Chapter 1 - the ruined veil
The sun broke over the high, wrought-iron gates of the Moretti estate, casting a cold golden light through the tall stained-glass windows of the long-abandoned bridal suite. Dusty light beams illuminated velvet curtains and polished mahogany furniture that had remained untouched for three agonizing years. Inside the silent room, Anna Reed pushed a heavy upright vacuum across the dark wooden floorboards. At early thirties, Anna was a hardworking housemaid inside the estate—quiet, observant, and easily frightened by the powerful family she served. She wore her classic navy-and-white maid uniform, her soft brown hair tied into a neat, practical bun.
As Anna passed near the grand canopy bed, the vacuum motor suddenly groaned and stalled. The nozzle was stuck tight against a narrow seam between two floorboards. Anna turned off the switch, dropping to her knees on the cold wood to inspect the obstruction. Wedged deep inside the gap was a fine strand of delicate fabric. She pinched it with two fingers and gave a gentle tug.
A long, intact white wedding veil slowly began sliding out from beneath the floorboards, pristine despite the dust, unspooling like a ghost rising from the dark foundation of the house.
Anna gasped, pulling more of the lace into the sunlight.
"That was Evelyn’s," a deep, commanding voice echoed from the doorway.
Anna jumped, her heart hammering against her ribs as she spun around. Standing in the entrance was Lorenzo Moretti. Tall, broad-shouldered, sharply handsome, and deeply masculine, Lorenzo was a feared and immensely powerful Mafia boss. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, an open-collar white dress shirt, a luxury wristwatch, and polished black leather shoes, his thick dark hair and light stubble gave him an intimidatingly calm presence.
Lorenzo walked into the suite, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the wood. His dark eyes were fixed on the silk veil trailing from Anna's hands. He lowered his massive frame onto one knee beside her, reaching out his hand to grasp the lace.
As Lorenzo pulled on the veil, a loud metallic click echoed beneath their feet. A hidden floor panel unlatched and lifted slightly.
Before Lorenzo could lift the heavy wood, a pale, trembling woman’s hand reached out through the narrow opening from the dark abyss below and gripped the veil tightly.
"Mr. Moretti...!" Anna squeaked in sheer shock, scrambling backward on her hands and knees.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway outside. Bianca Moretti, Lorenzo’s sophisticated older sister, stepped into the doorway. In her late thirties, Bianca was beautiful, elegant, and calculating. Dressed in a luxurious champagne-colored gown with sparkling diamond earrings and high heels, her usually calm expression completely collapsed into raw panic the moment her eyes landed on the lifted floorboard.
"Don’t open it!" Bianca screamed, her voice cracking with desperate authority.
Lorenzo didn't listen. His jaw set like iron as he grabbed the edge of the secret panel and forced it completely open with one fluid, powerful movement.
Concealed in a small, windowless room beneath the bridal suite floor was a fragile woman. It was Evelyn Moretti—Lorenzo’s fiancée who had mysteriously vanished on their wedding day three years earlier. Though thin and deeply traumatized, her long dark-brown hair was filthy, and she still wore the yellowed, ruined remains of her elegant white wedding dress and veil.
Lorenzo’s breath caught violently in his chest. "Evelyn..." he whispered, his voice trembling with a rare, shattering emotion as he reached into the dark chamber and took her trembling, cold hand.
Evelyn slowly raised her pale face toward the light. She ignored the tear streaming down Lorenzo's cheek and looked past him, locking her dark eyes directly onto Bianca standing frozen in the doorway. Bianca went completely pale, backing up against the doorframe.
Evelyn parted her cracked lips, her voice a weak, hoarse whisper that chilled the air in the room.
May you like
"Ask your sister what I found on our wedding day."
Lorenzo went dead quiet, his eyes narrowing as he slowly turned his head toward Bianca.
