Chapter 13 - The Serpent in the House
Paranoia became the newest resident of the Moretti estate, wrapping its cold fingers tightly around my throat.
I stopped letting the maids clean Leo's room, and I insisted on cooking every single one of his meals myself.
Every time a staff member looked at me, I wondered if they were the one counting the money Victor had secretly paid them.
Ricardo spent his days locked in his study, coordinating aggressive strikes against Victor’s supply lines in the city to force him into the open.
I was walking down the hallway to bring Ricardo a cup of black coffee when I heard a hushed, frantic voice coming from the laundry room.
I stopped dead in my tracks, pressing my back flat against the cold wall.
"I placed the device exactly where you asked," the voice whispered in a panicked tone. "But the boss found it. He is going to kill everyone."
I slowly leaned over, peering through the small crack in the wooden door.
It was Maria, a sweet, elderly maid who had worked for the Moretti family long before I ever arrived.
She was crying softly into her cell phone, completely terrified.
"No, please! My husband needs his medication. You promised me the money!" Maria begged the person on the other end of the line.
My heart shattered, realizing how easily Victor had preyed upon a desperate, vulnerable old woman.
I pushed the laundry room door open, the heavy wood creaking loudly in the quiet hallway.
Maria dropped her phone in absolute horror, her face turning pale as a ghost when she saw me standing there.
"Mrs. Moretti, I swear to God, I had no choice!" Maria sobbed, falling to her knees on the tile floor. "They threatened to kill my family!"
I stood there for a long moment, looking down at the woman who had helped me bake cookies for Leo just a few days ago.
If I told Ricardo about this, he would execute her without a single moment of hesitation.
"Stand up, Maria," I ordered softly, my voice completely steady despite the chaos in my mind.
She slowly got to her feet, shaking uncontrollably, fully expecting me to call for the armed guards.
"Victor is using you because he knows Ricardo's men are completely loyal," I told her, stepping closer. "But you are going to help me end this."
Maria looked at me with wide, confused eyes.
"You are going to call him back," I instructed her coldly. "And you are going to tell him exactly what I want him to hear."
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I was no longer just a frightened waitress hiding in the shadow of a powerful man.
I was a mother protecting her child, and I was fully prepared to play the devil's game.
