Chapter 5 - The Snake in the Family
Dr. Rossi arrived twenty minutes later. He was an elderly, dignified Italian doctor who had served the Vitali family for thirty years. He performed a quick physical exam, drew two vials of blood, and set up a portable ultrasound machine beside the bed.
Alessandro stood beside the bed, holding my hand with a grip so firm it was almost painful. He refused to step out, despite Dr. Rossi's quiet suggestions.
"The fetus is six weeks old, Mr. Vitali," Dr. Rossi announced, spreading the clear gel across my stomach. He turned the tiny screen toward us.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
The sound echoed through the silent bedroom—a fast, steady, magical heartbeat.
Alessandro’s grip on my hand tightened so hard my fingers went numb. He stared at the glowing monitor, his jaw locked, a single drop of moisture catching the dim light in his amber eyes.
"The heartbeat is strong," Dr. Rossi said, wiping the gel away and writing a prescription. "However, Miss Vance is severely dehydrated and stressed. She needs bed rest, high-protein meals, and absolute quiet. If her stress levels remain this high, there is a serious risk of complications."
"She will have whatever she needs," Alessandro said, his voice thick with emotion.
After the doctor left, Alessandro sat back down on the bed. He didn't look like a captor anymore; he looked like a man who had suddenly been handed the key to the universe.
"You should have told me the moment you found out," he said softly, smoothing my hair back.
"Tell you?" I echoed, pulling my hand away from his. "Alessandro, you brought me here at gunpoint! You accused me of being a spy! Your family destroyed my father's career—and maybe his life! How could I trust you with my baby?"
Alessandro’s face darkened slightly. "My father and your father were enemies, Elizabeth. That is true. But Marcus Vance's house fire was not ordered by the Vitali family."
I sat up, glaring at him through my tears. "My father had a red notebook! He spent three years compiling evidence against your family's shipping syndicate! The night he died, that notebook vanished!"
Alessandro frowned, his brow furrowing deep in thought. "A red notebook?"
"Yes! He called it his insurance policy!"
Before Alessandro could answer, his phone buzzed sharply on the nightstand. He picked it up, pressing it to his ear. "Speak."
"Alessandro," came the harsh, aristocratic voice of his uncle, Matteo Vitali—the older brother of Alessandro's late father and the second-in-command of the family organization. "I heard Rossi was called to the estate in the middle of the night. Is the Vance girl dead yet?"
Alessandro’s eyes flicked to me, turning icy cold. "She is fine, Uncle. Just exhaustion."
"We need to eliminate her, Alessandro," Matteo snapped through the speaker, unaware that the room was quiet enough for me to hear his words. "Her father was a disease to our family. Having Marcus Vance's daughter living under your roof while the federal trial approaches is madness! The board is demanding she be handled!"
"The Vance girl stays under my protection, Matteo," Alessandro said, his tone dropping to a sub-zero chill. "And if anyone on the board so much as speaks her name again, I will personally cut their tongue out. Do you understand me?"
A heavy, dangerous silence lingered on the line before Matteo spoke again, his voice dripping with false calm. "Of course, Nephew. You are the Don. But remember... blood is thicker than water."
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Alessandro hung up the phone and tossed it aside. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a grim, lethal promise.
"You were right about one thing, Elizabeth," Alessandro murmured. "There is a spy in my organization. But it isn't you."
