Chapter 22 - The Ghost at the Gate
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The library felt like a vacuum, all the oxygen suddenly sucked from the room.
Luca’s hand hovered over the intercom button, his knuckles white. The monitor displayed the woman standing in the evening shadows, unmoving, her gaze piercing through the lens as if she could see directly into my soul.
“Don’t let her in,” Alessandra whispered, her voice trembling in a way I had never heard before. The formidable matriarch of the Moretti family looked utterly fragile, her hands clutching the edge of a mahogany desk. “Luca, I am begging you. Keep the gates closed.”
Luca looked at me. He was waiting for my call. This was his empire, but it was my life she was threatening.
“If we keep her out, she goes to the press,” I said, my heart hammering against my ribs. “She goes to the police. She becomes a shadow we have to look over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. I’m done living in the dark.”
“Emma,” my mother, Eleanor, warned softly. “We don’t know what she is capable of.”
“She wants me,” I replied, stepping toward the monitor. “Let her in, Luca.”
Luca’s jaw clenched, but he pressed the button.
“Open the gates,” he instructed the guard. “Escort her directly to the main foyer. Two men on her at all times. Do not let her bring a bag inside.”
We waited in silence. The ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner sounded like a countdown to an explosion. Alessandra sank into a chair, burying her face in her hands, muttering prayers in rapid Italian.
Five minutes later, the heavy oak doors of the library swung open.
The woman walked in. Up close, the resemblance to my mother was even more staggering. The sharp cheekbones, the piercing gray eyes, the proud, unyielding posture. She wore a tailored black coat that screamed quiet wealth.
She didn't look at Luca. She didn't look at Alessandra.
She looked straight at me.
“You have his eyes,” she said, her voice smooth but laced with a subtle, metallic edge.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
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She offered a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
“My name is Vivian,” she said softly. “And I am the true heir to the Moretti empire. It is a pleasure to finally meet my niece.”
