Chapter 5: The Woman Behind The Locked Door
Roman stared at Isabella’s name on the security report until the letters stopped looking real.
His fiancée.
The woman who had promised to stand beside him.
The woman who had sent him a warning hours earlier.
The woman who had apparently entered his daughter’s room in the middle of the night.
Marcus watched Roman carefully.
“Sir…”
Roman handed the tablet back.
“Find her.””
Marcus nodded.
“And when I do?””
Roman looked toward Sophie’s bedroom.
“Bring her to me.””
For the next two hours, the mansion became a battlefield without a single weapon being drawn.
Servants whispered in hallways.
Guests from the gala quietly left.
Everyone knew something had happened.
Nobody knew the truth.
Helena remained calm.
Too calm.
She sat in the breakfast room drinking coffee while Roman stood across from her.
“You knew Isabella was here.””
Helena placed the cup down.
“I suspected.””
“You suspected?””
Roman laughed once.
“You have been hiding information about my own life.””
Helena looked at him.
“You think I am the villain because things became uncomfortable.””
Roman’s eyes narrowed.
“My daughter believed I was dead.””
Helena’s expression hardened.
“Because you were gone.””
“I survived.””
“But you left.””
The words hit him.
For a moment, Roman said nothing.
Because those words were exactly what Sophie had been forced to believe.
Helena noticed.
“You see? Even you understand.””
“No.””
Roman stepped closer.
“I understand someone wanted my daughter to hate me.””
Helena looked away.
“That child needed stability.””
“She needed her father.””
“And where was her father?””
Roman’s jaw tightened.
The question hurt because it was complicated.
He had been trapped.
He had fought to return.
But Sophie did not know any of that.
And someone had used that pain against her.
By afternoon, Marcus found Isabella.
Not at a hotel.
Not outside the country.
Not hiding in another city.
She was inside an abandoned guesthouse on D’Angelo property.
Roman arrived first.
The old building had been empty for years.
Dust covered the floors.
The windows were covered with curtains.
When Roman entered the final room, he saw her.
Isabella.
Sitting at a small table.
Exhausted.
Terrified.
But alive.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Isabella stood.
“Roman.””
He stared at her.
“Why were you at the crash site?””
Her eyes filled.
“I knew you would ask that first.””
“Because I saw the photograph.””
“I know.””
“You were there.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Isabella looked down.
“Because I was trying to stop it.””
Roman froze.
“Stop what?””
She reached into her bag and placed a folder on the table.
“The accident.””
Roman did not move.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“I expect you to look.””
He opened the folder.
Inside were emails.
Bank transfers.
Private conversations.
And a list of names.
Roman recognized several.
Executives from his company.
Lawyers.
Family advisors.
People who had worked for him for years.
At the bottom was one name.
Adrian Vale.
Roman looked up.
“Adrian?””
Isabella nodded.
“He was not supposed to inherit your company.””
“Then why did he?””
“Because someone changed the succession plan.””
Roman turned another page.
There it was.
The same symbol.
The circle with the line.
Isabella whispered:
“Your father discovered it before he died.””
Roman looked at her.
“What is it?””
“A group inside your family’s business.””
“For what?””
Isabella hesitated.
“To remove anyone who stands in their way.””
Roman walked outside with the folder in his hands.
The world felt different.
For years, he had believed his family was built on loyalty.
Now he wondered if loyalty had only been an illusion.
Isabella followed him.
“I tried to warn you.””
Roman stopped.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?””
She looked away.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Helena?””
A pause.
“Of everyone.””
Roman turned.
“Did you know about Sophie?””
Isabella’s eyes filled with guilt.
“No.””
“Then why did you enter her room?””
She swallowed.
“Because I needed to leave her something.””
“What?””
“A message.””
Roman’s expression changed.
“What message?””
Isabella looked toward the mansion.
“The truth.””
That night, Roman returned to Sophie’s room.
The little girl was asleep.
A stuffed rabbit rested beside her.
Roman sat on the edge of the bed.
For years, he had negotiated billion-dollar deals.
He had handled pressure from investors.
He had survived an accident.
But sitting beside his daughter was the hardest thing he had ever done.
Sophie slowly opened her eyes.
“Daddy?””
“I’m here.””
“Are you leaving?””
His heart broke.
“No.””
She looked at him carefully.
“Promise?””
Roman took her small hand.
“I promise.””
She smiled faintly.
Then she whispered:
“I remember something.””
Roman leaned closer.
“What?””
“The night before you left.””
His entire body became still.
“What do you remember?””
Sophie looked confused.
“Mommy and Grandma were fighting.””
Roman’s breath stopped.
“Mommy?””
Sophie nodded.
“My mommy was crying.””
Roman stared.
Sophie had barely been old enough to remember.
“What did they say?””
She closed her eyes.
“Mommy said…”
Her voice became quieter.
“‘If Roman finds out, he will take Sophie and leave forever.’”
Roman felt a chill.
Because Sophie’s mother had died years earlier.
And she had been gone long before the accident.
“Sweetheart…”
He held her hand tighter.
“Who was Grandma talking to?””
Sophie opened her eyes.
Then answered:
“Not Grandma.””
A pause.
“The man.””
Roman froze.
“What man?””
May you like
Sophie whispered:
“The man who told her Daddy would never come home.””
