The memory sharpened, clear and vivid.
“Every time they brought food,” I continued, “I had the gun pressed to his temple through the serving slot. Safety off. Finger ready. I told them exactly how it would go: one wrong move, one forced entry, and his brains would be on the wall.”
“They backed off,” I said. “Fed us and left us alone.”
“Matteo needed him alive,” I said. “Whatever they had going on—it was worth more than me.”
My hands trembled slightly at my sides.
I met his gaze head-on.
Unflinching.
“Violet does nothing but lie—and it’s pathetic how easily you believe her. No one touched me in those four weeks. I’m telling you the truth.”
Vincenzo didn’t speak right away.
But something in his face... broke.
“Your father?” he repeated slowly. “You’re telling me Vasquez is alive?”
“Yes.”
The silence that followed stretched thin, like a wire pulled too tight.
“I went to California myself,” he said.
“After the crash that killed him and his family, I had my men exhume the body. We didn’t rely on hearsay—we verified everything. DNA. Dental records. Bone structure. Independent confirmation.”
His voice hardened. “It was him.”
He took a slow step closer.
“His eyes locked onto mine—unyielding now.
“Your father is dead, Elena.”
For a moment, the room felt like it tilted beneath my feet.
“I don’t know what your investigation team told you,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, “but Vasquez was standing right in front of me four weeks ago. Alive. Breathing. Smiling.”
I let out a hollow breath. “Smoking like nothing ever happened. Like he hadn’t just erased himself from the world.”
I held his gaze. “I kept him hostage for four weeks.”
A faint, bitter smile touched my lips. “Maybe you should learn to investigate—or re-investigate—before jumping to rigid conclusions.”
My eyes hardened. “Or do you think I’m lying about my father being alive too?”
I smirked, even as pain tore through me.
He never believed a word I said... even though I always told the truth.
My hands curled slightly at my sides.
Vincenzo didn’t move.
But I saw the tension building again.
