Chapter 3 - The Sister Roman Was Never Told About

Roman did not speak.

Maria did.

“Her name is Mila.”

Elena stared at her father.

Arthur looked shocked.

I stood beside the door.

Nobody moved.

Roman finally said:

“I don’t have a sister.”

Maria looked at him.

“You do.”

“How old?”

“Twenty-four.”

He counted.

His face changed.

“She was born after you disappeared.”

“Yes.”

“Whose child?”

Maria’s eyes filled.

“Your father’s.”

Silence.

Roman stared.

“You left him.”

“I did.”

“And still had his child.”

“I was pregnant when I left.”

Roman stepped back.

“Did he know?”

“No.”

David whispered:

“He learned later.”

Roman turned.

“When?”

“About twelve years ago.”

Maria looked at him sharply.

“You knew?”

David nodded.

“My father found her school records.”

Roman stared.

“Elena’s grandfather found my sister.”

“Yes.”

“And what did he do?”

David looked ashamed.

“Paid for her education.”

Roman laughed.

“That is supposed to make me feel better?”

“No.”

“Why four million three days ago?”

David looked at Maria.

She shook her head.

“I didn’t know about it.”

Roman studied the statement.

“M. Moretti.”

Arthur said:

“Could be Mila.”

Maria nodded slowly.

Roman looked at her.

“Where is she?”

“In Madrid.”

“Does she know about me?”

“Yes.”

His jaw tightened.

“For how long?”

“Her whole life.”

Roman stared.

“So everyone got to know I existed except me.”

Maria whispered:

“I wanted to tell you.”

“But?”

“I was afraid.”

He looked away.

Maria continued.

“Your father found out about Mila twelve years ago.”

Roman turned back.

“How?”

“Your grandfather’s investigator.”

“Elena’s grandfather.”

“Yes.”

“What did my father do?”

Maria hesitated.

“He sent money.”

Roman’s face changed.

“To her?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Until he died.”

Roman stared at the bank statement.

“Then this transfer is not from him.”

“No.”

David said:

“My father continued it.”

Roman frowned.

“Why?”

David answered:

“Guilt.”

Roman laughed once.

“Four million dollars of guilt?”

“No.”

David’s expression changed.

“Silence.”

Maria went still.

Roman saw it.

“Silence about what?”

David looked at her.

Maria whispered:

“Tell him.”

David swallowed.

“Mila has documents.”

“What documents?”

“Original charity ledgers.”

Roman’s eyes hardened.

“From nineteen years ago?”

“Yes.”

“How did she get them?”

Maria answered.

“I gave them to her.”

Roman stared.

“You gave evidence against my father to a child?”

“Not when she was a child.”

“When?”

“Three years ago.”

“The same time your grandfather found you.”

David nodded.

Roman looked at Maria.

“You knew he had found you.”

“Yes.”

“So you moved the records to Mila.”

“Yes.”

“Why not the police?”

Maria laughed bitterly.

“Because nineteen years ago, some of the police were paid by the same men.”

Roman said nothing.

Arthur asked:

“Why the four million now?”

David looked toward Elena.

“My father is dying.”

Elena closed her eyes.

“He wants the records before he dies.”

Roman turned.

“He paid Mila.”

David nodded.

“Or tried to.”

Maria whispered:

“She would never take it.”

David shook his head.

“The money left his account.”

Roman looked at the statement again.

“So someone accepted it.”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

David looked at him.

“I don’t know.”

Roman stared.

“You brought me a transfer and no answer.”

“I brought you the account number.”

Roman looked at the page.

Then froze.

The receiving bank was local.

Not Madrid.

Roman’s expression changed.

“Mila is here.”

Maria stood.

“What?”

“The account is domestic.”

David went pale.

“I didn’t notice.”

Roman almost smiled.

“You brought a bank statement and didn’t notice where the bank was?”

David lowered his eyes.

Roman looked at Maria.

“Did Mila come back with you?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Roman studied her.

She hesitated.

That was enough.

“You’re not sure.”

Maria whispered:

“She stopped answering two days ago.”

Silence.

Elena stepped forward.

“Dad.”

David looked at her.

“Did Grandfather know Mila was coming?”

“I don’t know.”

Roman’s voice turned cold.

“Find out.”

David took out his phone.

Before he could call, Arthur reached into the piano.

Another hidden slot.

He pulled out a small envelope.

Roman frowned.

“What now?”

Arthur stared at the handwriting.

“This was not here last week.”

Maria stepped closer.

“That’s Mila’s handwriting.”

Roman took the envelope.

One line.

IF ROMAN FINDS THIS, TELL HIM NOT TO TRUST THE FOUR-MILLION-DOLLAR TRANSFER.

He looked up.

Another line.

IT IS NOT PAYMENT.

IT IS A TRAP.

Roman’s face hardened.

Maria whispered:

“For who?”

Roman turned the paper over.

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On the back:

FOR ME.