AURORA’S POV
Matteo picked up on the third ring.
“What is it?” His voice was sharp and edgy. I guess his meeting at the morgue didn’t go well. Today was just one drama after another.
“Sofia just left the house,” I said quickly. “She stormed out after a fight with Bella. I don’t know where she’s going, but she looked…dangerous Matteo, I’ve never seen her that way even when she was mad at someone. It didn’t feel right.”
A pause. “How long ago?” His voice came back on the line.
“Minutes. She took her car, alone. Didn’t wait for her bodyguard.”
“Stay put. I’m coming back.”
“What? I thought you were still at the morgue?”
“I’m done there and heading home. I’ll be there soon. Don’t let Bella do anything reckless, she’s not the type that will let Sofia off the hook easily after a fight just because they’re siblings.”
He hung up before I could ask more. Typical.
I turned to Bella, who was still fuming from the fight. She had a split lip, and her hands were shaking. In fact, her whole body was vibrating in visible anger.
“Matteo’s coming back,” I told her.
She scoffed. “I should have dealt with her better. She’s a stupid and overbearing brat just cause we pampered her too much.”
I sighed. “Something’s off, Bella. This isn’t just Sofia being Sofia. She’s acting weird and I think something’s triggering it.”
“No kidding. I’ve been her sister all my life and we’ve never even as much as raised our voices at each other, but today? Aurora she slapped me and if that wasn’t enough she got in a brawl with me. She wasn’t just lashing out…she wanted to get out. Desperately.”
“And now she’s gone.” I added.
My mind goes back to this morning at the breakfast table. “What if it’s the effects of drugs? Maybe she’s high on something and it’s messing with her.”
Before Bella could reply, the front door swung open. Matteo walked in, he looked pissed off, followed closely by Anthony.
Bella stiffened. “That was fast.”
“I was already on my way,” Matteo said, brushing past her. “Where exactly did she go?”
“No idea. Just that she was pissed and in a rush.” Matteo goes close to Bella and touches her face gently turning it from side to side to examine her wounds. Anthony looked like he would blow off Sofia’s head if he got the chance to. Once Matteo was done examining his wife’s face he pulled her into a hug and whispered something to her which she replied to with a smile and nod.
Matteo exhaled sharply. “We have a bigger problem.” And my attention was focused on him. It was about Alfredo I was sure.
Anthony stepped forward. “The body they found? The one that was supposed to be Alfredo? Didn’t look like it belonged to him, his Tattoo wasn’t there even in very obvious spots. Oh and died by setting himself on fire.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. “What do you mean he set himself on fire…no, I mean fire as how?” Bella looked like she heard the craziest shit ever.
“Come on now, we know Alfredo isn’t a fool to die like a lap dog. He won’t set himself on fire even if the world was coming to an end.” Bella pointed out.
Anthony nods in agreement before continuing. “Matteo ordered a DNA test. If we’re right, Alfredo never died. This is a setup.”
Bella crossed her arms. “And if you’re wrong?”
“Then the body is still suspicious.” Matteo’s eyes darkened. “It was too burned to identify. That’s not a coincidence. It’s like he wanted us to easily believe it was him.”
My stomach twisted. “So, Alfredo could be alive. And if he’s alive and that body isn’t him… there’s a chance he’s out of prison wandering around like a free man.” I added the last part with a gasp.
Looking around I was sure everyone agreed with me but no one wanted to confirm it, but we were all thinking the same thing.
“We won’t know until the results come in,” Anthony said trying to ease my tension. “For now, we focus on everything leading up to Alfredo’s supposed death.”
“Starting with the footage from the prison,” Matteo added. “The fight Alfredo had with that prisoner before he was moved into seclusion-it all started there. If anything was switched, it happened between that fight up until the moment they pulled that burned body out.”
Anthony nodded. “I already called for all the surveillance footage from that time period. My men are sorting through it as we speak.”
Bella let out a frustrated breath. “So, what do we do in the meantime? Just sit around waiting for the results?”
“No.” Matteo’s jaw tensed. “We stay on high alert. And we find Sofia.”
Bella looked between him and Anthony. “What does this have to do with Sofia? She’s just a child throwing tantrums Matteo let her be.”
“I’m just worried about her attitude of late. She doesn’t seem normal,” Matteo said. “She’s been too erratic lately. And today, she fought you just to get out of the house? That wasn’t just anger. That was desperation.”
Bella muttered a curse under her breath. “I think she’s acting under the influence of hard drugs.”
Anthony glanced at Matteo. “It’s possible, she reeked of marijuana earlier in the day.”
I finally spoke. “If that’s true, then we don’t have much time before she does something worse.”
Matteo nodded. “Exactly.”
Anthony checked his phone. “I’ll go through the footage as soon as it arrives. If we find anything, we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”
Matteo turned to Bella. “Make sure you stay close to Aurora. If Alfredo is really out there, she could be a target again.”
Bella’s expression hardened. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Good.” Matteo exhaled, glancing toward the door. “Now, let’s find out what the hell Sofia is up to before she messes up herself. And also that son of a bitch too.”