"Elena," Daniel said slowly, "Bellini?"
Her grandmother nodded once. "Lucia Bellini's older brother."
The room felt smaller.
"Mayor Bellini?" Elena asked. "The current mayor?"
"Yes," her grandmother replied quietly. "He was young then. Ambitious. Protective."
Daniel's jaw tightened. "Protective of his sister?"
"Protective of the family name," she corrected.
Elena tried to process it. Lucia dies. Isabella leaves. Her grandfather promises to "handle the rest." And the Bellini name rises in power over the next forty years.
It wasn't random.
It was controlled.
"Did he know?" Daniel asked.
Her grandmother hesitated. "He knew enough."
That wasn't an answer.
But it was worse than a denial.
Later that evening, Elena and Daniel stood outside the mayor's office. The building overlooked the square, polished and modern compared to the older stone structures.
The Bellini crest hung above the entrance.
Daniel exhaled slowly. "If he covered up his sister's death…"
"He's had forty years to make sure it stays buried," Elena finished.
Through the large front windows, they could see him inside.
Mayor Bellini.
Older now. Controlled. Calm.
Powerful.
As if sensing their gaze, he looked up.
His eyes met Elena's first.
Then Daniel's.
And for just a second—
His expression changed.
Recognition.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
He knew exactly who Daniel was.
Elena's pulse pounded.
Daniel whispered, "He was waiting for me to come back."