Chapter 5 - The Ticking Box
Luca dropped Marco and sprinted out of the kitchen.
I ran after him, my heels slipping on the polished floor as I struggled to keep up.
"Luca, wait!" I screamed, terrified of what he was running toward.
He burst into his private office, where a beautifully wrapped silver box sat on his mahogany desk.
A faint, rhythmic ticking sound was coming from inside the package.
Without a second of hesitation, Luca grabbed the heavy box.
He didn't try to open it or inspect the wiring.
He simply hurled it straight through the thick glass of his office window.
The box flew out over the cliffside overlooking Lake Como.
A split second later, a massive explosion shook the entire estate.
The shockwave shattered the remaining glass and threw us both to the floor.
Smoke and debris rained down into the office.
Luca crawled over to me, shielding my head with his body until the dust settled.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, coughing as he helped me sit up.
"I am fine," I gasped, staring out the ruined window at the smoking crater on the cliffside.
"My father wouldn't send a bomb," I whispered, tears of shock finally welling in my eyes.
"He is a coward, but he is not a murderer."
"I know," a cool voice said from the doorway.
We both turned to see Elena standing there, stepping carefully over the broken glass.
Her sharp face was devoid of its usual arrogance.
"Your father didn't send the bomb, Sophia," Elena said, her voice shaking slightly.
"Then who did?" Luca demanded, rising to his feet to tower over her.
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Elena looked right into my eyes.
"It was the man you left at the altar three years ago."
