Chapter 3 - TWENTY-SIX DAYS
Julian took Elena to his suite.
Not because she wanted to go.
Because she could barely stand.
A hotel doctor examined her while Julian waited near the window.
Her blood pressure was elevated.
She was dehydrated.
Exhausted.
The baby’s heartbeat was steady.
That heartbeat nearly brought Julian to his knees.
His child.
Alive.
Only a few feet away.
A child he had not known existed.
When the doctor left, Elena remained seated on the edge of the bed.
Julian handed her a glass of water.
She stared at it.
Then at him.
He understood.
“You think it could be tampered with?”
“I don’t know.”
Julian opened a sealed bottle in front of her.
He poured it into another glass.
Then drank first.
Elena watched him.
Only then did she accept it.
That small act filled him with rage.
“What happened to you?”
She looked away.
“Elena.”
“You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“You believed them before.”
The words landed quietly.
Julian sat across from her.
“I don’t know what I believed anymore.”
She held the glass with both hands.
“I found out I was pregnant nine days before I disappeared.”
Julian said nothing.
“I was happy.”
Her voice softened.
“For about an hour, I was happier than I had ever been.”
Julian looked down.
“Then I started thinking about how bad things had become between us.”
“We were struggling.”
“You were never home.”
“I know.”
“Your mother was everywhere.”
His eyes lifted.
Elena continued.
“She controlled the staff.”
“The dinners.”
“The invitations.”
“The accounts.”
“She even started deciding which doctor I should see.”
Julian frowned.
“I didn’t know that.”
“You didn’t ask.”
He accepted the blow.
“You’re right.”
Elena looked surprised.
Maybe she had expected him to argue.
“I wanted to tell you about the baby before anyone else knew.”
“So you asked me to stay that morning.”
“Yes.”
“And I left.”
“Yes.”
Julian rubbed his hands together.
“Because Luca supposedly needed me in Zurich.”
Elena looked at him.
“Luca was in Milan that day.”
Julian froze.
“What?”
“I saw him.”
“When?”
“Two hours after you left.”
“That’s impossible.”
“He came to the house.”
Julian slowly stood.
“What did he want?”
“He said your mother wanted me at lunch.”
“Where?”
“Villa Rossi.”
Julian knew the family estate outside Milan.
“Did you go?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Elena’s hands began trembling.
“Your mother already knew.”
“About the pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I never found out.”
Julian’s stomach tightened.
“What did she say?”
Elena looked at him.
“She told me the child would destroy everything.”
Julian stared.
“Why?”
“She said you were finally ready to take full control of Rossi Holdings.”
“She said a child would make you vulnerable.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It didn’t to me either.”
“Then?”
“She offered me money.”
Julian’s jaw clenched.
“How much?”
“Five million euros.”
His expression hardened.
“To leave me?”
“Yes.”
Julian turned away.
Of course.
It sounded exactly like Isabella.
“What did you say?”
“I told her to go to hell.”
Despite everything, Julian almost smiled.
That sounded exactly like Elena.
“She didn’t like that.”
“I imagine not.”
“I left.”
Elena swallowed.
“Luca followed me.”
Julian turned back.
“What did he do?”
“He apologized.”
“For what?”
“For your mother.”
“He said she was obsessed with protecting the company.”
“He told me he was on my side.”
Julian felt dread gathering.
“And you believed him.”
“Yes.”
Elena’s voice broke.
“That was my mistake.”
She looked down.
“Luca offered to drive me home.”
Julian stopped moving.
“Elena.”
“I never made it home.”
Silence filled the suite.
“What happened?”
“I remember getting into his car.”
“I remember him giving me a bottle of water.”
“I remember feeling dizzy.”
Her fingers tightened around the glass.
“Then I woke up at the clinic.”
Julian felt something cold move through his body.
“You’re saying my brother drugged you?”
“I’m saying I drank water in his car.”
“And then I lost almost fourteen hours.”
Julian’s hands curled into fists.
“What happened at the clinic?”
Elena looked toward the bedroom door.
“No phones.”
“No visitors.”
“They took my bag.”
“My identification.”
“My clothes.”
“They told me I had suffered a breakdown.”
Julian stared at her.
“They told me you had signed the admission papers.”
His face went blank.
“What?”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
“They showed me your signature.”
“I never signed anything.”
“I know that now.”
Julian stepped closer.
“I never knew you were there.”
“They told me you did.”
“I swear—”
“I know.”
Her tears finally fell.
“They showed me messages.”
Julian felt sick.
“What messages?”
“From you.”
“What did they say?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“That you didn’t want the baby.”
Julian stopped breathing.
“That you wanted me to stay away.”
“No.”
“That you would file for divorce if I contacted you.”
“No.”
“That the pregnancy was my problem.”
“Elena, no.”
She looked at him.
“I believed you.”
Julian knelt in front of her.
“I never wrote those messages.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because of one sentence.”
“What sentence?”
Elena wiped her face.
“Three weeks after I arrived, someone sent another message.”
“She said it was from you.”
“What did it say?”
“Take care of yourself, Lena.”
Julian frowned.
Then understood.
He had never called her Lena.
Not once.
But Luca did.
Ever since they met.
Julian stood.
“My brother.”
“I think so.”
“You think?”
“I never saw who sent the messages.”
“But there’s more.”
Julian waited.
Elena looked directly at him.
“One night, I heard Luca arguing with your mother outside my room.”
Julian’s pulse accelerated.
“What did they say?”
“I couldn’t hear everything.”
“But I heard your name.”
“And I heard Luca say…”
She stopped.
“What?”
Elena whispered,
“Julian can never know the baby is his.”
The room went silent.
Julian looked away.
His own brother.
His own mother.
“Why?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Then how did you get out?”
Elena gave a bitter smile.
“They let me out.”
“What?”
“After twenty-six days.”
“Why?”
“Because they thought I had accepted the arrangement.”
“What arrangement?”
“To disappear.”
Julian stared at her.
“They threatened the baby.”
Elena’s voice became barely audible.
“They said if I returned to you, they would prove I was mentally unstable.”
“They had medical records.”
“Statements.”
“Medication records.”
“Everything.”
“They said they would make sure I lost custody the moment the baby was born.”
Julian’s face hardened.
“They couldn’t.”
“They could if a judge believed the records.”
“They owned the records, Julian.”
“They owned the doctor.”
“They owned the clinic.”
“They owned the story.”
Julian felt fury building.
“And my mother arranged your job here?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To keep me away from Milan.”
“She knew you almost never came to the Grand Alcazar.”
Julian realized Elena was right.
The hotel belonged to an old business rival.
He had not stayed here in years.
Tonight had been Camila’s choice.
Camila.
Something clicked.
“Who suggested this hotel?”
Elena looked confused.
“What?”
“Camila booked dinner here.”
“So?”
Julian stood.
“She insisted.”
“Julian…”
He pulled out his phone.
Camila answered on the fourth ring.
“What?”
“Why the Grand Alcazar?”
Silence.
“What are you talking about?”
“Why did you choose this hotel tonight?”
“Because it’s beautiful.”
“There are fifty beautiful hotels in this city.”
“Are you interrogating me now?”
“Answer me.”
“I wanted to have dinner there.”
“Who recommended it?”
Camila hesitated.
Julian heard it.
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
Everything stopped.
“When?”
“Last week.”
Julian’s eyes met Elena’s.
“Why?”
“She said you needed somewhere romantic.”
Julian ended the call.
Elena stared at him.
“Your mother sent you here?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“No.”
It didn't.
If Isabella had spent eight months hiding Elena, why send Julian directly to her?
Unless Isabella had not known Elena would be working tonight.
Or unless someone wanted Julian to find her.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Matteo.
CALL ME NOW.
Julian called.
Matteo sounded breathless.
“I recovered the authorization.”
“Whose name?”
“It wasn’t your mother.”
Julian frowned.
“Who?”
“Luca.”
Elena closed her eyes.
Julian asked,
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
“The instruction was modified yesterday.”
“Modified how?”
“Elena Moretti was transferred to lobby duty.”
Julian stared at her.
“When?”
“Effective tonight.”
The meaning was immediate.
Someone had deliberately placed Elena in Julian’s path.
“Who authorized the transfer?”
Matteo hesitated.
“Camila De Santis.”
Julian’s blood ran cold.
May you like
His girlfriend had not accidentally brought him to the Grand Alcazar.
She had brought him there to find Elena.
