BOUND BY BLOOD

Threads of Deception

**

Gianna awoke the next morning with a sense of foreboding, the events of the previous night still fresh in her mind. Marco’s warning had been clear, and she knew she was running out of time. The facade of security in her marriage was beginning to crack, and the more she uncovered, the more she realized how deeply the betrayal ran.

But she also knew she couldn’t act rashly. Every move had to be calculated, every word carefully chosen. In this world, hesitation was as deadly as a bullet.

Antonio had already left for an early meeting when she descended to the dining room for breakfast. The house was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle. As she sipped her coffee, Gianna’s thoughts raced. She needed to find a way to confront Marco without alerting him to her suspicions, but first, she had to ensure she had something concrete to take to Antonio.

Later that morning, Gianna decided to visit one of the Moretti family’s lesser-known properties—a small warehouse on the outskirts of the city that handled legitimate goods but also served as a front for more clandestine operations. She had noticed discrepancies in the accounts tied to this location and suspected it might hold the key to unraveling Marco’s scheme.

When she arrived, the warehouse was busy with workers loading and unloading shipments. Gianna’s presence drew curious glances, but she paid them no mind. She was here on business, and she intended to leave with answers.

She approached the foreman, a gruff man named Luca, who had worked for the Morettis for years. “Luca,” she called out, catching his attention. “I need to see the records for the last few months.”

Luca looked surprised but quickly nodded. “Of course, Mrs. Moretti. Right this way.”

He led her to a small office at the back of the warehouse, where stacks of files and paperwork cluttered the desk. Gianna quickly began sifting through the records, her sharp eyes scanning the numbers and dates. It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for—shipments that didn’t match the invoices, payments that didn’t add up.

The deeper she dug, the more damning the evidence became. Marco had been careful, but not careful enough. He had been diverting funds and skimming off the top, using a complex web of shell companies and fake transactions to cover his tracks. But Gianna now had the proof she needed.

As she gathered the documents, Gianna felt a surge of triumph. She had him. With this evidence, she could expose Marco’s betrayal to Antonio and bring him down. But as she prepared to leave, something in the back of her mind nagged at her—a lingering doubt she couldn’t shake.

What if Antonio already knew?

The thought gnawed at her as she drove back to the estate. Antonio was many things, but he wasn’t naive. If Marco was capable of such a betrayal, surely Antonio would have noticed. And if he did know, what did that mean for Gianna?

When she arrived home, Gianna found Antonio in his study, poring over some papers. He looked up as she entered, his expression neutral. “You’re back early,” he remarked.

Gianna nodded, her heart pounding. “I had some business to attend to.”

Antonio studied her for a moment, his dark eyes searching hers. “You’ve been busy lately,” he said, his tone casual but laced with curiosity. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Gianna’s breath caught in her throat. This was the moment of truth. She could either confront Antonio with what she had found or play it safe and continue her investigation in secret. But the longer she hesitated, the more she realized she couldn’t keep this from him. Not if she wanted to survive.