Chapter 5 - The Poisoned Truth
I stared at Mateo in the dim light of the speeding car, my mind struggling to process the endless web of mafia lies.
Both families were completely soaked in my family's blood, and neither of them cared about me as a human being.
"Why should I believe a single word you say?" I demanded, my voice shaking with a mixture of grief and pure anger.
"Because if I wanted you dead, I would have let Lorenzo take you," Mateo replied bluntly, his gray eyes piercing right through my defenses.
"Your father was going to sell you to a human trafficking cartel to pay off his massive gambling debts," Salvatore suddenly spoke from the front seat.
I gasped, gripping the leather seat tightly as the old man finally explained the twisted history of my family.
"I ordered the hit on your father to stop him from selling you, and I left you on the steps of that orphanage to give you a normal life," Salvatore confessed.
I felt violently sick to my stomach, realizing my entire difficult, impoverished life was actually a carefully orchestrated witness protection program.
The armored SUV slowed down, pulling into the underground parking garage of a massive, ultra-luxurious Chicago skyscraper.
"We need to access the subterranean bank tonight before Lorenzo mobilizes the rest of his army," Mateo said, stepping out of the car.
He reached his hand out to help me out of the vehicle, and this time, I cautiously accepted his grip.
We took a private elevator directly to the penthouse suite, which was decorated in cold, modern black marble and expensive leather.
Mateo led me down a long hallway and opened the door to a massive, beautifully decorated master bedroom.
"Take a hot shower and put this on," Mateo instructed, pointing to a garment bag hanging on the closet door.
"The underground bank is hosting an exclusive gala tonight, and we have to blend in with the billionaires to reach the vault."
I locked the bedroom door, stripped off my dirty maid uniform, and stepped into the scalding hot shower to wash the fear from my skin.
When I stepped out, I unzipped the garment bag and gasped at the stunning, deep emerald silk gown hidden inside.
It fit my curves perfectly, leaving my back entirely bare while a daring slit exposed my left leg.
I walked out into the living room, and Mateo actually stopped breathing for a fraction of a second when he saw me.
He was wearing a fresh, perfectly tailored black tuxedo that made him look like a lethal, modern-day James Bond.
He walked over to me, his eyes dark with undeniable hunger, and gently placed a diamond necklace around my throat.
"You look absolutely breathtaking, Tessa," he murmured, his warm breath sending shivers down my bare spine.
We left the penthouse and drove to the historic banking district, entering a massive, glittering ballroom filled with Chicago's elite.
I linked my arm through Mateo's, pretending to be a wealthy socialite as we elegantly navigated the crowded dance floor.
We approached the heavy golden doors leading to the restricted lower levels of the bank.
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The bank manager stepped out from the shadows to check our VIP invitations, and my heart completely stopped.
It was my former manager from Bellori restaurant, and he was holding a suppressed pistol directly at Mateo's stomach.
