Chapter 10: The Daughter Isabella Hid From the World
Ricardo had spent two years believing he lost his wife.
Now he had to face something far more painful.
She had been alive.
And she had chosen to stay away.
The mansion was silent that night.
Too silent.
Leo slept upstairs, unaware that the world around him had changed forever.
Ricardo stood alone in Isabella’s old room.
Nothing had been touched.
Her books remained on the shelf.
Her perfume bottle sat on the dresser.
Her favorite blue dress still hung inside the closet.
He had preserved everything because he believed he was honoring her memory.
Now it felt like he had been protecting a lie.
Dante entered quietly.
“Boss.””
Ricardo didn’t turn around.
“How much did you know?””
Dante stopped.
“About Isabella?””
“Yes.””
A long pause.
“Not enough.””
Ricardo finally looked at him.
“That’s not an answer.””
Dante lowered his eyes.
“I knew she was hiding something before the accident.””
Ricardo’s expression hardened.
“And you never told me?””
“She begged me not to.””
The answer shocked him.
“You spoke to her?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
Dante took a breath.
“The night before the accident.””
Ricardo stared.
“Why?””
Dante walked toward the window.
“She knew someone was watching your family.””
Ricardo’s voice dropped.
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
Dante looked at him.
“Boss, I spent years protecting you. But Isabella was different.””
Ricardo said nothing.
“She wasn’t afraid of dying,” Dante continued.
“She was afraid Leo would grow up surrounded by the same darkness that took everything from her.””
Ricardo looked away.
The words hurt because he knew they were true.
Meanwhile, Clara sat in her apartment holding the necklace.
Everything she believed about herself was changing.
Her grandmother’s warnings.
The missing pieces of her childhood.
The unanswered questions about her father.
All of it was connected.
A knock came at the door.
She froze.
Nobody visited her.
Slowly, she opened it.
Ricardo stood there.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Clara stepped aside.
“Come in.””
Ricardo entered.
“I owe you an explanation.””
She looked at him.
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
He sat down.
A powerful man sitting in a small apartment looked strangely human.
“My wife had another child.””
Clara’s eyes filled with disbelief.
“And you think that child is me.””
Ricardo nodded.
“I don’t know yet.””
The honesty surprised her.
Most powerful people avoided uncertainty.
Ricardo admitted it.
“I need a DNA test.””
Clara looked hurt.
“Because you think I’m lying?””
“No.””
“Then why?””
“Because I need the truth.””
She looked down.
“And if I am?””
Ricardo didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, he said:
“Then Isabella gave me a daughter I never knew existed.””
The words hit her.
Not because of the idea itself.
But because of the sadness behind them.
Clara had spent her whole life wondering why her father disappeared.
Why her grandmother protected her.
Why she always felt like someone was missing from her story.
Now she might finally have an answer.
The next morning, the test began.
While they waited, Ricardo received a call.
Unknown number.
Again.
This time, he answered.
“Who is this?””
A man’s voice responded.
“You’re asking the wrong questions.””
Ricardo stood.
“Who are you?””
“You’re looking for Isabella.””
The voice paused.
“But you should be looking for the person who made her disappear.””
Ricardo’s eyes narrowed.
“Anthony.””
A quiet laugh.
“No.””
The man said something that made Ricardo freeze.
“Your brother was only following orders.””
The call ended.
Ricardo immediately called Dante.
“Find out where Anthony is.””
A moment later, Dante answered.
“Boss…”
“What?””
“He’s gone.””
Ricardo’s face darkened.
“What do you mean?””
“His house is empty.””
A pause.
“His accounts are closed.””
Ricardo looked toward Clara.
Then toward Isabella’s photograph.
Because the truth was becoming clearer.
Anthony wasn’t the mastermind.
May you like
He was running.
From someone worse.
