My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 757

Chapter 757

“What question?”

“You know which one,” I said and he didn’t even look up, “I asked you about Dr. Vance,” I snapped.

He stopped talking to Leone and finally looked at me, “Let’s talk about it when we’re alone, alright?”/

By evening, my patience had worn thin.

The three of us were alone in Dad’s study. A fire crackled quietly in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth Dad stood beside the bar, pouring himself a glass of whiskey, while Leone sat in one of the leather chairs with tomorrow’s schedule spread across his lap.

I couldn’t keep still.

While they talked business, I wandered around the office, letting my fingers trail over the shelves. I pulled out a book, flipped through a few pages without really reading them, then slid it back into place before reaching for another.

“If you’re going to lead this family one day,” Dad said, swirling the whiskey in his glass, “you’ll need to keep Leone close.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him, then at Leone. He’d been in a foul mood all day, and it showed.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, “I’d rather have Gio beside me. That’s how it should’ve always been.”

Leone looked up from the papers, “Giovanni doesn’t know this business the way I do.”

“He can learn,” I replied, pulling another book from the shelf. “I’m learning.”

I slid the book back into place.

Then, something caught my eye.

A signature.

My breath caught.

I knew that signature.

I’d seen it everywhere as a child. On his white coat. On the metal trays. On the clipboard he always carried. Even on the chair I’d been made to sit in.

Dr. Vance.

Dad and Leone kept talking behind me.

“The New Jersey shipments can wait until Thursday.”

“They’ll complain.”

“They always complain.”

Their voices blurred together as I pulled it and something clicked. A quiet metallic sound echoed inside the wall. I frowned, the bookshelf trembled beneath my hand.

For one impossible second, nothing happened. Then the entire section began sliding sideways.

1/3

+15 Bonus

My hand slipped away as I stumbled back. The opening grew wider. Behind the bookshelf was another room.

Cold white lights flickered to life overhead. Hundreds of thick files filled shelf after shelf. Computer monitors covered one side of the room, some dark, others glowing with screens full of words I couldn’t read from where ! stood.

Boxes stacked neatly from floor to ceiling.

And everywhere…

Files.

So many files.

My pulse hammered so hard I could hear it, “What…?”

The word barely left my mouth before Dad was beside me. His fingers closed firmly around my wrist, stopping me before I could take another step. With his other hand, he reached behind the edge of the bookshelf and pressed something I couldn’t see..A low mechanical hum filled the room.

The bookshelf slid back into place, inch by inch, until the opening disappeared completely.

Books.

Nothing but rows of books.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes…

I would’ve convinced myself it had never been there.

I stared at Dad, “What was that?”

His expression softened just enough to be unsettling, “Something for another time.”

I pointed at the bookshelf, “There’s a hidden room in your office. What were all those files?”

“I’ll explain it to you when the time is right.”

I took a step toward him, “Dad, tell me!”

I watched his face harden in the next second and the warmth disappearing from his eyes, “Go to your room.”

I stared at him, “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s in there.”

His jaw tightened, “I said… go to your room, Gianna.”

I looked from Dad to the bookshelf, then back to him. Every instinct I had screamed the same thing.

Whatever was hidden behind that wall…

It was the answer I’d been searching for because it had Dr Vance signature.

18-

Raphael

The door clicked shut behind me and a soft hiss drifted through the air. I glanced toward the enormous glass

2/3

enclosure near the windows.

Comments

Support

Share.

+15 Bonus

3/3

+15 8gnus