Chapter 4 - the shadow over the estate
By nightfall, a heavy thunderstorm rolled in over the estate, dark clouds blocking out the moon and rain pounding relentlessly against the high glass windows.
Inside Lorenzo's master suite, a warm fire crackled in the stone hearth. Evelyn lay resting on a plush velvet sofa, wrapped in a soft white wool blanket. Anna sat quietly on a wooden stool nearby, carefully feeding Evelyn warm soup from a silver tray.
Lorenzo walked into the room, having changed into a dark dress shirt and trousers. The terrifying, lethal aura he carried in front of his enemies completely vanished as he looked down at Evelyn.
He knelt beside the sofa, reaching out his large, warm hand to gently brush a dark lock of hair away from her pale forehead. "How are you feeling, my love?"
Evelyn rested her hand over his, her soft brown eyes brimming with tears. "I thought I would never see your face again, Lorenzo. Every night in that cold room... the sound of your footsteps on the floor above kept me alive."
Lorenzo pressed his lips against her knuckles, his heart aching with profound grief and rage. "I searched the entire continent for you, Evelyn. They told me you ran away on our wedding day... they planted a fake farewell note in your room."
"Bianca wrote that note," Evelyn whispered, her voice trembling. "She wanted you to hate me so you would never look for me inside the house."
Anna set the soup bowl down, her quiet voice breaking through the heavy emotion in the room. "Mr. Moretti... if I may speak?"
Lorenzo looked up at the young housemaid. "Go ahead, Anna."
"While I was cleaning Miss Bianca's private study this afternoon," Anna hesitated, looking nervous, "I heard her on her satellite phone. She was calling Julian Vance. She told him that Evelyn was found, and that he needed to execute 'Plan B' before midnight."
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Lorenzo’s jaw set like iron as he stood up. "Plan B..."
"They aren't just trying to cover up the past, Lorenzo," Evelyn warned, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "Julian Vance wants complete control of the Moretti shipping ports. With Bianca ruined, they will strike this estate tonight!"
