Chapter 8 - the secret of the old estate
At 3:00 AM, a motorcade of three heavy black SUVs pulled out of the Kane estate, navigating the winding, fog-draped roads heading north toward the old family property in Geneva Lake.
Inside the middle vehicle, Bianca sat in the back seat, flanked by two broad-shouldered guards. She wore a heavy black coat over her ruby dress, her hands resting quietly in her lap, her spirit completely broken.
Vittorio sat in the front passenger seat, staring out at the dark trees passing by in the headlights. In his lap rested the black ledger and the decrypted contents of the flash drive.
"Why are we going to the lake house?" Bianca asked quietly, her voice hoarse from hours of silence.
"Because that's where Elena died," Vittorio answered without turning around. "And that's where the man who paid you is waiting right now."
Bianca’s breath hitched. "He... he knows?"
"He thinks you called him for an emergency payoff," Vittorio said calmly. "He thinks you're meeting him to exchange the drive for ten million dollars in cash so you can flee to Europe."
Twenty minutes later, the SUVs turned down a private gravel driveway lined with towering pine trees, stopping in front of a secluded two-story stone cabin overlooking the pitch-black waters of the lake.
The lights inside the cabin were on, casting long yellow rectangles across the damp grass.
Vittorio stepped out of the vehicle, adjusting his dark suit coat. He opened the rear door and motioned for Bianca to step out.
May you like
"Walk ahead of me," Vittorio ordered gently. "And act like a woman who still has a price."
Bianca swallowed hard, her high heels clicking softly on the gravel as she walked toward the front porch, Vittorio following two paces behind her like an unstoppable force of nature.
