📜 CHAPTER 15: The Third Generation
I immediately signaled Bianca, and we quietly slipped away from the gala, heading upstairs to the grand library. We locked the doors and pulled up the digital logs of the mansion’s internal network.
My fingers flew across the keyboard, tracing the encrypted call that Adrian had made on his deathbed. The destination of the signal wasn't a hidden device in the walls.
It was Leo’s personal laptop.
"No..." Bianca whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "Leo wouldn't. He hates Adrian. He knows what Adrian did to us!"
Before we could investigate further, the library door clicked open. Leo walked in, holding a glass of champagne. The warm, respectful expression he wore downstairs at the gala was completely gone. In its place was a cold, calculating gaze that mirrored Adrian’s exactly.
"You don't need to hack my server, Auntie Lucia," Leo said smoothly, closing the door behind him. "I'll tell you myself. I’ve been speaking to my father since I turned eighteen."
Bianca staggered back, her face turning pale. "Leo... how could you? That man tried to destroy us! He abandoned you!"
"He didn't abandon me, Mom. You and Auntie Lucia took me away from him to use me as the ultimate shield," Leo countered, his voice dead calm, chillingly logical. "My father was a fool, a narcissist, and a criminal. I know that. He deserved to rot in jail. But he taught me one very important lesson before he died tonight."
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Leo walked over to the mahogany desk and placed a legal folder in front of me.
"He taught me that in this family, love is a liability, and alliances are just temporary arrangements. You and Mom built an empire on revenge. But you forgot that an empire built on blood always requires a blood sacrifice to maintain."
