Trapped by Seven Mafia Wolves novel Chapter 96

**TITLE: Stars Refuse To Blink by Asa River Knox**

**Buried Records**

The atmosphere in the room is thick with an oppressive silence at first, a stillness that seems to wrap around the brothers like a heavy blanket. The only sound breaking through is the soft rustle of paper as they sift through an array of folders, manila envelopes, and old records scattered across the long dining table, which now resembles a chaotic battlefield strewn with forgotten truths and hidden secrets. Jace, leaning forward, holds up a fragile, worn folder, its edges frayed and a faded school district stamp barely visible. “This doesn’t make sense,” he declares, frustration lacing his voice. “There’s almost nothing here. No medical history. No school attendance records before she turned eight. No name change documents. It’s as if she just… appeared out of thin air.”

Leon, his brow furrowed in thought, runs a hand through his tousled hair, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. “Someone wiped her clean,” he mutters, his voice low and tense. “They made sure there’d be no trail left behind.”

Matteo, his fingers tightening around a photograph they unearthed from the depths of the records, speaks almost to himself, “She had to come from somewhere.” The image is blurry, a haunting snapshot of a little girl in the background. Small and frail, she stares directly into the camera, her hollow eyes reflecting a depth of sorrow that sends chills down Matteo’s spine.

Andrei’s expression sharpens, his focus intense. “Check the contact information for guardians. Look for addresses. Anything that might give us a clue,” he commands, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Jace flips through the pages with urgency, but then he suddenly freezes, his breath hitching in his throat. Shaking his head as if trying to clear his mind, he leans closer, thumbing through a hospital record until something catches his eye. “Wait a second,” he breathes, his heart racing. He extracts a thin sheet, his brows knitting together as he reads the information aloud. “Guys—there’s something wrong with her birth certificate.”

All heads turn towards him, curiosity piqued. Leon’s frown deepens. “What does it say?” he prompts, leaning in closer.

With a deliberate cadence, Jace reads, “Aurora Noemi Russo. Born at 8:04 AM. Mother’s name: Emilia Russo.”

“Seems right to me,” Matteo shrugs, his attention still fixated on the school records scattered before him. But Jace’s voice drops, laden with an unsettling gravity. “Father’s name… Marco D’Amico.”

A heavy silence descends upon the room, the name hanging in the air like a ghost no one dared to acknowledge. Matteo’s brow furrows, and he mutters, “Who the hell is that?” Rising halfway from his chair, his voice tightens, laced with disbelief.

Leon stands beside him, brow deeply furrowed, as if the name were a puzzle piece that refused to fit. “That name sounds familiar. Why does it sound so familiar?” he questions, a hint of urgency creeping into his tone.

Matteo’s eyes widen, and he doesn’t even blink. “It’s that old guard,” he recalls, his voice sharp. “The one assigned to madre before she vanished. I haven’t heard it in years, but I’d bet my life on it.”

Jace flips through the folder with trembling fingers, his heart pounding in his chest. “But that doesn’t make sense. Look—” He slams another sheet down on the table, revealing a certified DNA test. “It says she shares blood with both of our parents. Emilia Russo and Salvatore Russo. She’s biologically ours.”

“That’s the question,” Jace mutters, staring down at the paper as if willing it to reveal its secrets. “What kind of woman lies about her daughter’s father?”

As the argument fizzles out, a heavy silence envelops the room once more. Andrei, who has remained disturbingly quiet, stands by the window, his hands clasped behind his back, jaw clenched tight as he gazes out at the sprawling city below. An aura of rage emanates from him, palpable and dangerous. Jace turns to him, seeking his thoughts. “Andrei? What do you think?”

But Andrei doesn’t respond. Instead, he steps forward with an air of calm that is chilling, pressing the speaker button on the phone resting on the desk.

The phone rings once, and then a voice crackles through the line. “Sì, capo?” (Yes, boss?) Andrei’s voice is as cold as ice.

“Trovate un uomo. Il suo nome è Marco D’Amico. Portatemelo vivo.” (Find a man. His name is Marco D’Amico. Bring him to me alive.) The call ends abruptly, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. His hand hovers over the speaker for a breath too long before he turns back to face his brothers, his gaze sweeping across their anxious faces.

His voice is low, yet laced with lethal intent. “All we know is that madre tried to erase Aurora’s existence from all records. And this man… he has some connection to it.”

Leon holds up the birth certificate once more, his eyes scanning the words as if searching for answers hidden within the ink. “But why?” he asks, the question hanging in the air, heavy with implications and unspoken fears.