"What is it?" I bark out, a little too harsh.
"I… can we meet? There's something you need to know," she sounds uncertain enough to make me intrigued.
"Aren't you in Italy?" I ask dryly, already anticipating the answer.
"What? No, of course not," she replies immediately, and her confirmation is enough to stop me—to put a momentary stop to my murderous plans. Because I need the full picture.
Ineedto know what happened to my little tigress, so I know exactly how much I'll punish those fucking bastards.
"Fine," I tell her where to meet me—the only secure location at this point—maman's place.
With a longing stare of disappointment, I leavesomeof my weapons at home before I take Luca with me and head tomaman's.
Knowing what I know, I can't let my son stay unsupervised under this roof.
When I reachmaman's apartment, I'm met with a sobbing Lia taking comfort inmaman's arms.
"Shh, dear, let it all out,"mamancoos, and Lia cries even harder.
My own tears have dried up, but as I look at her face, ravaged by tears, I feel my eyes getting moist anew.
"Lia," I address her, and her eyes widen when she sees me with Luca strapped to my front.
"Signor Enzo, and baby Luca," she rises to rush toward me, her eyes greedily moving over Luca's sleeping form.
"He's fine?" she asks, her voice breathless but also full of relief.
"He is." I nod toward the seats. "I gather you know something."
She sits down, her hands fidgeting in her lap, her expression full of worry and grief.
"You too?" she asks slowly, and I wonder how much I can reveal. But I remember how much Allegra had trusted her and how much she'd loved her as a mother figure.
"I've recently found out," I admit, and her hand flies to her mouth, muffling a cry.
"Would someone please tell me what's happening?"Mamaninterjects, and I motion for Lia to continue, since she probably has more information than I do.
"I don't even know where to start, Signor," she sighs deeply.
"What happened at the hospital?" I ask, feeling a lump form in my throat. I don't want to hear about my Allegra's death, but Ineed to steel myself. It's ironic that for someone used to the harshness of life—to killing without a care—this small detail could make me unravel.
"It was the day you left, Signor. She was behaving a little strangely, so I was worried about her. I kept trying to pamper her, thinking maybe she was feeling a little overwhelmed. But then she asked me to go buy her some sweets. She was very specific in her demand and asked for something that sheknewI wouldn't find easily." She wipes at her eye.
"Luckily, I did, and I returned within the hour. Right in time to see Miss Chiara walk into her salon."
"She never mentioned that she and Chiara are twins," I interject.
"Of course she wouldn't," Lia's expression sours, "when all their lives they've been more like strangers than sisters who shared a womb. And their parents played a large part in that, always pitting the girls against one another, making them compete for their affections. But Chiara wasn't quite like my Miss Allegra. She lacked her warmth and kindness, and she never played fair. It was hard enough that Signora Marchesi blamed Allegra for the complications at her birth, but as the girls grew, it became clear their parents favored one over the other."
"But they're twins," I add, almost outraged. I'd known Allegra's childhood hadn't been a happy one, but for her to be ostracized byeveryoneis a hard pill to swallow. I'd had my sisters, and even though there was an age difference, we'd all been close.
"It didn't really matter to them," Lia continues, taking a deep breath. "As the favoritism increased, so did the scheming. They eventually realized that they were lucky to have twins—one girl to keep and one to sell."
"Franzè."
She nods. "He was the perfect target, with his wealth and connections throughout Europe. They decided early thatFranzè would be the perfect son-in-law, so they contrived to turn Allegra into the perfect bride. Most of which, as you well know, involved starving her and keeping her in a bubble. While my Miss was having hunger pangs, her sister was traveling in luxury all around the world. She was loved and celebrated by her parents, and theyneverdenied her anything." More tears make their way down her cheeks, andmamanoffers her a napkin.
"I've always known Miss Chiara hated Miss Allegra, mostly because for all her evil machinations to always be the best, she knew she could never hold a candle to her sister. She always tried to bully my Miss, but you know Allegra," she smiles fondly, "she doesn't back down without a fight."
