Valentina frowned. "Then why aren't you saying anything?"
He looked at her carefully. "Because assumptions are dangerous."
The answer sounded reasonable, yet it no longer felt sufficient. Valentina rose from her seat and walked toward the window.
The gardens beyond the glass stretched out peacefully, perfectly maintained and serene—the exact opposite of the unease she felt inside. "I've spent my entire life believing our family had no secrets," she said, her voice quieter now, more thoughtful. "Now I'm not sure."
The words lingered heavily in the air. Alfred did not respond right away. Every family had secrets, after all. Some were harmless. Others were not. The difficulty lay in determining which kind this might prove to be.
Across the room, Alexandre leaned forward slightly. "What if Luciano was right?" he asked. "What if a DNA test would answer everything?"
