“My wife died twenty years ago,” he said quietly.

“My son after that.”

“I stopped caring what happened to me.”

For the first time, Emily saw genuine pain in his eyes.

Not performance.

Not manipulation.

Real grief.

And against all logic, she felt sorry for him.

That night, Adrien received devastating news.

One of his oldest allies had betrayed him.

Vincent Carbone.

A trusted friend of thirty years.

The man responsible for arranging the diner ambush.

Adrien’s face became ice cold after the call ended.

“I’m ending this tonight.”

Emily grabbed his arm.

“If you go after him now, it’ll start a war.”

Adrien looked at her strangely.

“A war already started.”

But Emily noticed something else.

Fear.

Not fear for himself.

Fear for her.

Because if Vincent Carbone discovered Emily was alive, she would become leverage.

Part 4 — The Recording

The old church basement smelled like dust and candle wax.

Adrien arrived armed.

Emily followed despite his protests.

“You should’ve stayed hidden,” he warned.

“You saved my life,” she answered.

“I’m not hiding while you walk into a trap.”

The meeting with Vincent Carbone lasted less than five minutes before chaos erupted.

Gunmen appeared from the shadows.

Adrien’s bodyguards opened fire.

Emily ducked behind a wooden pew as bullets splintered ancient wood around her.

Then she heard Vincent shouting.

“Kill the girl first!”

Emily ran.

Heart pounding violently, she sprinted through dark hallways beneath the church while gunfire echoed behind her.

She burst into an abandoned office and slammed the door shut.

That was when she found the tape recorder.

Old.

Dust-covered.

Still blinking red.

Someone had already pressed RECORD.

Emily hesitated before hitting play.

And suddenly her dead brother’s voice filled the room.

She froze.

“Ben?” she whispered.

The recording crackled.

“If anything happens to me,” Ben said shakily, “Adrien Moretti didn’t order this.”

“Vincent Carbone did.”

Emily’s knees nearly collapsed.

“He runs everything now.”

“Drugs.”

“Human trafficking.”

“The murders.”

“Adrien doesn’t even know.”

Emily stared at the recorder in horror.

Then came the final sentence.

“And if Emily ever hears this… don’t trust anybody.”

“Especially—”

The recording cut off with a gunshot.

Emily gasped.

Footsteps approached outside the office door.

Heavy footsteps.

Then Vincent Carbone’s voice growled from the hallway.

“She’s in there.”

Part 5 — The Devil’s Final Secret

The office door exploded inward.

Emily screamed as Vincent entered holding a pistol.

He was older than she expected, silver-haired and elegant, with dead eyes that looked utterly empty of humanity.

“You should’ve stayed a waitress,” he said calmly.

Emily backed against the wall clutching the recorder.

“You killed my brother.”

Vincent smiled faintly.

“Your brother was curious.”

“Curious people die.”

He raised the gun.

Then suddenly another shot rang out.

Vincent staggered.

Adrien stood behind him, smoke curling from his pistol.