جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

My heart stopped beating.Mr. Matteo's eyes remained fixed on the phone. "It's the head of security," he said again, his voice lower.Damiano stepped closer. "What is it, Dad?"Mr. Matteo answered the call without taking his eyes off us; his eyes grew hard from whatever the caller was saying, and then he lowered the phone."I want everyone to stay exactly where they are."A strange feeling settled inside my chest."The deleted footage..." Mr. Matteo said carefully. "Part of it has been recovered."The hallway exploded with gasps.Recovered?I grabbed the edge of my dress to stop my trembling hands.Rosa frowned. "I thought it was deleted.""It was." Mr. Matteo looked at her. "But the head of security recovered enough data to identify who accessed the system."Every face turned toward him. Damiano's jaw tightened. "Who was it?"Mr. Matteo didn't answer immediately; his silence only made the fear worse. Finally, he lifted his eyes."The security system was accessed using Guard Martin's

I... yes."The word came out softer than I meant it to as my fingers tightened around the pencil, and for a second, I thought about hiding the sketchbook under my pillow, but it was too late; he had seen everything.Damiano stepped closer; he reached out and picked up one of the drawings with surprising care, holding it by the edges as if it might tear."You made all of these?" he asked.I nodded, not trusting my voice."They're just practice," I added quickly. "Nothing serious."His eyes moved across the pages. "You've been doing this for a while," he said. It wasn't a question."Only recently." The lie came easily, but something about the way he was looking at the sketches made me want to tell the truth.He glanced up at me. "But these aren't random drawings. You've put thought into them."I took a slow breath. "No. They're not random."Silence settled between us; I could hear the clock ticking in the hallway. My heart was beating faster than it should have been, and I couldn't fig

The invitation came the next morning as I stood in the doorway of Madam Rosa's sitting room, trying to steady my breathing.She sat in her usual armchair by the window; a silver tray of tea sat beside her untouched."You'll be attending the celebration this weekend," she said without looking up.My throat tightened. "I... I don't think that's…""It wasn't a question." She folded the newspaper and set it aside. "The De Luca family holds this celebration every year. Relatives, business partners, old friends, and everyone who matters will be there.""And you want me there?""I want you to help receive guests," she corrected. "You'll stand beside me at the entrance. Smile, greet, and do not embarrass this family."My chest felt heavy. "I understand, Ma'am.""Do you?" She studied me. "Elena suggested it. She said she wanted to make amends with you."I froze. Elena? She'd whispered poison about me for months and accused me of stealing her necklace?Something was wrong; I felt it in my bones

My fingers tightened around the bathroom door handle.I stood there for a long moment, listening to the muffled laughter drifting in from the living room.Was I really overthinking things? Or had my instincts been trying to warn me about something?I pushed the thought aside and opened the door.Chandelier light spilled into the hallway as I stepped out. I smoothed the front of my lavender gown one last time and started walking back toward the them.The music grew louder with every step.When I reached where Damiano and Elena was standing they both turned to look at me."There you are," Elena said with a bright smile. "Feeling better?"I glanced down at my dress. "The stain's still there," I admitted with a small smile. "But it's not very noticeable anymore.""Oh, Gabrielle." Elena touched my arm gently. "I'm so sorry again. I feel terrible.""It's fine," I told her. "It was an accident.""I still feel guilty." She picked up my handbag from the table and handed it back to me. "Here. I

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stood frozen in the middle of the room, my dress half-zipped and my hair a mess. I couldn't open the door and face anyone like this.Another knock came."Madam?" a woman's voice called gently from the other side of the door. "Are you awake?"I swallowed hard."Just a moment," I called out, my voice cracking.I fumbled with the zipper, my fingers clumsy and shaking. The fabric caught on my skin, and I winced; the soreness between my thighs was a cruel reminder of what I'd done.I finally managed to pull the dress up properly and smoothed my hands over my hair, trying to look presentable. I hurried toward the door on shaky legs and pulled it open.One of the housemaids stood outside with her hands folded in front of her. She lowered her eyes respectfully."Good morning, Mrs. Gabrielle."I forced myself to nod."What is it?""There is a problem downstairs."Something about her expression made my stomach tighten."What happened?""Madam Rosa has ask