Chapter 102

Chapter 102
Benedetta’s POV
The call came at seven in the morning, jarring me from restless sleep. Carlo's voice was tense, urgent in a way that made my stomach clench with dread.
"We have a problem," he said without preamble.
I sat up in bed, instantly alert. "What kind of problem?"
"Damian Cavalieri. He's moved faster than we anticipated." Carlo's breathing was heavy, like he'd been running. "The girl at the hospital—Jessica—he's not just paying her medical bills anymore."
Of course he isn't. I should have known that a man like Damian wouldn't stop at simple financial support.
"What do you mean?"
"He's replaced her entire medical team. Brought in specialists from Milan, upgraded her to a private wing with enhanced security. And boss..." Carlo paused. "He's got people investigating Maria's bank accounts."
I'd underestimated Damian Cavalieri completely. I'd seen him as just another entitled heir, someone who would accept the surface explanation and move on. Instead, he was proving to be as thorough and ruthless as his father.
"What about our other assets?" I asked. "Anyone else who might talk?"
"Maria's scared. She's been asking about witness protection programs. I don't think she'll hold up under real pressure."
Damn it. Everything was falling apart faster than I could contain it.
"Handle Maria," I said coldly. "Make sure she understands the consequences of cooperation."
"And if she doesn't listen?"
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of thirty years of careful planning crumbling around me. "Then make sure she can't talk to anyone. Permanently."
Carlo was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure, boss? That's a big escalation."
"I'm sure. Too much is at stake to worry about one frightened maid."
After I hung up, I sat in the predawn darkness of my bedroom, trying to think. Damian's investigation was closing in on the financial trail, but that wasn't the only vulnerability. If he was as thorough as he seemed, he'd eventually start looking into Aria's background more deeply.
The orphanage.
Sant'Anna Orphanage, where I'd left the real Isabella twenty-one years ago. Where records still existed that could expose everything I'd built, everything I'd protected.
I need to handle this personally.
The number was burned into my memory after all these years. Sister Catherine had been young then, easily corrupted by the right incentives. Now she was the orphanage's administrator, and hopefully still as amenable to financial persuasion.
"Benedetta?" Her voice was surprised when she answered. "It's been years."
"Sister Catherine. I need your help with a delicate matter."
There was a pause. I could almost hear her mind working, remembering the last time I'd asked for her help. The generous donation that had followed. The comfortable silence that had lasted two decades.
"What kind of help?"
"There are some old records that need to be... removed. For everyone's protection."
"What records?"
"Aria Rossi. Admission date would be approximately twenty-one years ago. I need every document related to her entry into the orphanage destroyed. Tonight."
Sister Catherine was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was carefully controlled.
"Benedetta, I think you should know—someone has already been asking about those records."
My blood turned to ice. "Who?"
"I don't know. The inquiry came through official channels, but it was vague. Someone claiming to be conducting a background check for employment purposes. They wanted to know about Aria's admission date, the circumstances that brought her to us, any family information we might have had."
"When was this inquiry made?"
"Three days ago."
"Did you provide any information?"
"No, of course not. I told them our records from that period were confidential and couldn't be released without proper legal documentation. But Benedetta..." She paused. "If someone is digging into Aria's past, asking about her admission..."
"They might discover the truth," I finished. "About who she really is."
And if they discover that, everything else will come tumbling down.
"I need those records destroyed," I said urgently. "All of them. Tonight. Can you do that for me?"
"I... I don't know. Destroying official records is serious business. If there's an ongoing investigation and they find out we've tampered with evidence..."
"Sister, let me remind you of our past arrangement. The generous donations that have supported your orphanage for twenty years. The silence that has protected all of us."
My voice turned cold, threatening. "That silence goes both ways. If these records surface, if the truth comes out about what happened twenty-one years ago, you'll be implicated right alongside me."
I could hear her sharp intake of breath. She remembered now. Remembered exactly what she'd helped me do, and what the consequences would be if it ever came to light.
"I understand," she said quietly.
"Good. I'm coming there myself to oversee the destruction. Make sure you're alone, and make sure no one else has access to those files."
"Benedetta, wait. If you're planning to come here, you should know—there have been other inquiries too. Not just about Aria."
"What do you mean?"
"People asking about our adoption procedures from that time period. About families who might have placed children with us privately, outside official channels. Someone is digging deep into our old records."
"I'll be there within the hour," I said. "Have everything ready."
I was preparing to leave when my phone rang again. Ricardo's name appeared on the screen, and my heart nearly stopped.
Not now. Not when everything is falling apart.
I let it ring twice more before answering, forcing my voice to sound normal.
"Ricardo, darling. How are you?"
"Benedetta, I need to see you. Today. There are some things about this theft situation that aren't sitting right with me."
Of course there are. Ricardo had always been too intelligent for his own good. Too observant.
"What kind of things?" I asked carefully.
"The timeline doesn't make sense. Aria's behavior at the banquet—she seemed genuinely shocked when the necklace was found. And the way the search was conducted, almost like someone knew exactly where to look..."
He's starting to put the pieces together.
"Ricardo, you're overthinking this. The girl is a skilled actress—she had to be, to maintain her deception for so long."
"Maybe. But I want to go over the details again. With you. You were there that night, you saw everything firsthand. I value your perspective."
Your perspective. If only he knew.
"Of course, darling. I'm always happy to help. But I'm feeling a bit under the weather today—perhaps we could meet tomorrow instead?"
"Under the weather? You seemed fine yesterday."
Think, Benedetta. Think.
"It came on suddenly. Just a touch of flu, I think. I wouldn't want to risk getting you sick."
There was a long pause. When Ricardo spoke again, his voice had a different quality to it. Suspicious, probing.
"Benedetta, is there something you're not telling me? "
"I don't know what you mean," I said, but even to my own ears, the denial sounded weak.
"I think you do. I've been going over everything in my mind, and there are too many coincidences. Too many convenient explanations. I need answers, Benedetta. "
"Ricardo, you're upset about the situation with Antonio and the girl, I understand that. But creating conspiracy theories won't help anyone."
"This isn't about conspiracy theories. This is about truth. And I intend to find it, with or without your cooperation."
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone in my hand, my mind reeling. Ricardo was suspicious. The investigation was closing in. Someone had already been asking questions at the orphanage.
I'm running out of time.
I grabbed my coat and keys, my hands shaking slightly. The records at Sant'Anna had to be destroyed tonight. If anyone discovered the truth about Aria's real identity, about what I'd done all those years ago, about the elaborate deception I'd maintained for over two decades...
It would all be over.
Not just the current crisis with the theft accusation. Everything. My position in the Montrosso family, my carefully constructed life, my daughter's future. All of it would collapse if the truth about Isabella came to light.
As I drove through the dark streets toward the orphanage, I forced myself to think strategically. The records first. Then I'd figure out how to handle Ricardo's suspicions. And if necessary...
If necessary, I'd eliminate anyone who got too close to the truth.
I'd come too far to lose everything now. Too far to let some naive girl and her overprotective husband destroy what I'd spent a lifetime building.
Whatever it takes, I promised myself. Whatever it takes to protect my secret.
The orphanage loomed ahead in the darkness, its Gothic architecture making it look more like a fortress than a sanctuary. How fitting. Tonight, it would serve as the final battleground for the lies I'd been protecting for twenty-one years.
Sister Catherine was waiting in the shadows by the back entrance, her face pale with worry.
"Benedetta," she whispered as I approached. "I've been thinking about this all evening. Maybe we should—"
"No," I cut her off sharply. "No more thinking. No more delays. Tonight, we erase Aria Rossi from history. Permanently."
Because if we didn't, by tomorrow, she might very well erase us instead.