Chapter 3 - the housekeeper's debt
The entire west wall groaned as a concealed hydraulic mechanism activated behind the woodwork. The central section of the heavy bookcase swung open like a massive door, revealing a narrow, stone-paved corridor bathed in dim, yellow light.
A wave of cold, stagnant air rushed into the luxurious study.
Grace gasped, holding her daughters closer, while Mia stared wide-eyed into the dark passage.
"Grace, take the girls to the master bedroom on the second floor and lock the door," Roman ordered without looking back, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Dante will be at the door in two minutes."
"Mr. Duca, what is that place?" Grace whispered, her voice trembling with genuine fear. "Is someone really in there?"
"Do what I said, Grace. Now," Roman commanded firmly.
Grace didn't hesitate. She lifted Mia into her arms, securing baby Lily on her back, and scrambled out of the study, her maid dress rustling as she disappeared down the corridor.
Roman reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a sleek black sidearm, and stepped past the open bookcase into the hidden passage. The air smelled of old paper, damp stone, and a familiar lavender perfume that made his chest tighten with overwhelming nostalgia.
He walked down the stone steps until he reached a reinforced steel door at the end of the hall. The small sliding viewport on the door was open from the inside.
Roman approached slowly, his polished shoes echoing on the cold floor. He looked through the iron bars into the small, carpeted room inside.
Sitting on a velvet armchair beside a small reading lamp was an elegant woman in her late forties, dressed in a faded silk robe. She had long dark hair silvered at the temples, fair skin, and eyes that matched Roman's exactly.
It was Sophia Duca—Roman's mother, who was believed to have perished in a car explosion twenty-three years ago when Roman was just nine years old.
"Romy," she whispered again, tears brimming in her dark eyes as she reached her thin hand through the iron bars. "You've grown into your father's likeness."
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Roman stopped two feet from the door, his gun lowering slightly, his mind reeling in absolute disbelief.
"How are you alive?" Roman choked out, his cold facade shattering completely. "Who put you in this room?"
