You need to turn.”
“Where?”
“Left.”
“There is no road.”
“There is.”
She pointed toward a narrow opening between two concrete barriers.
Lorenzo turned the wheel.
The SUV jumped the curb.
Metal screamed.
They crashed through a chain-link fence and disappeared into a wooded service road.
The pursuing vehicles overshot the entrance.
For several seconds, there was only darkness.
Then—
silence.
Lorenzo slowed.
Everyone breathed.
Gabriel looked at the broken windows.
“They lost us.”
Isabella shook her head.
“No.”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Because they wanted us to turn.”
He frowned.
“What?”
She looked behind them.
“This road doesn't lead anywhere.”
Lorenzo's expression changed.
“Then where does it lead?”
Isabella whispered:
“To the old Bellini estate.”
The estate appeared ten minutes later.
It was enormous.
Abandoned.
Half-swallowed by trees.
Lorenzo stopped the SUV behind a stone wall.
“Everyone stays here.”
Elena shook her head.
“No.”
“Mom.”
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
She looked toward the house.
“This is where the war began.”
Lorenzo stared.
“Victor's estate?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew about it?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because your father wanted you to find it.”
Lorenzo frowned.
“Why?”
“To make you believe Victor was the enemy.”
Isabella stepped out of the vehicle.
“And because there is something inside.”
“What?”
“The original Swallow Archive.”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“I thought it was destroyed.”
“So did your father.”
Gabriel gave a weak laugh.
“That's why we're still alive.”
Lorenzo looked at the house.
“Then we go inside.”
The front door opened without resistance.
Dust covered the floor.
Old portraits lined the walls.
Bellini ancestors stared down at them.
Lorenzo walked slowly.
He stopped in front of one.
A young man stood beside a woman holding a baby.
The man's face was unmistakable.
Victor Bellini.
The woman was Isabella.
But she looked younger.
Much younger.
Lorenzo stared.
“You knew him when you were a child.”
Isabella nodded.
“He raised me.”
“Then why did you call him your enemy?”
“Because he became one.”
“Of whom?”
“My mother.”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“Your mother?”
Isabella's eyes hardened.
“She wasn't a Bellini.”
“Then who was she?”
“A DeLuca.”
Lorenzo froze.
“Impossible.”
“No.”
Isabella pointed to the portrait.
“The woman beside Victor was your father's sister.”
Lorenzo stared.
“My aunt?”
“Yes.”
“What was her name?”
“Lucia.”
Lorenzo stepped backward.
“My father told me she died before I was born.”
“She didn't.”
“Where is she?”
Isabella looked toward the basement.
“She died here.”
They descended the stairs.
At the bottom was a steel door.
Lorenzo found a key hidden beneath an old stone.
The door opened.
Inside was a room filled with boxes.
Documents.
Photographs.
Tapes.
Hard drives.
Everything marked with a swallow.
Gabriel whispered:
“The archive.”
Lorenzo stepped inside.
“Find the crash file.”
Isabella nodded.
They searched.
Minutes passed.
Then Elena shouted.
“I found something.”
She held up a black folder.
Lorenzo opened it.
Inside was a report.
OPERATION NIGHTFALL
Date:
Three years ago.
Objective:
Remove Bellini heir from DeLuca protection.
Lorenzo read further.
Target:
Anna Elena DeLuca.
His stomach tightened.
“Anna.”
Isabella nodded.
“The real target.”
He kept reading.
Then he saw the authorization.
There were three signatures.
The first belonged to Lorenzo's father.
The second belonged to Victor Bellini.
The third—
Lorenzo stopped.
“What?”
Isabella looked at him.
“What is it?”
He pointed.
“There's another signature.”
Gabriel leaned over.
His face went white.
“That's impossible.”
“Who is it?”
Gabriel didn't answer.
Lorenzo looked at the signature.
He knew it.
He had seen it all his life.
His mother's.
Maria DeLuca.
Lorenzo stared.
“My mother authorized the crash.”
Elena shook her head.
“No.”
“But her signature—”
“It's forged.”
“By whom?”
Elena looked at Isabella.
Isabella looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel whispered:
“The third person.”
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.
“What third person?”
“The person who controlled both families.”
Silence.
“Who?”
Gabriel reached for another file.
“Read this.”
Lorenzo opened it.
Inside was a list of names.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police commissioners.
Bankers.
Lawyers.
Mafia families.
At the bottom was a single name circled in red.
MARCELLO VOSS.
Lorenzo frowned.
“Who is he?”
Elena answered.
“The man who built the alliance between the DeLucas and Bellinis.”
“Where is he?”
“Dead.”
“When?”
“Twenty years ago.”
Lorenzo stared.
“Then how did he authorize the crash?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“He didn't.”
He pointed to a note beneath the name.
The third person uses Voss's identity.
Lorenzo felt cold.
“Someone is pretending to be him.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
No one answered.
Then a sound came from upstairs.
Footsteps.
Lorenzo raised his weapon.
Everyone went silent.
Another step.
Then another.
Someone was walking through the house.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if they owned it.
Lorenzo motioned for everyone to hide.
The footsteps stopped.
A woman's voice floated down the staircase.
“Lorenzo.”
His blood froze.
He knew that voice.
His mother.
Maria.
But she had been miles away.
He looked at Elena.
She shook her head.
“That isn't her.”
The voice came again.
“Lorenzo, I know you're down there.”
Isabella whispered:
“Don't answer.”
The woman laughed.
“You always were easy to manipulate.”
Lorenzo stepped into the doorway.
“Who are you?”
The woman appeared at the top of the stairs.
She was wearing Maria's face.
Same hair.
Same eyes.
Same voice.
But something was wrong.
The smile.
Too cold.
Too familiar.
Lorenzo raised his weapon.
“Take off the disguise.”
The woman laughed.
Then slowly peeled away a thin layer of synthetic skin.
Lorenzo stared.
The face underneath belonged to someone he had never seen.
A woman in her forties.
Elegant.
Calm.
Terrifying.
She smiled.
“My name is Vivian Voss.”
Gabriel whispered:
“Marcello's daughter.”
Vivian looked at him.
“Hello, Gabriel.”
He raised his gun.
She smiled.
“Don't.”
He stopped.
“You still owe me.”
“For what?”
“Your life.”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“What do you want?”
Vivian looked at Lorenzo.
“His daughter.”
Lorenzo stepped forward.
“No.”
“You say that like it matters.”
“It does.”
Vivian smiled.
“Then you still don't understand.”
She pointed toward the archive.
“Anna isn't your daughter.”
Lorenzo's face changed.
“What?”
“She is mine.”
Silence.
Elena whispered:
“No.”
Vivian smiled.
“Your mother stole her from me.”
Lorenzo stared.
“That's impossible.”
“Is it?”
She walked down the stairs.
“Ask Elena.”
Everyone looked at Elena.
Her face had gone white.
Lorenzo's voice became quiet.
“Tell me.”
Elena said nothing.
“Tell me!”
Elena finally whispered:
“It's true.”
Lorenzo froze.
“Anna is Vivian's daughter?”
“No.”
Elena shook her head.
“Vivian believes she is.”
“Then why?”
“Because Anna was born from her embryo.”
Lorenzo stared.
“What?”
Elena looked at him.
“Vivian couldn't have children.”
“So?”
“She paid a fertility clinic.”
“To create Anna?”
“Yes.”
Lorenzo looked toward the ceiling.
“Then how is she mine?”
Elena swallowed.
“Because the embryo was implanted in me.”
Silence.
“You carried Vivian's child?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your father wanted a Bellini heir.”
Lorenzo stared.
“And I was the father?”
“Yes.”
Vivian laughed.
“Exactly.”
She stepped closer.
“Anna is the perfect child.”
Lorenzo raised his gun.
“She is not property.”
Vivian's smile disappeared.
“Everything is property when you have enough power.”
Lorenzo's voice became cold.
“You don't.”
Vivian looked amused.
“Don't I?”
She pulled out her phone.
The screen showed a live video.
A bedroom.
Emma.
Hope.
Rico stood over them.
Blood covered his shirt.
Lorenzo's blood ran cold.
“You have five minutes.”
Isabella stepped forward.
“Let them go.”
Vivian smiled.
“Bring me Anna.”
“No.”
“Then they die.”
Lorenzo looked at Elena.
“Can you get them?”
Elena shook her head.
“Not from here.”
“Then what do we do?”
Vivian answered.
“You choose.”
Lorenzo looked at Anna.
The little girl stood beside him.
She wasn't crying.
She was watching Vivian.
Then Anna whispered:
“I know her.”
Everyone froze.
Lorenzo crouched.
“What?”
Anna pointed at Vivian.
“She came to my room.”
Vivian's face changed.
“When?”
“Before.”
“How long ago?”
Anna frowned.
“Before Mommy took me away.”
Isabella stared.
“What did she say?”
Anna looked at Vivian.
“She said…”
The girl paused.
“She said Daddy would die if I told.”
Lorenzo stood.
Vivian's expression hardened.
“Children imagine things.”
Anna shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed at Vivian.
“She had Mommy's red necklace.”
Elena touched her throat.
Her necklace was missing.
Vivian smiled.
Then she reached into her pocket.
And pulled out the necklace.
Elena went pale.
Lorenzo looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
Elena whispered:
“It means she was there.”
“Where?”
“The night of the crash.”
Vivian's smile returned.
“Yes.”
Lorenzo's blood ran cold.
“You were there.”
“I ordered it.”
The room fell silent.
Lorenzo's gun rose.
“You ordered the crash.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Vivian looked at Anna.
“Because she was supposed to belong to me.”
“You killed Clara.”
“Yes.”
“You tried to kill Isabella.”
“Yes.”
“You manipulated my father.”
“Yes.”
“You used Victor.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother?”
“She tried to stop me.”
Lorenzo's voice shook.
“Why?”
Vivian's smile disappeared.
“Because your family stole everything from mine.”
“What?”
“My father built the empire.”
“Marcello Voss?”
“Yes.”
“He was a DeLuca ally.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“He was the founder.”
Lorenzo stared.
“The DeLucas stole it.”
“And the Bellinis?”
“Servants.”
“Then why the archive?”
“Because the archive proves ownership.”
She looked at him.
“Anna is the legal heir.”
Lorenzo understood.
“If she inherits the archive…”
“She inherits everything.”
Vivian smiled.
“Exactly.”
A gunshot sounded upstairs.
Vivian's men shouted.
Lorenzo realized something.
The video had been a distraction.
“She's not alone.”
Isabella grabbed his arm.
“Lorenzo.”
He looked at her.
“Go.”
“What?”
“Get the children.”
“And you?”
“I'll deal with her.”
“No.”
“Isabella.”
She shook her head.
“I'm not losing you again.”
Lorenzo looked into her eyes.
“Then don't.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Go.”
She ran.
Elena followed.
Gabriel raised his weapon.
Vivian laughed.
“You really think you can stop me?”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“I think you already lost.”
Her expression changed.
“Why?”
“Because you made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You told me the truth.”
He fired.
Vivian dropped behind the table.
The archive erupted into gunfire.
And somewhere upstairs, a child screamed.
“Daddy!”
Lorenzo turned.
Anna.
He ran.
He reached the hallway.
Two armed men stood between him and the children.
He fired.
One fell.
Gabriel took the other.
“Go!”
Lorenzo burst into the bedroom.
Emma was crying.
Hope was screaming.
Rico lay wounded on the floor.
Isabella was trying to untie Emma.
Lorenzo grabbed Hope.
“Where's Anna?”
Isabella looked behind him.
“She was with you.”
His blood froze.
“No.”
They turned.
Anna was gone.
A window stood open.
Footprints led into the snow.
Lorenzo ran to it.
Outside, a black car disappeared down the road.
Vivian sat inside.
And Anna was beside her.
Lorenzo's phone rang.
He answered.
Vivian's voice came through.
“You wanted the truth.”
Lorenzo's jaw tightened.
“Bring her back.”
“Now you know why I needed her.”
“You won't hurt her.”
“No.”
A pause.
“I need her alive.”
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow she becomes the legal owner of the Voss empire.”
Lorenzo froze.
“What?”
Vivian laughed softly.
“And when she signs the documents…”
She paused.
“…you become the most powerful man in New York.”
Lorenzo stared into the darkness.
“What do you want?”
“Your daughter.”
“You have her.”
“No.”
Vivian's voice became colder.
“I want you to choose which daughter lives.”
The call ended.
Lorenzo stood motionless.
Behind him, Isabella began crying.
Emma clung to her.
Hope cried in his arms.
And somewhere in the darkness, Anna was being taken away.
For the first time in his life, Lorenzo understood what it meant to be powerless.
He could fight men.
He could fight families.
He could fight an empire.
But he could not fight a woman who knew exactly which piece of his heart to steal.
And Vivian had taken the one thing he could never replace.
His daughter.
Then his phone received one final message.
A photograph.
Anna sitting in a dark room.
Behind her was a clock.
The time read:
11:59.
Beneath the photograph were six words.
At midnight, the archive becomes hers.
Lorenzo looked at Isabella.
“We have one hour.”
She wiped her tears.
“Then let's take our daughter back.”
Lorenzo loaded his weapon.
But before he could move, Gabriel spoke.
“There is something you need to know.”
Lorenzo turned.
“What?”
Gabriel held up the final page of the archive.
His face was pale.
“The third person…”
He looked at Lorenzo.
“…isn't Vivian.”
Lorenzo froze.
“Then who?”
Gabriel turned the page.
There was a name.
A name Lorenzo had never expected.
Isabella Conti.
The woman standing beside him went completely still.
May you like
And for the first time that night—
Lorenzo pointed his gun at the woman he loved.
