Chapter 8 - THE SISTER WHO KNEW THE WHOLE STORY
I met Sofia two days later.
She was thirty-seven.
Dark hair.
Green eyes.
A scar above her right eyebrow.
The moment I saw her, I knew.
Not because we looked identical.
We didn’t.
But something in her face belonged to my mother.
She stared at me.
Then covered her mouth.
“Elena.”
I began crying.
“You knew about me?”
She nodded.
“I knew Mom had another daughter.”
“Why didn’t you find me?”
“Because Gabriel told me staying away was the only way to keep you safe.”
Julian stood several feet behind me.
Sofia saw him.
Her eyes softened.
“Jules.”
Julian stopped breathing.
Nobody called him that.
Nobody except someone from childhood.
He crossed the room.
They embraced.
For a moment, Julian wasn’t a mafia boss.
He was a seventeen-year-old boy getting his sister back.
When they separated, Sofia looked at Margaret.
“You look like Dad.”
Margaret’s expression hardened.
“Not a compliment.”
Sofia almost smiled.
Then we sat.
And she told us everything.
Edward Cross had controlled Anna for years.
He threatened her job.
Her finances.
Her future.
Sofia’s birth had been hidden because Edward was married.
When Sofia grew older, Edward tried to take permanent custody.
Anna refused.
Gabriel discovered the truth.
He helped Anna move Sofia away.
But Edward retaliated.
He threatened David.
The man Anna loved.
Eventually, Anna returned to protect him.
Years later, she became ill.
“Was it really cancer?” I asked.
Sofia’s face changed.
“Yes.”
Relief and grief hit simultaneously.
At least that death had been real.
“Did Dad know about you?”
“Yes.”
“And Julian’s accident?”
Sofia looked toward Julian.
“David called me before it happened.”
My heart pounded.
“What did he say?”
“That someone had Elena’s medical records.”
I swallowed.
“He told me they were threatening your life.”
Julian’s expression darkened.
“Who?”
“Gabriel believed it was Raymond Cross.”
Margaret froze.
“Our uncle Raymond?”
Julian’s father had two brothers.
Gabriel.
Raymond.
Raymond Cross had served as chairman of several family businesses.
He had died five years earlier.
Supposedly.
I almost laughed.
“Another dead uncle?”
Sofia nodded grimly.
“Raymond controlled the hidden accounts.”
“Did he order the accident?”
“Yes.”
Julian’s hands curled.
“Why?”
“Because you were preparing to restructure the organization.”
Julian stared.
“How do you know?”
“David told Gabriel.”
Margaret whispered:
“Then Raymond believed Julian would expose him.”
“Yes.”
“Where is Raymond now?”
Sofia looked at me.
“I don’t know.”
“But Gabriel does?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Gabriel?”
She looked toward Julian.
“He’ll contact you when he believes you’re ready.”
Julian’s expression hardened.
“I’m ready now.”
Sofia shook her head.
“No.”
“What is he waiting for?”
She swallowed.
“For you to discover who inside your house has been reporting to Raymond.”
May you like
Silence.
Then the lights went out.
