Chapter 4 - SOFIA’S BOX
Carmine did not sleep that night.
Leo slept beside him.
The boy kept one hand wrapped around Carmine’s finger.
Every time Carmine tried moving, Leo woke immediately.
So Carmine stayed.
Near midnight, Marco entered quietly.
“We recovered Helena’s phone.”
Carmine looked down at Leo.
“Here?”
Marco shook his head.
Carmine carefully freed his hand.
Leo stirred.
Carmine whispered.
“I’m right outside.”
Leo opened his eyes.
“You come back?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
Carmine hesitated only because the question hurt.
Then he kissed his son’s forehead.
“I promise.”
He joined Marco in the hallway.
“What did you find?”
“Most messages were deleted.”
“But?”
“We recovered fragments.”
Marco handed him the tablet.
Several messages appeared.
No names.
Only numbers.
The first read:
BELLUCCI WILL SIGN ONCE THE BOY IS DECLARED UNSTABLE.
Another said:
KEEP HIM ISOLATED.
A third message was even worse.
THE TRUST REQUIRES A LIVING HEIR.
Carmine stared at the screen.
Leo was beneficiary to the Bellucci family trust.
If Carmine died, the majority of legitimate assets transferred into protected holdings for Leo.
Until Leo turned twenty-five, a court-approved guardian would control many financial decisions.
Carmine looked at Marco.
“Helena is listed as guardian.”
“For now.”
Carmine felt ice move through him.
“She wasn’t trying to discipline Leo.”
“No.”
“She was trying to make him look disturbed.”
Marco nodded.
“Or incapable.”
Carmine remembered Helena calling Leo manipulative.
He remembered her repeated claims that the child lied.
She had been building a story.
But the messages still did not explain Sofia.
Carmine walked toward the private study.
He opened a wall safe.
Inside were documents, passports, cash, and a wooden box that had belonged to Sofia.
Carmine had not opened it since the funeral.
He carried it to the desk.
Marco remained silent.
Inside were photographs.
A wedding invitation.
Leo’s hospital bracelet.
A silver necklace.
Then Carmine found a sealed envelope.
His name was written on the front.
Carmine.
His hands stopped.
“That was here?”
Marco asked.
Carmine nodded.
“I never saw it.”
“Who had access after Sofia died?”
Carmine remembered Helena helping organize the house.
She had offered to pack Sofia’s belongings.
Carmine had been too devastated to object.
He opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Carmine recognized Sofia’s writing immediately.
If you are reading this, something has happened.
Carmine sat down.
The next line was worse.
I think someone inside the family is moving money through the Verona Foundation.
Marco leaned closer.
Carmine continued reading.
I did not tell you because I needed proof.
I found transfers tied to your cousin Matteo and someone whose initials are H.V.
Carmine looked at Marco.
“Helena Valenti.”
Helena’s maiden name.
Marco swore under his breath.
Carmine kept reading.
I am afraid they know I found it.
If anything happens to me, protect Leo first.
Do not trust the accident story until you see the original marina records.
Carmine’s face went numb.
The official investigation into Sofia’s death had concluded that the boat engine malfunctioned during a storm.
Leo survived because he had been secured inside a floating emergency cradle.
Carmine had never questioned the report.
He had been drowning in grief.
Someone had counted on that.
At the bottom of Sofia’s letter was one final sentence.
The backup is hidden where Leo heard his first song.
Carmine read it twice.
Marco frowned.
“Where was that?”
Carmine’s heart started beating faster.
“The nursery.”
They crossed the mansion quickly.
Leo’s original nursery had been closed after Sofia died.
Helena had insisted it was unhealthy to keep it unchanged.
Carmine unlocked the door.
Dust covered the furniture.
A painted moon still hung over the crib.
Sofia used to sit beneath it and play an old music box for Leo.
Carmine walked toward the shelf.
The music box was gone.
He turned.
“Where is it?”
Marco searched the cabinets.
Nothing.
Then Carmine noticed scrape marks beneath the shelf.
Something had been moved recently.
Marco crouched.
He pressed against a wooden panel.
It opened.
Inside was an empty compartment.
Except for one object.
A torn piece of red fabric.
Carmine picked it up.
May you like
He recognized it immediately.
Helena had worn a red silk dress on the night Sofia died.
