Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Charlotte spent the last few days meticulously observing Ezra, Volkan’s supposed wife, a woman who radiated an unsettling aura of fragility and controlled fury. She couldn't control her anger when it came to this woman either. She wasn't sure if she was angry for her or with her. 

Ezra’s story, of a love-struck naive girl, swept off her feet by a charismatic mafia boss, was riddled with inconsistencies, tiny cracks in the carefully constructed façade.

It started with a seemingly insignificant detail: a faint, almost imperceptible smudge of dried blood on the collar of Ezra's silk blouse during their first meeting. Blood that didn't match Ezra's own type, a fact Charlotte had discreetly confirmed through a sample obtained during a seemingly accidental brush of her hand against Ezra's arm.

Then there were the inconsistencies in Ezra’s side of the story. The dates of her supposed relationship with Volkan, didn’t align with Volkan’s known whereabouts during that time. 

Photographs, supposedly taken during the early days of their relationship, revealed subtle discrepancies, heavily edited photos, in all the pictures Volkan was edited in. Charlotte couldn't figure it out. She didn't know what Ezra's deal was. The more Charlotte dug, the more the cracks widened, revealing a foundation of lies.

Charlotte’s brain began to itch whenever she spoke to Ezra. Ezra always tried to come across as sweet and lovable. Charlotte spent her entire life trapped in a gold bird cage, she knew how to read people. Ezra however she couldn't figure her out. 

She'd spend her nights revisiting their conversations, paying close attention to the subtle nuances in Ezra’s voice, the slight hesitations, the carefully chosen words, the avoidance of direct answers.

She noticed the tremor in Ezra's hand as she recounted a supposedly happy memory, a tremor Charlotte believed held a hint of fear and defiance. 

It also reminded Charlotte of someone goifn through withdrawal symptoms, Ezra didn't strike her as a drug addict. She wasn't sure if Ezra was being fed drugs or if she was being Poisoned. It was when she contacted Rosalie.

Charlotte consulted Rosalie on her findings and Rosalie had given her a drug to give to Ezra to get rid of any toxins that might be in her system.

Rosalie had to ask her cousin to ship the package to her since Rosalie and Roman returned to Italy while Charlotte and Alessandro remained in the States so she could dig further into Ezra and Volkan’s relationship. 

She’d approached Ezra at a coffee shop and just started talking to her and she soon realized Ezra knew exactly who her husband really was and she seemed not to care. She also had the joy of showing off her relationship with Alessandro in front of Volkan. 

She could see the way he looked at them. He didn't like what he saw. She couldn't figure him out though. He seemed to love Ezra always gifting her extravagant jewelry and dresses. 

Ezra's jewelry, extravagant and exquisite, it showed Volkan showed no expense. When it came to Ezra. What did he want with her if he loved his wife?

Alessandro recognized that some of Ezra's pieces came from. A rare mine found only in South Africa, the diamonds were from a family recently taken down by some unknown forces. 

Charlotte soon found out that Volkan was behind the decline of that family. She realized he wanted to take down every family in his way to strengthen his own.

Charlotte’s suspicions solidified during a seemingly innocent dinner party. Ezra’s was distracted by Volkan, she kept her eyes on Volkan the entire night. Not once did she take her eyes off him. She followed him to the restroom and when he spoke to business associates. 

It alarmed both Charlotte and Alessandro.

The way she subtly shifted her gaze when Volkan spoke of his business dealings, way she flinched when he mentioned the South African mines, no one else noticed her flinch but Alessandro and Charlotte saw it. They couldn't figure the couple out. 

Later that night, when they were in their room, Charlotte took a moment to document her findings. She cross-referenced dates, locations, and people, building a timeline that revealed a holes in Ezra and Volkan's story. She figured out Ezra's marriage was no love story. 

Ezra’s forced marriage was not a love story, but a calculated move by Volkan, a strategic alliance, perhaps even a means of silencing a potential threat. Ezra's father a government official with deep pockets and all sorts of connections.

The more Charlotte pieced together, the clearer the truth became. Ezra, far from being a player, Charlotte discovered that Ezra was just a pawn in Volkan's game. 

She had no idea what game he was playing or what he planned for. Was Volkan trying to use her to force Alessandro's hand? Did he want to take over the Romano family?

She'd never let that happen, She was forced into a marriage not for love, but for her revenge, for access to resources, for eliminating her enemies and to strengthen Alessandro's family.

She wondered if Ezra was forced to help Volkan exploits. She wondered how deep Ezra was in over her head. She soon discovered that Ezra was forced to spy on other families and hang out with wives to learn everything she could about the families standing in his way. 

The realization settled on Charlotte like a heavy blow to her heart. She had underestimated the depths of Volkan’s ruthlessness, the extent of his hold over Ezra. 

He had not only betrayed her trust, but he had used Ezra to the extent that woman didn't breathe without his say so. 

And Charlotte, realized she’d helped him get half of his connections, she was now determined to break every single one of his connections. 

The next few days were a blur of meeting those connections and investigating Volkan's closest subordinates.

Charlotte and Alessandro worked together, using his vast network of contacts, delved deeper into Volkan’s past, digging up long-buried secrets and hidden connections. She uncovered evidence of a hidden agreement, a deal between Ezra's father and Volkan struck years ago, involving a powerful cartel and a shipment of diamonds. 

It explained Ezra's hand tremors, a fact that explained Volkan’s unusual concern for her "safety" and the strange, forced marriage.

Charlotte found herself conflicted with what to do next. She didn't know if she wanted to save Ezra or to let her be. Ezra's father abused her not only physically but emotionally as well. She believed Volkan was her only way out. She was manipulated into believing she needed to sell their relationship and love story.

The game had become far more complicated than she ever imagined, but she was ready to play. She had a growing suspicion that Ezra, was a skilled manipulator in her own right, was using their sham marriage to further her own agenda. What that agenda was remained a mystery, but Charlotte felt certain it would be revealed when the time was right.

The realization struck Charlotte like a bolt of lightning: Ezra was not just a pawn, but a player. A dangerous, unpredictable player with secrets yet to be revealed. 

Charlotte had to tread carefully, for in this treacherous game, the line between victim and perpetrator was dangerously blurred. She needed to know who the real enemy was, and she needed to play them against each other.

Charlotte finally came clean to Alessandro about her past with Volkan. He'd been questioning her sudden distraction with the Baysel couple. She'd been keeping him in the dark for long enough. She knew she couldn't keep it from him forever. 

The tension between Alessandro and Volkan intensified with each passing day. Their interactions were fraught with unspoken threats, veiled accusations, and a simmering current of animosity. 

Volkan soon discovered she'd come clean to Alessandro, he watched her, his dark eyes assessing, evaluating, ever vigilant against her rebellion. He was surprised by her coming clean to Alessandro. He didn't expect her to come clean because he'd played her. He knew Charlotte didn't like being embarrassed or having he pride hurt. 

She'd changed. Something about Alessandro gave her a sense of comfort she never had with him. He watched the two closely. And he didn't like what he saw. He didn't like how she leaned against Alessandro, how she smiled carefree, sweet and innocently. The Charlotte he knew was always suspicious, always questioning. Yet with Alessandro Romano she just followed his lead and followed without question. 

Charlotte, knew she was getting to Volkan, she used his distraction to manipulate information, leak his secrets, and designed a carefully constructed event to to expose his facade.

She understood that Volkan was an expert in manipulating people. She needed to be more skilled at playing this game. People underestimated her because she was a woman all the time so she used it to her advantage. 

One evening, Ezra visited and gifted Charlotte a jewelry box she told Charlotte she held dear to her heart and that she hoped Charlotte wouldn't throw it out. It held her entire future inside. 

Charlotte didn't know what she meant but Charlotte kept looking for clues about the jewelry box. 

One evening when Alessandro was away Charlotte sat alone in bed and she found a hidden compartment in Ezra’s jewelry box. Inside, she discovered a small, encrypted data chip. 

A faint scent of lavender lingered in the box, a scent that Charlotte recognized from Ezra's perfume. It was a clue, a breadcrumb leading to a deeper truth.

Armed with the data chip, Charlotte found herself in the worst part of Chicago, outside of the Romano family territory. It took her two days to decode the chip. 

Which lead Charlotte to this part of the city. She was going to use the information Ezra gave her to not only kill but dismantle Volkan's organization. She was going to take away everything that was dear to him starting with faking Ezra's death. She needed Rosalie's help to fake her death.