50

50
Alaric’s POV
I was shrugging off my shirt when Allesio walked into my room, his face calm but tired. “Emilia is in the study, she wants to talk.”
“About what?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as I put my shirt back on and buttoned it.
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t say,” he murmured with a shrug before walking out of the room, not caring if I had anything else to say. I decided to let that go. He was tired. Everyone was tired, even me. And I was supposed to be resting right now but since Emilia wanted to talk…
I walked out of the room and headed straight to the study.
The moment I walked into the study, I could tell something was off with Emilia. She was standing by the window, wringing her hands together. She always did that whenever she was worried. I’d seen it a few times before, but this was different-she looked almost sick with worry, like she’d been grappling with something for hours. My first instinct was to ask her what was wrong, but I held back, waiting for her to speak.
I closed the door behind me, leaning against it. “You wanted to talk?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
She turned slowly, her face pale. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I need to tell you something.”
“Alright.” I stepped forward, studying her expression. “Go on.”
She took a deep breath, her eyes darting to the floor before meeting mine again. “I… I got a letter a few days ago,” she began, her voice shaky. “It was left in my room, on the dresser.”
I felt a spike of irritation. “A letter?” I repeated, frowning. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”
She flinched, and I knew my tone had been harsher than I intended. But damn it, this wasn’t something she should’ve kept quiet about. I stepped closer, watching her every move, every flicker of emotion on her face.
“It wasn’t signed,” she said quickly. “There was no name, nothing to indicate who sent it.”
I could feel the anger bubbling up, a slow, simmering rage. “And what did it say?” I asked through clenched teeth.
Emilia’s eyes dropped again, and she swallowed hard. “It was… a threat,” she admitted. “It said I don’t belong here, and that I should leave. Or-” Her voice broke, and she took a shuddering breath. “Or she will suffer.”
“She?” I repeated, my voice low and deadly. “You mean Francesca.”
She nodded, looking miserable. “Yes. And there was a sketch, like a crude drawing of a little girl. It looked like her.”
My vision narrowed, the red mist of fury clouding my mind for a split second. Someone had threatened Francesca. My daughter. And Emilia had kept it from me. I had to force myself to breathe, to think rationally. But it was hard. The idea that someone, anyone, could get close enough to leave a message like that… and that Emilia had sat on this information for days-
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, stepping closer. “You should’ve come to me the second you found that letter!”
She raised her head, and I could see the fear in her eyes, mixed with something else-guilt. “I was scared,” she admitted. “Not just because of the letter, but because I thought you’d blame me. I thought you’d think I was bringing trouble here.”
I barked out a laugh, bitter and sharp. “You’re damn right I blame you! Do you have any idea what could’ve happened? Do you understand the risk you took by not telling me?”
“I do!” she snapped, surprising me. “I know, okay? I’ve been sick with worry since I found it. But I didn’t know what to do. I thought it was some twisted prank, or maybe I was just being paranoid.”
“A prank?” I seethed, stepping even closer. We were inches apart now, and I could see the way her hands trembled, the way she forced herself to stand her ground. “You think a threat against my daughter is a joke?”
Her chin lifted, defiant despite the fear in her eyes. “No,” she said quietly. “I don’t think it’s a joke. I know it’s serious. But I was trying to protect her. I thought if I kept it to myself, I could handle it, that maybe it would just go away.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to reel in the fury that threatened to spill over. “You were trying to protect her,” I repeated slowly, as if tasting the words. “By keeping this from me? By playing hero?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. “I made a mistake,” she admitted, her voice breaking. “I should have told you. I know that now. But I was scared, Alaric. I was scared of what you’d think, of how you’d react.”
The fight drained out of me all at once, leaving only a cold, heavy dread in its place. She was scared. And not just of the letter. She was scared of me, of what I might do, how I might blame her. I took a step back, running a hand through my hair, trying to clear my head.
“Emilia,” I said, my tone less harsh now. “I need you to understand something. When it comes to Francesca’s safety, there’s no room for mistakes like this. Do you get that? There’s no margin for error.”
She nodded, wiping a tear that had slipped down her cheek. “I get it,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
I sighed, the anger going away, replaced by a deep, gnawing worry. “Alright,” I said, more to myself than to her. “We’re going to fix this.”
I pulled out my phone, dialing Allesio’s number. He picked up on the second ring.
“Boss?”
“Get to the study,” I ordered. “Now.”
Allesio didn’t ask questions. He hung up immediately, and within minutes, he was walking through the door, his expression grim.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes darting between me and Emilia.
“Someone left a letter for Emilia,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “A threat. It mentioned Francesca.”
Allesio’s face darkened, his jaw clenching. “When did this happen?”
“Three days ago,” Emilia admitted quietly.
He shot her a sharp look, but I held up a hand. “We don’t have time for blame,” I said. “I need you to find out who did this, Allesio. Discreetly. Whoever it is, they knew enough to leave a message inside this house, and they knew to target Emilia.”
“Understood,” Allesio said, already turning to leave. “I’ll start with the staff, see if anyone noticed anything unusual.”
“Good,” I said, my mind racing through a hundred different possibilities. “And keep this quiet. I don’t want anyone outside of this room knowing about it until we have more information.”
Allesio nodded once before slipping out the door, leaving me alone with Emilia again.
“Why didn’t you trust me?” I asked, my voice softer now, almost pleading.
Emilia looked up at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you,” she said quietly. “I didn’t trust myself. I didn’t want you to think I was a liability, that I was more trouble than I’m worth.”
I stepped closer, taking her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “You’re not a liability,” I said firmly. “You’re part of this family now, whether you like it or not. And that means you don’t handle things like this alone. You come to me. Always.”
She nodded, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of relief in her eyes. “I will,” she promised. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I muttered, rubbing my face. “Just be careful.”
She nodded again and left the study quietly. I stared after the closed door. Whoever targeted her probably thought she was a weak link they could use to get to me. I had to make sure that wouldn’t be possible.