Chapter 5 - THE HOUSE WITHOUT MIRRORS
The coordinates led to Switzerland.
A farmhouse hidden in the mountains.
Maya reached the door first.
An old woman opened it.
Her grandmother.
Alive.
Maya slapped her.
Then collapsed into her arms.
“You died.”
“I know.”
“I buried you.”
“I know.”
“I hate you.”
“I know.”
“Don't say you know!”
Isabella cried.
Behind her, a woman appeared.
Elena Vance.
Roman stopped.
Three years of grief stood between them.
Elena whispered:
“Roman.”
He didn't move.
Then Leo ran.
“MAMA!”
Elena fell to her knees.
Leo hit her so hard they both fell.
He screamed.
Not words.
Just sound.
Three years of it.
He cried into her neck.
Roman turned away.
Maya saw tears on his face.
She pretended not to.
Later, the truth emerged.
Elena had disappeared because the traitor wasn't Adrian.
Adrian had helped her.
The real betrayal went deeper.
Roman's empire had an internal council.
Five men.
One of them had been selling names from Isabella's network.
Elena knew which one.
But she had no proof.
So she disappeared to collect it.
“Three years?” Roman asked.
Elena looked at Leo.
“I thought it would take three weeks.”
“Then why didn't you come back?”
“Because they found me.”
She had spent three years moving between safe houses.
Every attempt to contact Roman exposed another location.
Someone had access to Roman's private communications.
Roman asked the obvious question.
“Who?”
Elena looked at him.
“Dante.”
Roman went silent.
His security chief.
The man currently alone at the estate with access to everything.
Including the location beacon hidden in Roman's car.
A red light began blinking beneath the dashboard.
Elena whispered:
May you like
“He knows we're here.”
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