Chapter 3 - The Mafia Boss Rushed to Her Apartment After Midnight—Then Discovered the Betrayal Came From the Person He Trusted MostChelsea stood in the center of her apartment, staring at the door.
Gabriel Russo's voice came again.
"Chelsea, open up."
Her heart hammered.
She held the phone tightly.
Matteo was still on the line.
"Matteo," she whispered, "Gabriel is outside."
Silence.
Then his voice changed.
"Don't open the door."
Chelsea felt cold.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't send him."
Her stomach dropped.
Outside, Gabriel knocked again.
"Chelsea?"
Matteo's voice was low.
"Move away from the entrance."
She obeyed.
"What do I do?"
"Stay on the phone. I'm calling building security and the police from another line."
Chelsea backed toward the kitchen.
Her hands trembled.
Gabriel had worked for Matteo for eleven years.
He managed security.
Investigated threats.
Protected the family.
He was the man Matteo trusted with his life.
And now he was standing outside her apartment without explanation.
"Chelsea," Gabriel called, "I know you're home."
She swallowed.
"Why are you here?"
A pause.
Then:
"Because we need to talk."
"About what?"
"The Lucchese acquisition."
Chelsea glanced toward the windows.
She lived on the fourth floor.
There was no fire escape outside the living room.
Only the hallway.
Only the door.
Matteo's voice came through the phone.
"Don't engage him."
Chelsea whispered, "He's not leaving."
"Help is coming."
Outside, Gabriel sighed.
"Chelsea, I don't want to frighten you."
She almost laughed.
"Then leave."
Silence.
Then he said something that made her blood turn cold.
"You should have stayed away from the gala."
Chelsea stopped breathing.
Matteo heard it.
His voice became deadly calm.
"Put him on speaker."
Chelsea did.
Matteo spoke.
"Gabriel."
Silence.
Then Gabriel answered.
"Boss."
"Step away from her door."
A long pause.
"Matteo—"
"Now."
Gabriel laughed softly.
"You always did have a weakness for her."
Chelsea felt her face burn.
Matteo's expression was impossible to see.
But his voice remained cold.
"You're making a mistake."
Gabriel replied, "No. I made a mistake eleven years ago when I decided loyalty would be rewarded."
Chelsea stared at the door.
Then heard footsteps.
Retreating.
A moment later, the elevator chimed.
Gabriel was gone.
Chelsea sank onto the sofa.
Her hands shook so badly she could barely hold the phone.
Matteo spoke gently.
"Chelsea?"
"I'm here."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Good."
A pause.
Then:
"I'm coming."
Twenty-five minutes later, Matteo arrived.
He was wearing dark trousers and a black coat.
No tie.
His hair was slightly disheveled.
Chelsea had never seen him look so human.
He stepped inside.
Then stopped.
His eyes moved over her face.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded.
He approached slowly.
"Can I hug you?"
The question surprised her.
She stared at him.
Then nodded.
He wrapped his arms around her.
Chelsea closed her eyes.
For a moment, she allowed herself to lean against him.
His coat smelled faintly of cedar and expensive soap.
His heartbeat was steady.
She had spent years imagining what it might feel like to be held by Matteo Romano.
Now that it was happening, she felt frightened by how much she needed it.
He pulled back gently.
"You're safe."
She looked at him.
"How do you know?"
His expression changed.
"Because I'm going to make sure the people threatening you are stopped."
Chelsea swallowed.
"Gabriel betrayed you."
Matteo looked away.
"Yes."
"Are you angry?"
He laughed bitterly.
"Very."
She studied him.
"Are you hurt?"
He looked at her.
The question seemed to surprise him.
Then he nodded.
"More than I expected."
Chelsea understood.
Gabriel had been more than an employee.
He had been a friend.
A confidant.
Someone Matteo trusted with his most dangerous secrets.
And now that trust was shattered.
She reached for his hand.
"I'm sorry."
He looked down at their joined hands.
Then squeezed gently.
"So am I."
The investigation moved quickly.
Building security confirmed Gabriel had entered Chelsea's building using a visitor credential.
The police took her statement.
Matteo's attorneys coordinated with independent investigators.
By morning, Gabriel's access to company systems had been revoked.
But he had disappeared.
So had Chiara.
And Leonardo had stopped answering calls.
Chelsea sat in Matteo's office, studying the financial records.
Something bothered her.
The stolen three hundred million dollars had been routed through Blackstone Harbor Holdings.
But the company had not been created recently.
It had existed for six years.
Chelsea opened its transaction history.
Her expression changed.
"Matteo."
He looked up.
"What?"
"Blackstone Harbor wasn't created for the acquisition."
He approached.
"What do you mean?"
She turned the screen toward him.
"It's been receiving payments from Romano subsidiaries for years."
His eyes narrowed.
"How much?"
Chelsea swallowed.
"Nearly ninety million dollars."
Matteo went still.
"Over what period?"
"Six years."
He stared at the screen.
Chelsea continued.
"The payments were disguised as consulting fees, logistics expenses, and property maintenance."
Matteo's jaw tightened.
"Who approved them?"
Chelsea opened the authorization records.
Then stopped.
Her stomach dropped.
The signatures belonged to Matteo's late father.
Antonio Romano.
Chelsea looked up.
"Matteo..."
His expression changed.
"What?"
She turned the screen.
"Your father."
Silence.
Matteo stared at the records.
Then slowly sat.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Chelsea watched him carefully.
Antonio Romano had died four years earlier.
Matteo rarely spoke about him.
When he did, his voice became cold.
Chelsea knew their relationship had been difficult.
But she had never asked for details.
Now she was staring at evidence suggesting Antonio had financed the same network that was trying to destroy his son.
Matteo looked at the screen.
"My father built this."
Chelsea swallowed.
"Possibly."
He shook his head.
"No."
His expression hardened.
"He built the system Gabriel is using."
Chelsea looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Matteo leaned back.
"My father believed loyalty could be purchased. He gave Gabriel power, money, and access."
He looked toward the window.
"When I took over, I tried to change how the company operated."
Chelsea nodded.
She had helped him.
They had introduced independent audits.
New governance policies.
Stronger compliance controls.
More transparent financial reporting.
And every change had been resisted by older family members.
Matteo continued.
"Gabriel probably saw those reforms as a threat."
Chelsea looked at the records.
"And Leonardo?"
"My cousin wanted the old system back."
She nodded slowly.
"Then this wasn't just theft."
Matteo met her eyes.
"It was a coup."
That afternoon, Chelsea received another call from Evelyn Price.
This time, Evelyn was safe.
She had contacted an attorney and agreed to provide a statement.
Chelsea met her in a secure conference room with investigators present.
Evelyn was a young woman with nervous eyes and trembling hands.
She looked at Chelsea.
"I'm sorry."
Chelsea frowned.
"For what?"
"For not speaking up sooner."
Chelsea sat opposite her.
"Tell me what happened."
Evelyn swallowed.
"Chiara hired me to manage her private communications. At first, it was normal public-relations work."
She looked down.
"Then she started asking me to delete messages."
Chelsea leaned forward.
"What messages?"
"Conversations with Gabriel and Leonardo."
Matteo stood beside the window.
His expression hardened.
Evelyn continued.
"Chiara said they were planning a leadership transition."
Chelsea felt cold.
"What kind of transition?"
Evelyn looked at Matteo.
"One where you would be removed."
Silence.
Matteo's jaw tightened.
"How?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"By making it appear that Miss Hilliard had stolen company money."
Chelsea stared at her.
Evelyn continued.
"They planned to use the scandal to force you to resign. Then Leonardo would take control."
Chelsea felt sick.
"And Chiara?"
Evelyn looked ashamed.
"She believed Leonardo would make her head of corporate communications."
Chelsea laughed bitterly.
Of course.
Power.
Money.
Status.
And she had been the disposable woman they planned to sacrifice.
Evelyn continued.
"But something changed last week."
Matteo looked at her.
"What?"
"Gabriel discovered that the Lucchese acquisition included a property they wanted."
Chelsea frowned.
"Which property?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"Pier Seventeen."
Chelsea's heart quickened.
Pier Seventeen was an old shipping terminal on the East River.
It had been closed for years.
The Lucchese acquisition included the land as part of a larger redevelopment project.
Chelsea opened her laptop.
"What about it?"
Evelyn swallowed.
"Gabriel said there was something hidden there."
Matteo's expression changed.
"What?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"I don't know."
Chelsea looked at Matteo.
Then at the acquisition records.
Pier Seventeen.
A forgotten property.
A six-year financial network.
A forged transfer.
And a conspiracy designed to remove Matteo from power.
Suddenly, the pieces began fitting together.
Chelsea opened the property file.
The terminal had been scheduled for demolition.
But the demolition permit had been delayed.
Repeatedly.
By the same consulting company.
Blackstone Harbor Holdings.
Chelsea stared at the screen.
"Oh my God."
Matteo approached.
"What?"
She turned the laptop toward him.
"They weren't trying to steal the acquisition."
His eyes narrowed.
"Then what?"
Chelsea swallowed.
"They were trying to get control of Pier Seventeen before anyone inspected it."
The discovery changed everything.
Investigators obtained warrants and began examining the property.
The terminal had been abandoned for years.
Its warehouses were filled with old equipment.
Shipping containers.
Rusting machinery.
And records that should have been destroyed long ago.
But inside a locked office beneath the main loading platform, investigators discovered a hidden archive.
Financial documents.
Encrypted drives.
And evidence of illegal transactions connected to the Romano family's former operations.
Some records implicated Antonio Romano.
Others connected Gabriel, Leonardo, and outside associates to years of fraud and corruption.
But one file stood out.
A video recording.
Chelsea watched it beside Matteo.
The footage showed Antonio Romano sitting at a desk.
Gabriel stood beside him.
Leonardo was younger.
Chiara was not present.
Antonio spoke.
"If Matteo ever tries to dismantle the structure, we remove him."
Chelsea felt cold.
Matteo went completely still.
His father's voice continued.
"He's too soft. Too concerned with appearances and employees."
Gabriel nodded.
"And the woman?"
Antonio looked toward the camera.
"Which woman?"
Gabriel answered.
"Chelsea Hilliard."
Chelsea stopped breathing.
Antonio frowned.
"The accountant?"
Gabriel nodded.
"She's becoming influential."
Antonio laughed.
"Then use her."
Chelsea felt sick.
The recording continued.
"Make her the scandal. Matteo will defend her. The board will question his judgment."
Gabriel smiled.
"And if she refuses?"
Antonio's expression hardened.
"Everyone has a weakness."
The video ended.
Silence filled the room.
Chelsea stared at the screen.
The plan had begun years earlier.
Before the gala.
Before Chiara.
Before Leonardo's latest scheme.
She had been marked as a target because she was good at her job.
Because Matteo trusted her.
Because powerful men believed her appearance made her easy to humiliate.
Matteo stood motionless.
Then he whispered, "My father."
Chelsea looked at him.
His face had gone pale.
She approached.
"Matteo."
He shook his head.
"I spent years trying to become someone different from him."
His voice broke.
"And he was planning to destroy me the entire time."
Chelsea reached for his hand.
He looked at her.
For a moment, the powerful businessman disappeared.
In his place stood a man who had spent his life trying to earn approval from someone incapable of giving it.
Chelsea squeezed his hand.
"You're not him."
He stared at her.
She continued.
"You don't have to become the man your father wanted."
His eyes filled.
"You really believe that?"
She nodded.
"I've watched you change this company. I've seen you choose people over profit. I've seen you make decisions your father would have hated."
A faint smile touched her mouth.
"And I've seen you defend a woman everyone else thought was beneath you."
Matteo looked at her.
Then pulled her into his arms.
Chelsea rested her forehead against his chest.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he whispered, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Her heart tightened.
She closed her eyes.
"Then it's a good thing I'm still here."
That evening, Matteo asked Chelsea to dinner.
Not a business dinner.
Not a meeting.
A real dinner.
Just the two of them.
Chelsea stared at him.
"Matteo..."
He smiled.
"I know."
She frowned.
"Know what?"
"That I'm your employer. That this is complicated. That you have every reason to say no."
Chelsea swallowed.
He continued.
"I don't want you to feel pressured. If you prefer, we can wait until the investigation is finished and your reporting structure changes."
She stared at him.
For years, she had dreamed of being seen by Matteo Romano.
Now he was standing in front of her, asking instead of ordering.
Respecting her choice.
And somehow, that meant more than the invitation itself.
Chelsea smiled.
"After the investigation."
He nodded.
"After the investigation."
She looked at him.
"And Matteo?"
"Yes?"
"Don't make me regret saying yes."
His smile softened.
"I'll do my best."
Three days later, Gabriel Russo was arrested.
Leonardo was detained for questioning.
Chiara returned to New York with an attorney and agreed to cooperate.
The investigation widened.
But the most dangerous revelation was still ahead.
Because the hidden archive contained a second video.
One recorded only two weeks before the gala.
Gabriel sat across from an unidentified man.
The man's face was hidden.
But his voice was clear.
"Once Chelsea is blamed, Matteo will be vulnerable."
Gabriel nodded.
"And then?"
The man smiled.
"Then we take everything."
Chelsea stared at the screen.
Matteo's expression hardened.
"Who is he?"
The investigator shook his head.
"We're working on it."
Chelsea listened again.
The voice.
The rhythm.
The faint accent.
Something about it felt familiar.
Then she remembered.
A phone call from six months earlier.
A man who had offered her a job at another company.
A man who knew details about her work that should have been confidential.
She looked at Matteo.
"I know that voice."
His eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Chelsea swallowed.
"Your uncle."
Matteo went completely still.
"Vittorio?"
May you like
She nodded.
And suddenly, the conspiracy became much larger than anyone had imagined.
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