Chapter 78 The Clock
Time had already been lost.
Alessandro just hadn’t measured it properly yet.
The city moved the same way it always did.
Traffic. Voices. Deals. Noise.
But for him, everything had narrowed into something smaller.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
The clinic report sat on the table in front of him.
Untouched.
He had read it once.
That was enough.
Pregnancy.
The word hadn’t left his mind since.
It didn’t echo.
It stayed.
Heavy.
Permanent.
Rafael stood across from him, watching.
Waiting.
Because this was not information you repeated.
This was something that changed direction.
“How long,” Alessandro said finally.
Rafael understood the question immediately.
“Based on what they told us… early stages,” he replied. “A few weeks at most when she went in.”
Alessandro’s eyes shifted slightly.
Calculating.
Not emotionally.
Precisely.
“She disappeared the same day,” he said.
“Yes.”
“And now—”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
Time filled the rest.
Weeks had already passed.
Rafael didn’t speak.
Because he knew exactly what Alessandro was doing.
Counting.
“If she was taken that day,” Alessandro continued slowly, “then whoever has her knows.”
Rafael nodded once.
“They would have figured it out.”
Alessandro leaned back slightly.
Not relaxed.
Never relaxed.
“That means they didn’t just take her.”
A pause.
“They took the situation.”
Rafael frowned slightly.
“What are you thinking.”
Alessandro’s jaw tightened.
“They didn’t rush.”
That was the problem.
No ransom.
No movement.
No mistake.
“Which means they’re not under pressure,” Alessandro said.
“They’re not afraid of time.”
Rafael’s expression darkened.
“And we are.”
Yes.
That was the first real shift.
Before, Alessandro had been searching.
Now—
He was late.
He stood suddenly.
Walked to the window.
Looked out.
Didn’t see anything.
“How far along now,” he asked.
Rafael hesitated.
Then answered anyway.
“If we count from when she went to the clinic… maybe three months. Maybe more.”
Not exact.
But enough.
Alessandro’s hand tightened slightly at his side.
Not visibly.
But Rafael noticed.
“She was going to tell me,” Alessandro said quietly.
Rafael didn’t answer.
Because that wasn’t information.
That was something else.
“She said she had a surprise,” Alessandro continued.
The words sounded different now.
Heavier.
Clearer.
“That was it.”
Silence filled the room.
Alessandro closed his eyes for a second.
Just one.
Then opened them again.
Different.
“They took her knowing she was pregnant,” he said.
Rafael nodded slowly.
“And they’ve kept her this long.”
“Yes.”
Alessandro’s voice dropped.
Lower than before.
Sharper.
“That means they’re planning something.”
Not panic.
Not revenge.
Planning.
Rafael stepped closer.
“What kind of plan.”
Alessandro didn’t answer immediately.
Because there were too many possibilities.
And none of them were good.
“She’s not moving,” he said instead.
Rafael frowned.
“What makes you say that.”
“No sightings after the clinic,” Alessandro replied. “No transfers. No noise. Nothing.”
Which meant—
“They’re keeping her in one place.”
Controlled.
Hidden.
Protected.
A location that didn’t need to move.
Rafael exhaled slowly.
“That narrows things.”
“No,” Alessandro said.
“It changes them.”
Because now—
This wasn’t about finding movement.
It was about finding something that didn’t want to be found.
Alessandro turned.
His eyes sharper now.
More focused than they had been since this began.
“Pull every private facility,” he said.
“Already started.”
“Not just clinics.”
Rafael paused.
“Alll hospitals, private and public, anything you can find.." Alessandro added.
The word lingered.
Rafael understood immediately.
Places that didn’t ask questions.
Places that didn’t report.
Places that didn’t exist on official maps.
“You think she would be allowed out of where ever she is being kept?"
Alessandro didn’t hesitate . "yes"
Because she had to.
Pregnant women needed care. Monitoring.
And whoever had taken her would make sure the child was born healthy.
Not out of kindness.
Out of value.
An heir.
A De Luca heir.
Alessandro exhaled..
Controlled.
Silent.
Contained.
They were looking for a place where someone could disappear—
without ever needing to move again.
Rafael nodded slowly.
“I’ll expand the list.”
“Do it quietly.”
A pause.
“And fast.”
Because now—
Time wasn’t just passing.
It was building.
Alessandro stood still for a moment after Rafael left.
The room felt smaller.
Heavier.
His eyes moved back to the report on the table.
Pregnancy.
He reached for it.
Then stopped.
Didn’t touch it.
Because touching it made it real.
And if it was real—
Then he was already too late for something.
He exhaled again but slowly this time.
Controlled.
“No,” he murmured.
Not too late.
Not yet.
But close.
For the first time since she disappeared—
Alessandro De Luca didn’t just feel urgency.
He felt a deadline.
And he had no idea how much of it was left.