Chapter 48: Where did Gina go?

Soraya returned to the mansion after finishing her shift, only to find Santino waiting for her.

’Has he found out?’ she wondered, studying his expression. ’His face gives it away. It seems he’s finally going to tell me the truth.’

"How was your day? As I promised, I didn’t bother you at all," Santino greeted her, a small smile appearing on his face.

However, before he could approach her, Soraya changed direction and headed straight towards the kitchen. She had no intention of speaking to him, let alone listening to whatever explanation he might offer.

"What’s wrong with her?" Santino muttered, realising that she was giving him the cold shoulder once again.

He followed her into the kitchen, where he found her drinking a glass of water.

"Did someone bother you at the bakery again? Tell me," he asked, pulling his hands out of his trouser pockets.

"Why? Are you going to kill them?"

Her blunt response caught him off guard.

Soraya placed the empty glass in the sink before setting down the small bag she had brought with her. It contained a cheesecake pastry she had bought on her way home. She took the box out, placed it inside the refrigerator, and walked out without sparing him another glance.

Unable to tolerate her cold treatment, Santino hurried after her and caught her by the arm, gripping it firmly enough to make her stop. Before she could turn away, he gently but swiftly pulled her around, bringing her into his arms.

"If you won’t tell me what’s wrong, I’ll ask Claire. Everything was going well between us, so why are you treating me like this all of a sudden? Huh?"

Santino searched his wife’s face, but he couldn’t understand what was going through her mind. Her expression revealed nothing.

"Don’t involve Claire," Soraya said firmly, placing both hands against his chest. "I’m tired of this conversation. Will you let me rest for a while, Mr. Selvaggio?" She raised an eyebrow, making it clear that she wasn’t willing to discuss the matter any further.

Santino’s grip gradually loosened. He studied her face for a moment but didn’t stop her when she stepped away. Without saying another word, Soraya walked upstairs and entered the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

’Will he keep lying to me? Will he continue insisting that he never met Emilio?’

She turned around and pressed both hands against her face, trying to contain her frustration.

’I had started believing that Santino was different. I thought he genuinely wanted to change things for me. But what if Emilio was telling the truth? What if Santino really did pay him to take me away?’

She stopped and shook her head, lowering her hands with a tired sigh. The thought was difficult to accept, especially after the progress she believed they had made in their relationship.

"But that woman’s voice couldn’t have been fake," she whispered to herself. "What if Emilio was hiding the entire truth? What if there’s more to what happened than I know?"

Soraya sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor blankly.

~~~~

"Why were you two arguing again?" Leo asked, having witnessed their disagreement.

"Something happened at the bakery," Santino replied, taking out his phone and dialing a number.

The call was answered after a few rings. "I was going to call you, sir. I waited until my shift was over before contacting you."

"Go on. Tell me what happened," Santino ordered.

"A man came into the bakery. His name was Emilio," Rony began. "However, I couldn’t gather many details because they didn’t discuss much while I was there and asked me to give them privacy. I couldn’t hear their entire conversation, either."

Santino ended the call and slammed his phone onto the desk. "Fuck!" he cursed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Emilio... That bastard met my wife."

Without wasting another second, he stormed towards his study, with Leo following closely behind.

As soon as he reached his desk, Santino switched on his laptop, connected his earbuds and opened the audio recordings that had been saved. The pendant he had given Soraya contained a built-in recording device, allowing him to hear what happened around her as a matter of protection.

He listened intently, his expression growing darker with every word that came through the recording. The moment he recognised Emilio’s voice, his jaw tightened, and his eyes turned dangerously cold. By the time the recording ended, the anger simmering inside him was barely under control.

He pulled out his earbuds, placed them on the desk and brought both hands to his face, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to contain his fury.

"Boss, what happened?" asked Leo in a worried tone.

"Emilio told everything to Soraya. That is why she is giving me a cold shoulder. She didn’t ask me anything directly," Santino pronounced and gritted his teeth.

"Marco was right. You should have killed Emilio," Leo remarked, feeling worried for Santino’s love life. "If Soraya has learnt everything, you should talk to her."

"And what should I tell her? That fucker has lied to her. I need to see Emilio first." He called Gina, the woman he had planted in Emilio’s life and with whom he cheated on Soraya.

He dialed Gina’s number, but to his surprise her phone was unavailable. He checked the number and frowned before redialing. But it didn’t connect.

"Where did Gina go? Why is her number unavailable?" Santino rose to his feet in annoyance. He had planned everything meticulously.

"Boss, there’s no way Gina could disappear like that. She’s your most trusted spy," Leo stated. "Something big must have happened that she has gone off radar."

Santino walked to the cupboard and took out his overcoat before putting it on. "I’m going to find Emilio. Make sure Soraya doesn’t go anywhere at night."

"Boss, but–" Leo tried stopping him, but Santino had gone. "I need to inform Marco before things go south. Boss should’ve talked to his wife first instead of going to see Emilio."