Chapter 11 - The Heir Apparent's Secret
The winter wind howled against the reinforced glass of the Costa estate, bringing a freezing blanket of snow that paralyzed downtown Chicago. Inside, the library crackled with warmth from a massive stone fireplace. Nora sat at her mahogany desk, reviewing financial ledgers for the shipping ports Arthur had recently placed under her direct management.
A sharp knock rapped against the heavy oak door. Before Nora could answer, the door edged open, and Leo slipped inside. The twelve-year-old looked pale, his usual rebellious swagger entirely missing. He clutched a crumpled piece of paper in his fist, his knuckles white.
"Leo?" Nora set her pen down immediately, her sharp instincts flaring. "What is it? Are you hurt?"
"No," Leo muttered, staring at the floorboards. He walked over slowly and dropped the paper onto her desk. "I found this in Dad's private study. In the bottom of the floor safe. He... he doesn't know I saw it."
Nora smoothed out the heavy parchment. It was an old medical dossier bearing the seal of a high-security psychiatric facility across state lines, dated six years prior—long before she had ever met Arthur. The name at the top wasn't Arthur’s deceased wife. It read: Elena Costa.
"Who is Elena?" Nora asked, her voice dropping into a careful, low register.
"My aunt," Leo whispered, tears finally spilling over his lashes. "Dad’s younger sister. Everyone told us she died in a car accident when I was little. But... that's not what the file says, Nora. She didn't die in a crash. She was institutionalized because she tried to poison the family patriarch when she found out how the syndicate really makes its money. Dad didn't kill her... but he locked her away. And the file says she had a child before she vanished."
May you like
Nora’s blood ran cold. She looked up from the paper into the boy's terrified eyes. "Why are you showing me this, Leo?"
"Because," Leo choked out, swallowing hard. "A man stopped me after school today. He didn't look like Carmine's thugs. He was wearing an expensive suit, and he had eyes just like mine. He gave me a burner phone and said... he said my father stole everything from his mother, and that the Costa empire belongs to him by blood. He told me if I don't leave the side gates unlocked tonight, he's going to finish what Aunt Elena started."
