Chapter 9 - THE SECRET BENEATH THE ISLAND
The hidden room was beneath the villa.
I discovered it by accident.
Lucia asked me to retrieve an old photo album from the storage level.
While searching, I noticed a locked steel door.
A security keypad.
And a camera.
I stared.
When Antonio found me, his expression changed.
“Sophia.”
I turned.
“What's behind that door?”
He hesitated.
Then sighed.
“Come with me.”
He entered a code.
The door opened.
Inside was a secure archive.
Documents.
Hard drives.
Photographs.
And a wall covered with names.
I recognized one immediately.
My father.
Another name was unfamiliar.
Gabriel Santoro.
Antonio looked at the wall.
“Six years ago, Elena discovered a money-laundering network.”
I swallowed.
He continued.
“Your father helped move funds through shell companies.”
My stomach tightened.
“And Gabriel Santoro?”
Antonio's expression hardened.
“He was the man running the operation.”
I stared.
“What happened to Elena?”
Antonio looked down.
“She tried to expose them.”
A pause.
“Then she disappeared.”
My heart stopped.
“Disappeared?”
He nodded.
“We found evidence that she was killed.”
I looked at him.
Then whispered:
“But you never found her body.”
Antonio went still.
“No.”
I stared at the photographs.
May you like
Then asked the question neither of us had wanted to consider.
“What if she's still alive?”
