Chapter 40 NAGGING MEMORY

Chapter 40 NAGGING MEMORY
Adeline's POV

Kayden couldn't let it go.

The next morning, I found him in his study. Papers spread across his desk, his laptop open to various search screens.

"You're up early," I said.

"Couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Grey. About where I know him from."

"Any luck?"

"No. And it's driving me insane." He rubbed his face. "I know I've seen him. His face is so familiar. But every time I try to pin down the memory, it slips away."

"Maybe you're mistaken. Maybe he just has one of those faces."

"No. This is specific. I know him from somewhere connected to the family. I'm sure of it."

I sat across from him. "What have you found so far?"

"On paper? He's clean. Grey Falvetti, twenty-eight, born in Connecticut. He went to Yale like Annabelle said, works for a financial consulting firm in the city. No criminal record, no red flags."

"On paper."

"Exactly. But something feels off. Like his background is too perfect. Too clean."

"You think it's fabricated?"

"Maybe. Or maybe just scrubbed. I've asked Marco to dig deeper. Check employment records, education transcripts. See if everything actually checks out."

I nodded. "Good. Because I don't trust him either."

"You got a bad feeling?"

"The worst. The way he looked at everyone last night. Like he was cataloging, assessing. And the way he played the perfect boyfriend..." I shook my head.

"It was too smooth. Too practiced."

"That's what bothers me too. He says all the right things, does all the right things but it feels hollo, like he's following a script."

"We need to warn Belle."

"And tell her what? That we have a bad feeling? That her boyfriend seems too perfect?" Kayden leaned back. "She won't listen. She's in love, or thinks she is."

He was right. I'd seen it in Belle's eyes last night, the way she looked at Grey was complete adoration.

She wouldn't believe us without proof.
"Then we get proof," I said. "We find out who he really is and what he wants."

"Agreed. But quietly. If Grey is connected to the family somehow, if he's playing some kind of game, we can't let him know we're onto him."

I spent the morning doing my own research.

Pulled up everything I could find on Grey Falvetti, social media, professional profiles, news articles.

On the surface, he was exactly what he claimed, successful, educated and normal.
But the deeper I dug, the more suspicious I became.

His social media was sparse. Professional photos, generic posts about finance and markets, nothing personal, nothing real.

His employment history looked solid but felt wrong. Like someone had built a perfect resume specifically to avoid scrutiny.

And there were gaps….small ones.

A few months here and there where I couldn't account for his whereabouts so I called Stardust.
"I need you to run someone….deep dive….everything you can find."

"Who?"

"Grey Falvetti. F-A-L-V-E-T-T-I. Twenty-eight, lives in New York, works in finance."

"What am I looking for?"

"Anything that doesn't add up. Gaps in his timeline, connections to the Gravano family, anything hidden."

"This related to your husband's family?"

"Possibly. He's dating my sister. And something about him feels wrong."

"Give me twenty-four hours. I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks."

I hung up and continued my own search.
That's when my phone rang, it was Annabelle.

"Hey!" she said brightly. "Just wanted to thank you for last night. Grey had such a great time meeting everyone."

"Did he?"

"Yeah! He said your family seems really close. Really loyal. He was impressed."

"Belle, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When you met Grey. At the coffee shop. Are you sure it was an accident? The spilled coffee?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you certain it was just chance? That he wasn't... I don't know, waiting for an opportunity?"

"Addy, what are you trying to say?"

"Just that the timing seems convenient. You're my sister. I'm married to Kayden. And suddenly this perfect guy appears in your life. It feels... orchestrated."

Silence on the other end.
"You think Grey is using me?" Her voice was cold. "To get to you? To your husband's family?"

"I'm just saying we should be careful—"

"No. You're saying you don't trust my judgment. That I'm too stupid to know when someone actually cares about me."

"That's not what I meant—"

"I have to go. I have class."
She hung up.

I stared at my phone. That had gone badly.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was right. That Grey meeting Annabelle wasn't chance.

It was design.
That evening, Kayden was still in his study. Still obsessing.

"Anything?" I asked.

"Maybe. I've been going through old family photos. Events from the past few years. Trying to see if Grey shows up anywhere."

"And?"

"Nothing yet. But there's something here. I can feel it." He rubbed his temples. "It's like the memory is right there. Just out of reach."

"Maybe you should take a break. Come to bed and rest."

"I can't. Not until I remember."

I left him there ad went to our room alone.
My phone buzzed around midnight. It was a text from Annabelle.

I'm sorry for snapping earlier. I know you're just worried about me. But Grey really is a good guy. You'll see.

I texted back: I hope so. Just be careful. Love you.

Love you too.
At least that was something.

I was about to put my phone down when another text came through. An unknown number.

My pulse quickened.
I opened it.
A photo. Time-stamped from three months ago.

Grey Falvetti. Standing outside a building.
A building with the Gravano family crest on the entrance.

Below the photo, a message:
Your sister's boyfriend has been around the Gravano family before. Long before he "accidentally" met her. Thought you should know.

My blood turned to ice.
I stared at the photo. Grey…at a Gravano property. Three months ago.

Before he met Annabelle….before any of this started.
This wasn't coincidence, it was planned.

I grabbed my phone and ran to Kayden's study.

"Look at this," I said, shoving the phone at him.

He studied the photo and his expression darkened.
"When was this taken?"

"Three months ago. Before Grey met Belle, before our wedding even."

"So he's been watching us, watching the family."

"Or working for someone who was."

Kayden zoomed in on the photo. On the building entrance.

"That's one of our satellite offices downtown. We use it for meetings, storage. Nothing critical but..." He looked at me. "Only family and trusted associates know about it."

"So Grey had inside information."

"Or inside help." Kayden's jaw tightened. "Someone told him where to go, what to look for."

"But who? And why target Annabelle?"

"Because she's your weakness. The one person you'd do anything to protect." He handed the phone back. "Whoever sent Grey after her knew that…knew that controlling her means controlling you."

"Your father."

"Maybe. Or someone else in the family. Someone who wants leverage over us."

My phone buzzed again. Another message from the same unknown number.

There's more. But you'll need to dig deeper to find it. Start with Grey's real name. It's not Falvetti.

The message deleted itself.
I showed Kayden.

"His real name," Kayden said slowly. "If he's using an alias..."

"Then everything about him is a lie. The job. The background. All of it."

"We need to find out who he really is. Before he gets any closer to Annabelle. Before whatever he's planning happens."

"How? If his records are fabricated, if he's that deep undercover..."

"Then we go old school. We follow him, watch him, see where he goes when he's not with your sister, see who he meets."

"That could take days….weeks."

"Then we start now."

Kayden was already grabbing his jacket. "I know a guy. Private investigator and discreet. He can tail Grey and document everything."

"And what do we tell Annabelle?"

"Nothing. Not yet. Not until we have proof she'll actually believe."

We hired the investigator that night. Gave him everything we had on Grey.

"Find out who he really is," Kayden said. "Where he goes. Who he talks to. Everything."

"And if he spots the tail?"

"Then be more careful. But don't lose him. He's dangerous. I'm sure of it."

The investigator left.
Kayden and I sat in his study. Both of us exhausted, wired.

"This is bad," I said.

"Yeah. It is."

"If Grey is working for someone. If he's been sent to infiltrate through Annabelle..."

"Then we're dealing with something bigger than we thought. Someone who's been planning this for months. Someone with resources and inside information."

"Your father."

"Maybe. Or someone else. Someone we haven't identified yet."

My phone buzzed again.
Another photo.
This time Grey talking to someone in shadows. Couldn't see the face.
But I could see the location.
The Gravano estate.
He's been inside your home. Multiple times. Thought you should know.

I showed Kayden.
His expression went cold. Dangerous.

"Someone let him in. Someone gave him access."

"Who?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out.”