The door creaked open, and Gia's heart stopped. She clutched the folder to her chest, her back pressed against the desk as she stared at the figure silhouetted in the doorway. The light from the hallway spilled into the room, casting long shadows across the floor. The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of old leather and cigar smoke, and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner seemed unnaturally loud.
"Gia?"
It wasn't Alvan or Omri. It was Javan.
Gia let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, but her relief was short-lived. Javan stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The sound was deafening in the silence. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression a mix of surprise and concern as he stared at her. The dim light from the desk lamp cast soft shadows across his face, making him look both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
"What are you doing in here?" he asked, his voice low but not unkind.
Gia's mind raced, but she knew there was no point in lying to Javan. He would never rat her out, she did trust him that much. She held up the folder, her hands trembling. "I found this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's about Luca."
Javan's eyes flicked to the folder, and for a moment, his expression softened. He stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he were approaching a wounded animal. "Gia," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "You shouldn't be here. If Omri finds out… or Alvan.."
"I know," Gia interrupted, her voice shaking but determined. "But I need to know the truth, Javan. About Luca. About what really happened. I need to know why Alvan hates me so much."
Javan sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You don't know what you're messing with," he said, his voice low and warning. "This isn't just about Luca. It's about everything. If you start digging, you're going to get hurt."
Gia shook her head, clutching the folder tighter. "I can't just sit back and do nothing. I need to know. For Luca. For myself."
Javan studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. Then, finally, he nodded. "Alright," he said, his voice heavy with resignation. "But you're not doing this alone. I'm here with you."
Gia sat on the edge of the desk, the folder open in her lap, her hands trembling slightly in anxiety. Javan stood by the window, his back to her, his arms crossed over his chest. The room was silent except for the sound of her turning pages, each one revealing more of the story she'd been desperate to uncover.
The documents were a mix of police reports, witness statements, and handwritten notes. They painted a picture of Luca's death that was far more complicated than she'd imagined. There were mentions of a deal gone wrong, of rival factions within the mafia, of a betrayal that had cost Luca his life.
But what caught her attention was a name that kept appearing—a name she recognized. Her father's.
Gia's breath caught in her throat as she read through the notes. According to the documents, her father had been involved in the deal that had led to Luca's death. He hadn't pulled the trigger, but he'd been there. He'd known what was going to happen. Or maybe whoever compiled the report had it all wrong.
She looked up at Javan, her heart pounding. "Is this true?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Was my father involved?"
Javan didn't turn around, but she saw the way his shoulders tensed. "Yes," he said, his voice flat. "He was there. He knew what was going to happen, and he did nothing to stop it."
Gia's stomach churned, and she felt like she might be sick. She'd always known her family was involved in the mafia, but she'd never imagined they were capable of something like this. And yet, the evidence was right in front of her, impossible to ignore.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Why did you leave me in the dark about all of this? Your family's hate towards me sort of feels justified."
Javan finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Not everything is always as it seems, Gia. My family isn't completely innocent in all of this," he said, his voice stern. "My father, my uncle, my aunt's and even my cousins—they could be part of this for all we know. So we need to be more logical than emotional about this."
Gia just stared blankly at him as he spoke, but she couldn't deny the truth in them. She was part of this world, whether she wanted to be or not. And now, she had to decide what to do with that knowledge.
The room was silent as Gia closed the folder, her mind racing. She didn't know what to say, what to think. Everything she'd believed about her family, about Alvan, about herself—it had all been turned upside down.
Javan watched her from across the room, his expression guarded. "Now you know," he said, his voice quiet. "What are you going to do about it?"
Gia looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination. "I'm going to find out the rest of the truth," she said. "And I'm going to make sure Luca gets justice. No matter what it takes."
Javan studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. Then, finally, he nodded. "Alright," he said. "But you're not doing this alone. We're in this together now."
Gia's chest tightened at his words, and for the first time, she felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could prove her family's innocence and move forward from Alvan's hate.
As Gia and Javan stood in the dimly lit study, the weight of the past pressing down on them, Gia couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The revelations in the folder had shaken her to her core, but she knew there was more to uncover. She glanced at Javan, who was now pacing the room, his hands clenched into fists.
"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Something you're not telling me."
Javan stopped pacing and turned to face her, his expression conflicted. "There's always more," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "But some things… some things are better left buried."
Gia shook her head, her determination unwavering. "No. I need to know everything. If we're going to do this together, there can't be any secrets between us."
Javan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"No," Gia said firmly. "I can't."
Javan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you."
Javan walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a small, leather-bound journal. He handed it to Gia, his expression grim. "This belonged to Luca," he said. "I found it after he died. I've never shown it to anyone."
Gia took the journal, her hands trembling as she opened it. The pages were filled with Luca's handwriting, his words a mix of observations, thoughts, and fears. As she read through the entries, a picture began to emerge—a picture of a man who had been caught in a web of lies and betrayal.
The final entry was the most chilling. In it, Luca wrote about a meeting with Omri, about a deal that had gone wrong, and about a betrayal that had cost him his life. But what stood out the most was the name at the end of the entry—a name that made Gia's blood run cold.
"Omri," she whispered, her voice trembling. "He was the one who betrayed Luca."
Javan nodded, his expression grim. "Yes. But it's not that simple. Omri wasn't acting alone. There were others involved—people you know, people you trust."
Gia's mind raced as she tried to process the information. The betrayal went deeper than she had imagined, and the people she had once trusted were now suspects in a web of lies and deceit.
As Gia closed the journal, she felt a sense of resolve settle over her. The truth was painful, but it was also liberating. She knew what she had to do.
"We need to expose them," she said, her voice steady. "All of them. We can't let them get away with this."
Javan nodded, his expression determined. "We will. But we need to be careful. If they find out what we know, they won't hesitate to silence us. And Alvan, he doesn't need to know about this, at least not yet."
Gia looked at Javan, her eyes filled with determination. "Then we'll just have to be smarter than them."
Javan smiled faintly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Together?"
"Together," Gia said, her voice firm.