Chapter 3 - The Silver Bracelet That Exposed a Traitor in His Inner Circle
Clara woke up to the smell of antiseptic and expensive cologne.
She gasped, pain flaring sharply in her ribs and her head pounding like a war drum.
Her eyes snapped open.
She wasn't in her small staff quarters.
She was in a massive bed with silk sheets.
"Mommy!"
A small weight crashed into her side.
Clara winced but immediately wrapped her arms around Sophie, burying her face in her daughter’s messy hair.
"Sophie. Oh, thank god. Are you hurt?"
"No, Mommy. The tall man carried me."
Clara froze.
She slowly lifted her gaze.
Sitting in a leather armchair in the corner of the dimly lit room was Alessandro Viscari.
He was perfectly still, watching them with dark, unreadable eyes.
Clara’s heart slammed against her ribs.
She instinctively pulled Sophie tighter against her chest.
"Mr. Viscari. I… I don't know what happened."
"Don't lie to me, Clara," he said. His voice wasn't angry, but it demanded the absolute truth.
"You were attacked in the laundry room."
Clara swallowed hard.
"I didn't see their faces. They wore masks."
"But you heard them."
She hesitated.
In this house, hearing the wrong thing was a death sentence.
"I was sorting the linens," Clara whispered, her voice trembling.
"Two men came down the back stairs. They didn't know I was there."
Alessandro leaned forward slightly.
"What were they discussing?"
"Shipments. The docks at Harbor Point. One of them said the shipment tonight would go to the Moretti family."
Alessandro’s jaw tightened.
The Moretti family was his biggest rival.
For months, Alessandro had suspected a leak regarding his shipping routes.
Now he had confirmation.
"And then?" Alessandro asked.
"I accidentally knocked over a detergent bottle. They heard me." Clara’s voice broke.
"They grabbed me. One of them hit me in the face. I fought back. I grabbed onto his wrist…"
"And you pulled this off."
Alessandro held up the silver serpent bracelet.
It gleamed in the low light.
Clara shrank back.
"I didn't mean to. Please, Mr. Viscari, we won't say anything. Just let us leave."
Alessandro stood up and walked slowly toward the bed.
Clara stopped breathing.
But he didn't reach for her. He reached for Sophie, gently tucking the blankets around the little girl.
"You are not leaving," Alessandro said.
Clara panicked. "We are not a threat to you!"
"If you leave this estate, whoever attacked you will find you within an hour. They know you saw them. They know you fought back."
He looked down at her battered face.
"The man whose wrist you grabbed was wearing a suit. Did you notice anything else?"
Clara closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember through the pain.
"He smelled like expensive tobacco. Cherry and clove. And… he had a slight limp on his left leg when he ran."
Alessandro went perfectly still.
Vincent Marchetti wore the silver bracelet.
But Vincent didn't smoke. And he didn't limp.
Damien Rizzo smoked custom cherry-clove cigars imported from Havana.
And Damien had taken a bullet to his left thigh three years ago, leaving him with a faint limp when it rained or when he moved too quickly.
The puzzle pieces clicked into place with horrifying clarity.
Damien had stolen Vincent's bracelet to frame him.
Damien was the rat working with the Morettis.
"Rest, Clara," Alessandro said, his tone shifting into something dangerously calm.
"You are safe here. No one will touch you or your daughter again."
He turned and walked toward the door.
"Mr. Viscari?" Clara called out softly.
He paused.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Alessandro didn't reply.
May you like
He walked out, closing the door behind him.
It was time to clean house.
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