Chapter 4 - THE COUSIN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Rafael arrived at the mansion the next morning wearing a navy suit and the easy smile of a man who had never been told no.
He kissed Elena's cheek.
Asked after Sophie.
Complimented about the rain.
Then entered Dante's study.
"What's so urgent?"
Dante placed a copy of the notebook entry on the desk.
Rafael's smile disappeared.
"Where did you get this?"
Dante watched him.
"Does it matter?"
Rafael picked up the paper.
"This is old accounting material."
"Then explain the transfer."
Rafael hesitated.
"Marco had several private investments."
"After he disappeared?"
Silence.
Dante leaned forward.
"Who authorized it?"
Rafael looked away.
"I'd have to check."
Dante studied him.
For years, Rafael had handled the family's legitimate financial operations.
He had access to accounts, property records, and internal audits.
Dante had trusted him because they were blood.
Now that trust felt suddenly fragile.
Rafael changed the subject.
"I heard Elena's daughter had a nightmare."
Dante's expression hardened.
"Who told you?"
"People talk."
"About a five-year-old?"
Rafael shrugged.
"It's a big house."
Dante stared.
Then asked:
"Did you know about the passage behind her bedroom?"
Rafael went still.
Only for a second.
But Dante saw it.
"No."
Dante nodded slowly.
"Interesting."
After Rafael left, Luca reviewed security records.
Several cameras near the servants' wing had stopped recording at the same time on multiple nights.
The outages were brief.
Less than four minutes.
But they matched the approximate times Sophie reported hearing the knocks.
Dante ordered an independent security audit.
He also instructed Luca to stop discussing the investigation with Rafael.
That evening, Sophie found Dante in the garden.
Bruno walked beside her.
She held a small plastic dinosaur.
"Mr. Dante?"
He looked down.
"Yes?"
"Are you mad at Mama?"
Dante frowned.
"No."
Sophie studied him.
"She cried last night."
His chest tightened.
"Your mother has had a difficult time."
Sophie nodded solemnly.
"Sometimes grown-ups cry because they're tired."
Dante smiled faintly.
"That's true."
She held out the dinosaur.
"You can borrow him."
Dante looked at it.
"Why?"
"Because you look tired, too."
He accepted the toy.
A green plastic triceratops.
One horn missing.
Sophie smiled.
"His name is Captain Pickles."
Dante stared.
Then laughed.
It was a real laugh.
The kind he had not heard from himself in years.
May you like
From the kitchen window, Elena watched them.
For the first time since arriving at the mansion, she wondered whether the man everyone feared might be capable of something gentler.
