Ruby Fever (Hidden Legacy, #6)(86)

“Nice guns,” Lilian told him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Leon picked himself up and walked away.

Lilian gently lowered the two guns onto the stone bench and turned to Alessandro. “To answer your earlier question, your sisters landed in Chicago last night. Your grandfather has no idea where they are.”

He just looked at her, mute.

“Well?” Lilian asked softly. “After all this time, do I not get a hug?”

Something broke in Alessandro’s gaze. He stepped over the blood and hugged his mother.



Lilian sipped a glass of mineral water. She seemed different now. The meek air had vanished. Some of the fragility remained, but it was an entirely different kind of vulnerability. Lilian Sagredo was fragile like a very sharp stiletto. You could break it, but the blade would slice your hands to ribbons in the process.

Alessandro sat across from her, the wrought iron table between us. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“Would you like me to . . .” I started.

“Stay,” he said. “Please.”

Lilian smiled at me. “I don’t mind. Go ahead, Alessandro. Ask.”

“I don’t understand,” he said.

She sighed and traced the rim of her glass with her delicate finger. “I hoped to avoid this conversation because you worshipped Marcello. A lot of little boys worship their fathers, especially if they are as cool as Marcello was. Your father could be breathtaking. I suppose it can’t be helped.”

She paused.

“Marcello was an attentive husband and a caring father. He showered us with attention, and he made us feel special. But when it came to the matters of money and succession, he had no thoughts of his own. He opened his mouth, and his father would speak through it. Franco Sagredo is a monster.

“The moment I landed in Italy, your grandfather took my passport for ‘safekeeping.’ The next time I saw it was two days ago. I was very na?ve. My parents were older, and I grew up as an only child, cherished and sheltered. Franco seemed kind and caring, and his wife was this sweet lady who was always smiling. I thought I was lucky to have such kind in-laws.

“The first time I realized there was a problem, we were on a holiday in Greece. Marcello met some friends, another couple. We went shopping, and he bought me a beautiful necklace among other things. The next day his friends continued with their vacation, and Marcello gently explained to me that we would have to return our purchases, because it wasn’t in our budget. I couldn’t understand it. I had married into a wealthy House and brought thirty million dollars’ worth of stocks to our marriage. We’d been married for less than six months. How could we be tight on money?”

Lilian’s smile turned bitter.

“I convinced myself that Marcello was simply frugal in the way rich people are sometimes. After you were born, I wanted to visit my parents so they could see their grandchild. I was told it was unsafe. I attempted to access my accounts and found that I was locked out. I didn’t know it at the time, but your grandfather had me declared mentally disabled. Franco had done a very thorough job of it, complete with medical opinions from two different doctors and eyewitness testimony. He was given complete control over my finances. He had my passport, he had my money, he had my husband in the palm of his awful hand, and you were barely two months old. I was trapped.”

“And my father was fine with that?” Alessandro asked.

Lilian pressed her lips together, obviously choosing her words carefully.

“You know exactly what kind of man Franco is and how much pressure he could apply. You had me and Marcello for the first ten years of your life. We did our best to shield you and allow you to grow into an independent child. Your father had nobody. From the moment he was born, Franco dominated every minute of his life. Marcello was brave and kind, but if you tried to argue with him, he would simply fold like a wet paper doll. I had fallen in love with him, and I refused to give up. I na?vely thought I could pry him free. And then he died. He left us and the day after we buried him, Franco came to our side of the villa and took you away.”

Lilian’s voice caught. She cleared her throat.

“I fought for you. I was told that I was no longer necessary. The heir was born, and I had produced two daughters, who could be sold off to prop the family up. I was expendable. I needed to be grateful for being allowed the privilege of access to my children.”

This was so horrible.

“I turned to your grandmother for help, and she pretended that she couldn’t understand me. I was desperate, so I tried to kill your grandfather.”

Alessandro drew back. “Mother! He’s too strong.”

“I found that out. I never had the kind of training he had. I did my best, but he nearly killed me. He may be old, but his magic has only grown with the years. I managed to escape that fight and I had disguised myself, so when he stormed into our side of the villa, I pretended I had no idea what he was talking about. He suspected me but he couldn’t prove anything and killing me would be inconvenient. My parents are still alive, Alessandro. He wanted my inheritance. That’s when he assigned guards to me to ‘protect’ me and the girls in case Marcello’s killer came back.”

Lilian looked down at her glass.

“I’d made a friend,” she said. “A local woman about my age. Her name was Ginevra. She had two little boys. She was hired to clean and cook for us. Those two men killed her in front of me.”