Chapter 9 - The Night He Chose to Protect Me
The most dangerous thing about Lorenzo Vale was that he didn't look dangerous.
He looked like someone's favorite uncle.
Silver hair.
Warm smile.
Impeccable manners.
The kind of man who remembered birthdays and sent flowers to hospital rooms.
When I met him at Adriano's mansion that Friday evening, he kissed the back of my hand and called me delightful.
I nearly pulled away.
"Eliza Brennan," he said thoughtfully. "What a lovely surprise."
"Have we met?"
"No. But your mother's name sounds familiar."
My stomach tightened.
Adriano entered the library before I could respond.
"Lorenzo."
"My boy."
The older man embraced him.
Adriano returned the gesture stiffly.
Watching them together, I understood how devastating the emerging evidence could be.
Lorenzo wasn't just an employee.
He was family.
Or at least Adriano had believed he was.
Dinner was an exercise in pretending.
Lorenzo spoke cheerfully about hotel investments and a forthcoming Costello Foundation announcement.
I moved food around my plate.
Adriano asked carefully chosen questions about older company records.
Lorenzo answered without hesitation.
But when Adriano mentioned Blackthorn Medical Logistics, the older man's fork paused.
Only for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Good heavens. That name takes me back."
"Does it?" Adriano asked.
"An unfortunate investment. Your father always had a weakness for charitable projects."
I looked up.
"Saving sick people is a weakness?"
Lorenzo turned toward me.
"Of course not, dear. I meant that generosity sometimes attracts dishonest partners."
"Like Conrad Harrington?"
His smile remained perfectly in place.
"Exactly."
Adriano set down his glass.
"Did my father ever suspect someone inside Evergreen was manipulating patient records?"
Lorenzo sighed.
"Vittorio suspected everyone toward the end."
"Even you?"
For the first time, silence settled over the table.
Then Lorenzo laughed.
"Especially me. We were practically brothers."
I looked at Adriano.
His expression betrayed nothing.
But beneath the table, his left hand had tightened into a fist.
After dinner, I stepped into the hallway to call the hospital.
My mother's condition remained stable.
Dr. Patel was preparing the next stage of treatment.
I was just ending the call when I heard Lorenzo's voice from the adjoining study.
"She's becoming a problem."
I froze.
Another man replied.
"What do you want done?"
"Nothing permanent. Not yet."
My skin turned cold.
"Daniel Brennan is still refusing to cooperate," Lorenzo continued. "And the daughter is far more curious than her mother."
I took one cautious step backward.
The floorboard creaked.
The conversation stopped.
"Who's there?"
I turned.
Lorenzo appeared in the doorway.
His warm expression had vanished.
"Eliza."
I forced myself to breathe.
"I was looking for the restroom."
"Of course."
He stepped into the hallway.
"Tell me something. Has Adriano shown you the contents of your father's box?"
I stared at him.
"What box?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're a terrible liar, my dear."
He reached toward my arm.
Before his fingers touched me, another voice interrupted.
"Take your hand away from her."
Adriano stood at the opposite end of the corridor.
Lorenzo straightened.
"We were only talking."
"Then you can finish your conversation with me."
For the first time, I saw something resembling fear in the older man's eyes.
Adriano escorted me outside.
We drove through the city without speaking.
Finally, I asked, "Why didn't you confront him?"
"Because we need evidence that will hold up."
"He threatened me."
"I know."
"And my father."
"I heard enough."
I turned sharply.
"You were listening?"
"I suspected he'd approach you. I remained nearby."
"Then why let me attend dinner?"
He looked at me.
"You're right. I shouldn't have exposed you to that conversation without fully explaining my concerns."
I stared at him.
An apology.
From Adriano Costello.
It wasn't what I'd expected.
He continued.
"I wanted to know whether Lorenzo would recognize your name. I underestimated how quickly he'd reveal his interest."
"Don't do that again."
"I won't."
We stopped at a red light.
I studied his profile.
For all his power, there was something heartbreakingly lonely about him.
"He's like a father to you, isn't he?"
Adriano looked straight ahead.
"He was."
I reached across the seat and placed my hand over his.
His fingers remained still.
Then, slowly, they closed around mine.
An hour later, we arrived at the hospital.
My mother's room was empty.
The bed had been stripped.
Her flowers were gone.
For one awful second, I couldn't move.
Then Nurse Rachel appeared.
"Eliza!"
"Where's my mother?"
"She's downstairs for imaging. Dr. Patel requested an additional scan."
My knees nearly gave way.
Adriano steadied my elbow.
Rachel glanced between us.
"Are you okay?"
"No," I whispered. "But thank you."
When my mother returned, she looked exhausted but smiled upon seeing us.
Then she noticed Adriano holding my hand.
Her eyebrows rose.
I immediately pulled away.
"Mom."
She smiled faintly.
"Well, that's interesting."
"Please don't."
It was the first normal moment we'd shared in days.
I wanted it to last forever.
That night, Adriano insisted I should stay somewhere secure.
I agreed, but only after setting my own terms.
"I keep working when this is over. I make my own decisions. And you don't get to decide what's best for my family without asking me."
He looked at me for a long moment.
"Agreed."
"And no surprise million-dollar gifts."
A faint smile.
"That's oddly specific."
"I've had a difficult week."
He opened the car door.
"Understood."
I stayed in the guest wing of his mansion.
Before going to bed, I found him alone in the library, staring at his mother's portrait.
"You should sleep," I said.
"So should you."
I moved beside him.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he turned.
"Eliza, if Lorenzo really betrayed my father, everything I built afterward rests on a lie."
I looked up at him.
"Then build something different."
His eyes searched mine.
"Is it that simple?"
"No."
I smiled sadly.
"But maybe you don't have to do it alone."
He raised one hand, slowly brushing a loose strand of hair from my cheek.
I didn't move away.
For a breathless instant, I thought he might kiss me.
Instead, his phone rang.
Marco.
Adriano answered.
His expression changed immediately.
"What?"
He listened.
Then he turned toward me.
"Eliza, sit down."
My heart sank.
"What happened?"
He swallowed.
"Your father's been found."
I grabbed his arm.
"Where?"
"An emergency department in Queens."
"Is he okay?"
May you like
Adriano looked devastated.
"He's asking for you."
