CHAPTER 7 – The Vineyard of Lies
CHAPTER 7 – The Vineyard of Lies
The old DeLuca vineyard had been abandoned for nearly fifteen years.
Rows of dying vines stretched across the hills like skeletons reaching from the earth.
The mansion overlooking the property stood silent.
Empty.
Or so it seemed.
Matteo parked the car at the rusted iron gates.
"You stay here," he told me.
"No."
His jaw tightened.
"Emma—"
"I'm not letting Leo lose another parent."
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he nodded once.
Together, we walked toward the estate.
Marco and a dozen trusted men circled the property from the surrounding woods.
If Silvio expected Matteo to come alone, he was about to be disappointed.
Inside the mansion, dust coated everything.
Old wine barrels lined the cellar.
Broken chandeliers hung from cracked ceilings.
The silence was unnatural.
Then...
A child's laughter echoed through the house.
Leo froze.
"That's not funny."
It wasn't his laugh.
Someone had recorded it.
Speakers hidden throughout the mansion repeated the sound again and again.
Silvio wanted them distracted.
Suddenly—
A steel door slammed shut behind us.
Heavy locks clicked into place.
The lights flickered on.
A slow clap echoed from the balcony above.
Silvio stepped into view.
He wore his familiar silver snake pendant.
Only now, there was no reason to hide who he really was.
"You finally came."
Matteo raised his pistol.
"It's over."
Silvio laughed.
"No."
"It ended three years ago."
He pointed toward the far wall.
A massive projection screen came to life.
Security footage.
The date read:
Three Years Earlier.
The footage showed Sofia confronting Silvio inside the DeLuca garage.
"You've been stealing from Matteo," she shouted.
"You've been using his son."
Silvio smiled exactly as he did now.
"You noticed."
"You won't get away with this."
"I already have."
He grabbed her arm.
She fought back.
Leo's tiny stroller sat only a few feet away.
Then...
Silvio pulled a knife.
The screen went black before the fatal moment.
Matteo lowered his weapon.
His hands trembled.
"You murdered her."
Silvio shrugged.
"She forced my hand."
"You murdered the mother of my son."
"No."
Silvio smiled.
"I murdered the only person smart enough to stop me."
Silvio spread his arms.
"Do you know why Leo had to remain broken?"
No one answered.
"Because children remember."
He looked directly at Leo.
"He saw me."
"He remembered my necklace."
"He remembered my voice."
"And one day..."
"He would have remembered everything."
Mrs. Higgins stepped from the shadows holding a syringe.
"I kept him quiet."
She smiled without remorse.
"The medicine only erased the edges."
Emma felt rage unlike anything she had ever known.
"You stole his childhood."
Mrs. Higgins tilted her head.
"It was only business."
Before anyone could react—
Leo spoke.
"You lied."
Every adult turned toward him.
The little boy looked directly at Silvio.
"You told Daddy Mommy left us."
Silvio's smile disappeared.
"You remember that?"
Leo nodded slowly.
"I remember everything."
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For the first time...
Silvio looked afraid.
