Chapter Six: The Question He Couldn't Ignore

Isabella did not sleep that night.

Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered Alessandro's expression when he examined Leonardo's drawing. His suspicion had become something more dangerous, something she could no longer dismiss as curiosity.

She had spent three years protecting her son from a world she barely understood herself. Now the man she had feared would discover their secret was standing directly in front of them.

And he was not going to stop.

Leonardo slept peacefully in his little bed, unaware of the storm gathering around his mother.

Isabella sat beside him, gently brushing his hair away from his forehead.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she whispered.

There was nobody to answer.

The following morning, Alessandro Romano arrived at his office earlier than usual.

Marco was already waiting, holding a folder.

"Did you find anything?" Alessandro asked.

Marco placed the folder on the desk.

"Leonardo Moretti was born in Florence three years ago. His birth certificate lists Isabella as his mother, but there's no information about the father."

Alessandro opened the folder.

"Who registered the birth?"

"Isabella herself."

"And the hospital records?"

"Still being investigated."

Alessandro studied the document.

"She returned to Italy recently, after three years abroad. She has no husband, no known partner, and no explanation for the child's father."

Marco hesitated.

"Alessandro, perhaps you should consider the possibility that she simply doesn't want to discuss her personal life."

The Mafia boss looked up.

"Do you think I'm interested in her personal life?"

Marco gave him a knowing look.

"You're asking me to investigate a woman you hired two days ago. You're also examining her child's birth certificate. I'd say you're interested."

Alessandro closed the folder.

"Find the truth."

Isabella arrived at Romano International shortly before ten.

She had barely entered her office when a message appeared on her phone.

Mr. Romano wants you in his office immediately.

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Of course he does."

When she entered Alessandro's office, he was speaking on the telephone. He gestured toward a chair without looking at her.

She sat down and waited.

Several minutes later, he ended the call.

"How is Leonardo?"

"Better, thank you."

"Good."

He opened a drawer and removed a small box.

"I bought something for him."

Isabella frowned.

"What?"

"A toy car."

She stared at the box.

"Why?"

Alessandro looked genuinely surprised by the question.

"Because he seemed interested in cars."

"Mr. Romano, you don't need to buy my son anything."

"Why not?"

"Because he's not your responsibility."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Alessandro's expression changed.

"Not my responsibility?"

Isabella immediately regretted speaking.

He stood slowly.

"That's an interesting statement, considering how strongly you reacted when I suggested he might be mine."

She rose from her chair.

"I don't want to discuss my son at work."

"Then answer one question."

"No."

"Is Leonardo's father alive?"

Her heart began pounding.

"Yes."

Alessandro's eyes narrowed.

"Do you know where he is?"

Isabella hesitated.

"Yes."

For the first time, Alessandro appeared genuinely unsettled.

"Then why hasn't he contacted his child?"

She looked away.

"Perhaps he doesn't know about him."

Silence filled the room.

Alessandro approached the desk.

"Doesn't know?"

Isabella realized what she had revealed.

She had spent three years preparing for this moment, yet somehow, when it finally arrived, she could not control her own words.

Alessandro's voice became quieter.

"Isabella, look at me."

She refused.

"Who is Leonardo's father?"

"I can't answer that."

"Can't or won't?"

She finally met his gaze.

"Both."

His jaw tightened.

"Do you understand what you're doing?"

"Yes."

"You're standing in front of a man who has spent three years searching for someone who disappeared from his estate, and you're telling me you know where that woman is."

Isabella's breath caught.

Alessandro continued.

"You're also telling me that your son's father doesn't know he exists."

She said nothing.

He stepped closer.

"Tell me I'm wrong."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall.

"I wish you were."

That evening, Alessandro returned to the Romano estate.

Marco was waiting in the study.

"There's something you need to see."

He handed Alessandro a photograph recovered from the original security archive.

It showed Isabella standing outside the estate on the morning after the gathering.

She was holding a small handbag and looking over her shoulder.

Alessandro stared at the image.

"Why wasn't this found earlier?"

"Someone removed it from the archive."

His expression darkened.

"Who?"

"We're still investigating."

Alessandro placed the photograph on the desk.

"Find them."

Marco nodded.

Then he hesitated.

"There's another matter."

"What?"

"Isabella's former employer in France contacted us. Apparently, she left the country shortly after discovering she was pregnant."

Alessandro went completely still.

"Pregnant?"

Marco nodded.

"Three years ago."

For several seconds, Alessandro said nothing.

Then he looked at the photograph again.

The woman he had searched for.

The child who looked like him.

The mother who had refused to answer his questions.

Everything was beginning to fit together.

But one question remained.

Why had Isabella chosen to disappear rather than tell him the truth?

Alessandro reached for his phone.

"Bring her to the estate tomorrow."

Marco frowned.

"Will she agree?"

Alessandro's expression turned cold.

"She will."

And somewhere across the city, Isabella was about to discover that the secret she had protected for three years was no longer hers alone.