Chapter 5 - The Mask of Affection
""Alexander, darling!"" Vivian’s voice was high and melodic, floating across the grand foyer like fine silk as she threw her arms around my neck.
Her perfume, a rare floral blend I had purchased for her in Paris, assaulted my senses, masking the scent of the grave she had dug for an innocent woman just beneath our feet. I forced my muscles to relax, wrapping my arms around her waist, returning her embrace with a performance worthy of an Academy Award.
""You're back early, my love,"" she purred, pulling back slightly to look into my eyes with simulated warmth. ""I thought your flight wasn't due until this afternoon. You must be exhausted from the negotiations.""
""The meetings wrapped up ahead of schedule,"" I replied, offering an easy smile that masked the venom coursing through my veins. ""I couldn't bear to spend another day away from you with our wedding so close.""
Marco stepped forward, extending a hand with that familiar, easy grin that had deceived me for fifteen years. ""Welcome home, brother. Everything on the northern acquisition is locked down. We have the final board presentation scheduled for nine o’clock in the grand salon. Once the directors sign off on the new asset restructuring, the Duca Group will be untouchable.""
I took his hand, gripping it firmly. ""Thanks to you, Marco. I don't know what I would have done without you running the ship while I was away.""
""Always, Alex. You know you can trust me with everything you own,"" he said smoothly.
""Speaking of the house,"" Vivian chimed in, walking toward the grand staircase with an airy wave of her manicured hand, ""I’m afraid we had a small bit of domestic drama while you were gone. It’s terribly embarrassing, really.""
""Oh? What happened?"" I asked, leaning casually against the marble banister.
""It’s Sophia,"" Vivian sighed, feigning an expression of deep, wounded disappointment. ""I’m afraid she wasn't the loyal soul we believed her to be. Last week, she suddenly packed several bags in the middle of the night and left with some man she met online. Abandoned the estate completely.""
""Did she take Emma?"" I asked, keeping my voice impeccably neutral.
Vivian shook her head, offering a dramatic shudder. ""Can you believe the callousness? Left the poor child alone in her room. Luckily, I stepped in immediately. I arranged for a certified private nanny agency to take custody of the girl until state social services could find suitable foster placement. It was heartbreaking, Alexander, but I handled everything so you wouldn't be burdened right before our wedding.""
I stared at the woman I had once intended to marry. The sheer fluency of her lies, the effortless sociopathy dripping from her tongue, was staggering. She had stood in my house, starved a mother beneath the floorboards, planned to burn a child alive, and now stood before me acting like a merciful saint.
""You handled it with your usual efficiency, Vivian,"" I said quietly.
""We also had the staff wing sealed,"" Marco added quickly, stepping closer. ""Legal advised that until Sophia's contract is officially terminated for abandonment, we shouldn't allow any unauthorized personnel in her quarters. For liability purposes, of course.""
""Naturally,"" I agreed. ""Liability is paramount. But before the board arrives for the presentation, I’d like both of you to join me in the wine cellar.""
Marco’s eyes narrowed by a fraction of a millimeter. ""The cellar? Now? We have the board presentation in less than an hour, Alex.""
""I brought back an extraordinary vintage from New Jersey—a private collector’s 1945 Romanée-Conti,"" I lied smoothly. ""I want to open it right now, just the three of us, to toast our friendship, our upcoming marriage, and the complete transfer of the Duca legacy.""
Vivian smiled, her greed instantly overcoming any fleeting suspicion. ""A private toast sounds exquisite, darling. Marco, don't be such a bureaucrat. A glass of wine will calm our nerves before the directors arrive.""
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Marco hesitated, checking his platinum watch, then nodded. ""Ten minutes. Then we head to the boardroom.""
""After you,"" I said, gesturing toward the arched oak door beneath the grand stairs. They walked side by side into the dimness, completely oblivious that they were walking directly into their own execution chamber.
