Chapter 23 Haunting Past
Chapter 2: Haunting Past
Isabelle stood in the food store, he heart racing as she stared at Don, who levied casually against the shell. The air was thick with the tension of answered questions, and she felt an insatiable need to unravel the mystery that seriaided Mattes, “really need to know about him,” she said, her voice low and ramest
Don shifted, pushing off the shelf and stepping closer. “You want to know about Metro? Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
nabelle nodded, determination hardening her resolver. “I am. He’s been acting distant, and can’t figure out why. You must know something that can help me understand.” “Alright,” Don said, his expression shifting to me of seriousness. “But you have to promise me that you won’t jump to conclusions or get inbred in something you can’t
“tell me,” the urged, her inpatience bubbling beneath the surface.
“Matt Rich wasn’taberes Matten,” Don began, his voice steals. “He was born Manel in a small town in Sicily. His family lived a modest le tis dad was a journalist- passionate about uncovering the truth. His mom worked at a local bir to make ends meet. They had a humble existence, but his dad had a mack for getting into trouble”
“Trouble? How?” Tabelle interjected, innigued
“By exposing comption, scandals, the kinds of things that powerful people don’t want out in the open,” Don explained, his brow furrowing “He thought he could change the world. Brat after a few too many closecalls, it became clean that those in power were not about to let him keep digging. They wanted him silenced.”
belstened intently, her heart aching for the young boy who would have watched helplessly as his father fought for justice. “What happened to him?“”
Den continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. “After years of threats, they finally took matters into their own hands. They killed him Manuel was left alone, adrift in a world that had tumed against him.”
A shiver ran down tabelle’s spine. “That’s terrible. What happened next?”
“Here’s where it gets interesting.” Don said,
isabelle nodded slowly. AlbertoRicci was a
ingin closer, lowering his voices atrad of being overheard. “He was taken in by AlbertoRice You might have heard of him!
whispered in hushed tones “The crimelord?”
“Exctly,” Don confirmed, his locking onto her. “Alberto adopted Matte after the murder of his father and raised him like ason. When Matteo turned eighteen, he was
Isabelle’s mind raced, trying to connect the dots. “Youngmaster? What does that even mean?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Mateo is the boss, babelle. The sovendgn head of organized crime in bly–Sicthy, to be precise,” Dan replied, his voice firm. “He calls the shots. He owns the streets. When you hear the word ‘law‘ in Sicily, it’s him. He is the law.”
table shook her head, disbelief flooding her senses. “No. This can’t be right. Matteo? The same guy who helped me when needed him? That doesn’t sound like him at all.”
Don raised an eyebrow, unfazed by her skeptici “I know it’s hard to believe. Bet the truth in rarely what it sees. You have to understand that he had to survive. The streets are ruthless, and he learned to navigate that world to protect himself.”
“Protect himself is what?” she pressed, needing clarity, feeling the ground shift beneath her.
Don hesitated, his expression growing serious, “what are you hiding, Don? I need you to be honest with me,” Isabelle demanded, ber heart pounding as she faced him.
“Isabelle.” he started, but the weight of his silence was palpable. “Just be careful. Not everyone is to be trusted telling you this because care
Here you just looking out for your own interests?” she challenged, crossing her arms defiantly
He stood up, the casual demanar gone, replaced by an urgency that made her heart race “rou don’t understand the world he’s involved in it’s dangerous. I want you to know what you’re getting into.”
“What kind of crimes are we talking about? Isabelle asked, her voice wavering but her curiosity piqued.
Don met her gaze, the gravity of his words hanging heavy in the air. “Human trafficking, Isabelle That’s the kind of stuff we’re dealing with.”
The words hitabele a punch to the gut. The realization settled over her, cold and suffocating. She felt the world til beneath her feet, the very foundations of her understanding al Mattes crumbling
“mafficking?““she echoed, barely able to form the wands. “He’s involved in that?”
“‘s complicated,” Don replied, frustration flickering across his features. “But yes. He’s at the center of it, whether he wants to be or not. His past, his connections–Isa|| tangled up in that world.”
bfifthe walls were closing is around her “And you didn’t think I should know this sooner?” she asked, hurt creeping into her voice.
“I was trying to protect you! Den shot back, his voice rising. “You needtobecaneful around him. It’s not just about your featinīgs anymore.”
Her heart raced with a mix of anger and fear, she had never seen Matteo in this light, and now everything she thought she know for krale. “I can’t just walk away from him,
“Then you need to be ready for what comes next,” he wamed, his expression serious. “There are no easy answers, and this path only leads to more questions.”
As Isabelle stood there, the weight of Don’s words pressing down on her, she realised that her feelings for Mame were about to be tested in ways she had never anticipated. The shadows of his past were closing in, and she had to decide whether to confront the truth or retreat into the safety of ignorance.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” pan urged, his voice satrening slightly
“I will,” Isabelle whispered, though uncertainty prawed ather Insides. She glanced around the store, feeling exposed as the very walls had ears.“ist wish I knew how to
Donaher areassuring ned. “One step at a time. And remember, I’m here if you need me.”
Aathery persed ways, tabelle felt storm brewing inside her. The revelation of Matteo’s past hung over her like a dark cloud, casting a shadow on everything they had built tagsher. She knew she had to confront him, but how could she face the truth when she wasn’t even sure she could believe it? The path ahead was uncertain, and for the first time, doubt emptis her heart
“just a guest in his house,” she reminded herself as she stepped out into the busting street. The thought resonated painfully in her mind. They had but something — what fell „Ike a connection, afrigle bond of understanding–but was it anything more than that?
Mae had shown her kindness when she had felt alone in a foreign place, yet now the shadows of his past loomed large, throgh to clip everything they had shared. The
Chapter 23 Haunting Past
Image of him, loughing under the stars, seemed so distant now.
Determined, she set her jaw and made her decision. She would find the truth herself. No more half–truths or veiled hints. Whatever it took, she would dig deeper, peel back the layers of his past, and discover who Matteo really was–whether he was the man she had come to care for or the monster Don described.
She was definitely going to findout no matter what it was going to take.
