Chapter 2 - The Trap Closes
The name hit me like a physical blow. The air rushed out of my lungs, and the room tilted dangerously.
He knew.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered, backing away until my spine hit the coffee urns behind the counter. "My name is Emma."
Alessandro tilted his head, a dark, dangerous smile touching the corners of his lips. He reached into his inner suit pocket, pulled out a glossy photograph, and laid it face-up on the counter between us.
It was an old photograph. A high school graduation picture of Elizabeth Vance—daughter of Marcus Vance, the federal prosecutor who had spent twenty years trying to put the Vitali crime family in prison before dying in a suspicious house fire three years ago.
"Elizabeth Vance," Alessandro whispered, leaning across the counter until his amber eyes were inches from mine. "The daughter who vanished into thin air after her father's tragic accident. The girl who used a dead orphan's identity to enroll in nursing school. The girl who happened to be catering a private Vitali family gala six weeks ago."
"Alessandro, please," I choked out, tears stinging the backs of my eyes. "I didn't... I wasn't spying on you."
"Is that right?" He straightened up, signaling his two men. They immediately stepped forward, blocking the diner's exit. The few customers inside quickly grabbed their coats and scurried toward the emergency exit, realizing instantly what kind of business was being conducted.
"You spent four hours in my suite, Elizabeth," Alessandro said, his tone dropping into something terrifyingly quiet. "You asked about my routines. My family. My logistics company. And two days after you left my bed, an internal audit report from my desk ended up on a federal investigator's desk."
"No!" I cried, shaking my head violently. "I swear on my parents' graves, I didn't touch your desk! I didn't steal anything from you!"
"I want to believe you," Alessandro murmured, stepping around the end of the counter. His large, warm hand reached out, his long fingers cupping my chin, forcing me to look up into his fierce gaze. "You have no idea how much I wanted to believe you were just a sweet, honest girl named Emma. But in my world, coincidences get men killed."
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His eyes dropped to my trembling lips, then slid down my uniform to where my hands were clutched tightly over my stomach. His gaze lingered there for a second too long, his brow furrowing as if picking up on an instinct he couldn't yet define.
"You're coming with me," Alessandro commanded, taking my wrist in a gentle but unbreakable grip. "We're going to have another conversation. And this time, you're going to tell me every single truth you've been hiding."
