Mafia's Surrogate Bride Chapter 103

Benedetta's POV

The drive back from Sant'Anna Hospital felt endless. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, my mind racing through every word Jessica had said. Each innocent comment from that child now carried terrifying implications.

"Aria found a way to get me the best treatment. She's always been like that, finding solutions when everyone else gives up."

"She was so scared when I got sick. Sister Mary said she worked three jobs just to pay for my medicine."

"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to us if we hadn't found each other at the orphanage. Aria was already five when she arrived, you know. Old enough to remember things. But she never talks about before."

Five years old. The exact age when I had abandoned the true Montrosso princess at Sant'Anna's doorstep.

This cannot be a coincidence.

I parked at the Montrosso estate and sat in the darkened car, forcing myself to think clearly instead of panicking.

What exactly did that child tell me?

Jessica had talked about Aria with the easy familiarity of someone who had shared years of struggle and hope. But the timeline made my blood run cold. According to Jessica, Aria had arrived at Sant'Anna when she was five. The same age as the child I had left on that cold winter night in 2004.

"She never talks about before."

Of course she wouldn't. Being abandoned at that age would create memory gaps, confusion about early childhood. The nuns would have filled in the blanks with their usual stories about desperate mothers making impossible choices.

But the physical evidence was undeniable. Those red threads from her broken bracelet, the weaving pattern I had created with my own hands twenty-one years ago. The eyes that had made Antonio catch his breath at the gala. The delicate features that looked more familiar each time I studied her face.

She is the one. The real Isabella's daughter. The true Montrosso heiress.

My private study felt like a safe haven as I locked the door behind me. This room contained my most carefully guarded secrets. Financial records that couldn't be traced, photographs that could destroy reputations, documents that proved exactly how many 'impossible' situations I had handled over the decades.

Tonight, I needed to plan the most delicate operation of my career.

I poured myself a glass of expensive Barolo that Ricardo had given me for Christmas and sat behind my mahogany desk. The wine was excellent, but I barely tasted it. My entire focus was on the problem in front of me.

Priority one: Get proof

I needed absolute certainty before doing anything. The red bracelet threads were strong evidence, but twenty-one years of successful manipulation had taught me never to act on assumptions alone. There would be records at Sant'Anna Orphanage. Admission documents, medical files from her childhood, maybe even photographs from her early years there.

A generous donation to their building fund would ensure access to those files. Sister Mary had always been practical about the realities of running an orphanage.

Priority two: Gather intelligence

I needed to understand Aria's current situation completely. Her relationship with Damian Cavalieri. Her legal status regarding the surrogacy arrangement. Her emotional weak points. Most importantly, I needed to know what she might suspect about her own origins.

The way she had reacted to my comment about her dress at the gala, the startled fear, the instinctive step backward, suggested she sensed something but couldn't identify the threat. Perfect. Fear without understanding was easier to control than informed resistance.

Priority three: Assess the damage

How much did Antonio suspect? His behavior at the gala had been unusual, even for someone known for his fatherly nature. The intensity of his focus on Aria, the protection he had shown by announcing his adoption plans... it suggested more than casual charity.

If he was starting to investigate her background, if he was having doubts about Adriana's legitimacy...

That would be a disaster.

I opened my laptop and began creating encrypted files for this new project. Organization was essential for any complex operation, and this would require the most careful planning I had ever attempted.

File: "Little Bird" Background Investigation

Target: Aria Rossi (aka True Princess Isabella) Objective: Complete intelligence gathering Timeline: 48 to 72 hours maximum Resources: Sant'Anna contacts, private investigator Carlo, hospital staff network

File: "Pressure Points Analysis

Primary weakness: Jessica (sister figure, kidney patient) Secondary weakness: Economic dependence on Cavalieri arrangement Third weakness: Lack of knowledge about true identity Strategy: To be determined after intelligence gathering

File: "Backup Plans and Emergency Options"

If Antonio starts formal investigation: Create false records and documentation If Aria begins asking questions: Redirect suspicion toward outside threats If situation gets out of control: Eliminate problem permanently

The last option made me pause. I had never personally ordered someone's death, though I had certainly arranged situations that led to unfortunate accidents. Aria was young, innocent in many ways, caught up in circumstances she couldn't possibly understand.

But innocence was a luxury I couldn't afford to respect. Not when everything I had built over two decades was at risk.

Adriana's entire life depends on this woman never learning the truth.

My daughter, and she was my daughter in every way that mattered, had grown up as the beloved Montrosso princess. She had expectations, social connections, a future inheritance worth tens of millions of euros. Her identity was so firmly established that even I sometimes forgot she wasn't truly Ricardo's child.

Destroying that now would destroy her. And through her, it would destroy me.

I picked up my secure phone and found Carlo Torretti in my contacts. He was the private investigator I used for sensitive family matters. Discreet, efficient, and completely without morals as long as the payment was good enough.

The phone rang twice before his rough voice answered. "Benedetta. It's been too long."

"I have a delicate situation that requires your particular skills," I said directly. "A young woman with a complicated past. I need complete background information within forty-eight hours."

"Complicated how?"

"The kind of complicated that pays triple your usual rate for absolute silence."

A pause. "I'm listening."

"Her name is Aria Rossi. Currently living with the Cavalieri family under private arrangements. I need everything. Childhood records, medical history, any paperwork about her arrival at Sant'Anna Orphanage approximately sixteen years ago."

"The Cavalieris? Benedetta, you know I don't like getting involved with..."

"Carlo." My voice carried the tone that had silenced much more powerful men than a freelance investigator. "This is not a request. This is a job offer at extremely generous terms, with the understanding that refusing would be unwise."

Another pause, longer this time. "What kind of timeline are we talking about?"

"Preliminary report within twenty-four hours. Complete file within forty-eight. Can you handle that?"

"For triple rate and the promise that this conversation never happened? Consider it done."

After ending the call, I allowed myself another sip of wine and reviewed my growing strategy. Gathering information was only the first step. The real challenge would be eliminating the threat while keeping my own position safe.

The sister, Jessica, remained the most promising option for manipulation. During my hospital visit, I had seen the depth of Aria's devotion to that child. That kind of selfless love was both touching and useful.

If Aria believed Jessica was in danger...

The possibilities were interesting. A mysterious complication in Jessica's treatment. Questions raised about the source of her expensive medical care. Subtle hints that someone might be investigating the family's financial arrangements. Fear could make even smart people remarkably cooperative.

But I would need to be careful. Too much pressure too quickly would drive Aria to Antonio for protection. Too little pressure would let her keep her current position while potentially discovering dangerous truths.

The key was finding the perfect balance. Enough threat to ensure cooperation, enough hope to prevent desperation.

My phone buzzed with a text from Ricardo: "Dinner tomorrow? I want to discuss some family business."

Perfect timing. I needed to understand exactly what Antonio might be planning regarding Aria's adoption. If Ricardo had information about his father's intentions, it would help me plan my response.

I replied quickly: "Of course, darling. Shall we say eight o'clock at our usual place?"

His response came immediately: "Looking forward to it. And Benedetta? Wear the emerald necklace. You look stunning in green."

Despite everything, I smiled. Ricardo's predictable romantic gestures never failed to amuse me. He had no idea that the woman he loved so desperately was systematically destroying his family's bloodline.

If only he knew what I've sacrificed to give him the daughter he's always wanted.