Chapter 8 - The Daughter Hidden From The World
Leo stared at the photograph for several minutes.
He couldn’t move.
He couldn’t speak.
A child.
A baby.
A second Rossi.
Someone who had been erased.
“Daniel…”
His voice was low.
“Find out who she is.”
Daniel looked at the picture.
“You think…”
“Yes.”
Leo swallowed.
“I think I had a sister.”
The investigation became their priority.
Every record.
Every hospital file.
Every old family document.
Everything connected to the Rossi name was searched.
And every answer created another question.
Two days later, Daniel found something.
“A birth record.”
Leo looked at him.
“Name?”
Daniel placed the paper down.
“Lena Rossi.”
Leo froze.
“Rossi?”
“Yes.”
“Same mother.”
“Same father.”
The room became silent.
Twenty years.
A missing mother.
A hidden sister.
A family built on lies.
Maria finally told Leo the truth.
“She was born two years after you.”
Leo looked at her.
“Why didn’t I know?”
Maria’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because your father was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“He believed your grandfather’s inheritance would divide the family.”
“He thought if both children survived, he would lose control.”
Leo clenched his jaw.
“So he took her too?”
Maria nodded.
“But someone helped her escape.”
“Who?”
Maria looked away.
“Mrs. Gable.”
Leo froze.
The woman who raised him.
The woman who managed the estate.
Again.
Another secret.
Back at the Rossi mansion, Mrs. Gable sat alone in the kitchen.
She looked older than Leo remembered.
Tired.
Broken.
Leo entered.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
“You knew.”
Mrs. Gable closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
The answer hurt more than he expected.
“You knew my mother was alive.”
“Yes.”
“You knew I had a sister.”
“Yes.”
Leo laughed bitterly.
“How many more things did everyone know except me?”
Mrs. Gable looked at him.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“You were protecting the secret.”
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I made mistakes.”
“You were a child when this started.”
“I thought keeping you away from the truth would keep you safe.”
Leo stepped closer.
“But it destroyed me.”
Mrs. Gable lowered her head.
“I know.”
Before Leo could ask more, the mansion alarm suddenly sounded.
Everyone froze.
Security rushed through the halls.
Daniel checked his phone.
“We have a problem.”
“What?”
“Someone broke into the old records room.”
Leo immediately understood.
“They’re looking for something.”
Daniel nodded.
“The inheritance documents.”
They reached the records room.
The door was broken.
Files were everywhere.
But the attacker was gone.
Only one thing remained.
A message written on the wall.
STOP DIGGING.
Leo stared at it.
Clare stood beside him.
“They’re scared.”
Leo looked at her.
“No.”
“They’re desperate.”
Then Daniel found something on the floor.
A torn piece of fabric.
Leo picked it up.
His expression changed.
May you like
Because he recognized it.
It belonged to someone inside the Rossi family.
