Chapter 6 - THE SAFE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN OPENED
Alessandro insisted we involve an independent attorney before opening anything connected to his family's past.
I agreed.
I didn't trust the Ricci organization.
And I wasn't sure I trusted him.
But I trusted the documents.
The storage facility was in Naples.
Its records had been preserved after the company closed.
With the help of an Italian attorney, we located the old inventory.
Locker seventeen had been registered under Isabella Ricci's name.
Three weeks later, I flew to Italy.
It was the first time I'd returned since my grandmother became ill.
Alessandro traveled separately.
He respected my request not to be accompanied by his security team.
When we opened the locker, I found a suitcase.
A violin case.
And a sealed metal box.
Inside the box were photographs, letters, and financial records.
But the most important item was a small cassette tape.
Its label read:
FOR ALESSANDRO.
The recording was Isabella's voice.
I recognized it immediately.
Not because I'd heard her speak before.
But because her voice sounded like the lullaby my grandmother used to sing.
“Alessandro,” she began.
“If you hear this, I need you to know I never abandoned you.”
Alessandro closed his eyes.
“I discovered that Uncle Renato was using Father's shipping companies to move illegal cargo.”
Alessandro's expression hardened.
“He threatened Daniel when Daniel began investigating.”
A pause.
“Daniel disappeared because he refused to stay silent.”
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Father knew something was wrong, but he was afraid of Renato.”
Isabella's voice broke.
“I don't know whom to trust anymore.”
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
“Renato told me he would take Sophia if I didn't surrender Daniel's evidence.”
Alessandro stared at the recorder.
His uncle.
Renato Ricci.
The man who had helped raise him after his father's death.
The man who currently served as chairman of Ricci Holdings.
Alessandro whispered, “He knew.”
I looked at him.
He continued.
“He knew where she went.”
The recording ended with Isabella's final words.
“Protect Sophia. And if I don't survive, tell her I loved her.”
I began crying.
May you like
Alessandro reached for my hand.
For the first time, I didn't pull away.
