Chapter 10: The Bloodline Secret
For the first time in my life, I wished I knew less.
Not because I was afraid of the truth.
Because I was afraid of what the truth would take away from me.
I had spent years believing my life was simple.
A small apartment.
A difficult childhood.
A mother who loved me but carried too many secrets.
Now I was standing inside a mansion owned by Dante Rosselli, surrounded by people who treated my existence like the answer to a question they had been searching for decades.
And the worst part?
I was beginning to believe them.
“Someone from my family started this war?”” I asked.
Dante didn’t look away.
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
Rafael stepped closer.
“It isn’t.””
I turned toward him.
“You knew?””
His face tightened.
“I knew your mother was investigating someone close to her.””
“Who?””
He looked at Dante.
Neither of them answered.
That silence made my chest tighten.
“You both know.””
Dante sighed.
“There are things your mother wanted hidden.””
“And there are things I deserve to know.””
My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Nobody argued.
Because they knew I was right.
Dante walked toward a bookshelf and pulled out an old leather box.
He placed it on the table.
“This belonged to your grandmother.””
I stared.
“My grandmother?””
He nodded.
“The Rosselli side of your family.””
My fingers hovered over the box.
I still couldn’t accept the words.
Rosselli.
My entire life, I had been Alina Valdez.
Now suddenly, I carried a name connected to power, fear, and violence.
I opened the box.
Inside was an old journal.
The leather was cracked.
The pages yellow.
Dante looked at it carefully.
“Your grandmother wrote everything down.””
“Why give it to me?””
“Because she knew one day you would need the truth.””
I opened the first page.
The handwriting was elegant.
The first sentence made my heart stop.
*My granddaughter must never become a weapon.*
I looked up.
“She knew about me?””
Dante nodded.
“She knew your mother was pregnant.””
I turned the page.
There were names.
Dates.
Events I didn’t understand.
Until I saw one name repeated.
Marco Vieri.
“He wanted the Rosselli family destroyed,” Rafael said.
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because your grandmother refused to give him control.””
“Control over what?””
Dante answered.
“The alliance.””
I frowned.
“What alliance?””
He looked at the journal.
“For generations, certain families controlled the city’s underground networks.””
I stared.
“And my family?””
“Was one of them.””
I closed the journal.
“So everyone has been fighting over power?””
Dante shook his head.
“No.””
His voice became quiet.
“They’ve been fighting over who controls the future.””
I didn’t like where this was going.
“And I’m part of that?””
Rafael looked at me.
“You are the last person who can unite both sides.””
I laughed softly.
“That sounds like something from a movie.””
Nobody smiled.
That scared me.
Then Leo started crying.
Everyone turned.
The baby reached toward me.
I picked him up without thinking.
Immediately, he calmed down.
Dante watched silently.
“You see?””
I looked at him.
“See what?””
“Your mother knew.””
“Knew what?””
“That you would protect him.””
I looked at Leo.
A child who had no idea his existence was connected to a war.
A child who trusted me for reasons I still didn’t understand.
Then the journal fell open.
A loose page slipped out.
I picked it up.
It wasn’t written by my grandmother.
It was my mother’s handwriting.
My heart raced.
*Dante, if Alina ever learns the truth, tell her this: she was never chosen because of her blood.*
I read the next line.
*She was chosen because of her heart.*
My eyes burned.
Then I turned the page.
One final sentence.
*But if Marco finds her before she understands who she is, he will convince her that she belongs to him.*
A sound came from the security room.
An alarm.
Again.
Everyone froze.
A guard rushed in.
“Boss.””
Dante immediately stood.
“What now?””
The guard looked at me.
His face was pale.
“Marco Vieri sent a message.””
Dante’s expression hardened.
“Where?””
The guard handed him a tablet.
Dante looked at it.
Then slowly turned it toward me.
A live video was playing.
Marco Vieri appeared on screen.
Older.
Calm.
Smiling.
And behind him…
Was someone I recognized.
My blood turned cold.
Because standing beside Marco was Sofia.
May you like
Alive.
And she was crying.
