All Chapters of The Heir's Secret Obsession: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

◇ KEL  ◇   Body. Niccolo's body.

◇ KEL ◇  

◇ KEL ◇ ◇ Mount Carmel Hillside Cemetery, New York ◇ Multiple organ failure.

◇ KEL ◇   "To open this file, enter the correct password below.  Note:  case sensitive" "Oh, come on..." I  repeatedly tapped on the other folder icon on the screen taunting my curiosity like the mysterious email address in my inbox. It was an old email address I hadn't been checking regularly.

◆ MILES ◆Brichese, Italy "Where you at?" "Somewhere you never been. What's up?" "

◇ KEL ◇New York“What do you mean, you’re not sure?”My mother’s voice barely drifted past her soft-spoken motherly tone, but her focused brown eyes and scrunched brows were enough to raise the barometer in the room—not that the fairly cheap apartment unit had one. I glanced down and put my phone away. My mom didn’t need to see the pitiful numbers on the screen displaying my current bank balance. Shrinking and just hanging by a thread—pretty much like my confidence. I almost failed a class again…something I didn’t want to tell my mother, but something I knew she definitely wanted to know.“Just one year left, Mykaela. Then you’re off to residency. You’re so close.” My Mommy Tilda switched off the stove. She sighed her disappointment at the fried rice she just cooked for us both. It was the weekend, and so my mom just drove to my apartment first thing to check up on me. She just had to make sure I was eating right and sleeping enough, not stuck procrastinating and buried under pil

◇ KEL ◇“Mom, I’m just gonna step out for a bit and…um…meet a friend.” I pocketed my phone and for some seconds, I hesitated whether I should give her another hug or just head straight towards the front door. The tension in the room could cut through anything; I could still feel it. But since we were no longer frantically wiping off tears, I had to end our serious talk now so I could start one with another unexpected guest.Why was he here? What did the guy want this time? Was he in New York for business again? Or to collect payment from me? Perhaps both? “Sure. I’ll wait here.” My mom got up and tidied up the dining table.“I’ll be back in…one hour. Tops.” I stopped dillydallying and put my arms around her stiff shoulders. Her familiar perfume reminded me of happier times, years ago when I was still living with my parents. And I realized that my liberating, self-supporting life in Italy then was nothing compared to being with family again. “Okay, sweetie. Friend from school?”

◇ KEL ◇2 new notifications"M. C. Falco (account number: **** 4096 ***) sent $45,000 to your account **** 7894 **. Transaction completed today at 14:30.""M. C. Falco (account number: **** 4096 ***) sent $45,000 to your account **** 7894 **. Transaction completed today at 14:37."Holy guacamole. Ninety thousand dollars? Was this an error?The first time was shocking enough that I had to read the notifications twice. Disbelief made me doubt the whole thing, so logged in to check my bank account. Crap. It wasn't a mistake. He actually sent me money. Almost a hundred thousand dollars. For what? Why send me this much money? Struggling for immediate answers, I checked the descriptions and my emails. Odd. Miles didn't send any. The only message he included in the fund transfer transactions was: "Pay him back now"That's it. No other messages. The shock just turned into utter confusion as I kept staring at the total amount and the unbelievable number of zeros on the screen.Of c

◇ KEL ◇"Cosa vuoi mangiare?""Huh?" As I tried to catch my breath after another long lap, I held onto the edge of the pool while Enzo stood idly next to me.His slight frown preceded a quick sigh, and he shook his head at the numbers on his phone screen.  It was his stopwatch.  He was

◇ KEL ◇"Did you like the food?""Yeah." I got up from my seat and put on a smile. "Thank you for dinner.""Sure. You need to go home now?" "Uh...no. Not really," I replied to the guy standing next to me. The question surprised me as we walked side by side back to the hotel lobby.It was almost empty, save for the receptionists and the poker-faced security personnel guarding the front entrance. Like the spacious hotel rooms, the decor looked elegant, clean, and filled with relaxing earth colors. Some golden streaks here and there. "I'll drive you back to your place," Enzo said. His warm breath smelled of wine now. Like me, he was wearing a plain shirt and dark-colored boardshorts. My gym shorts were shorter, though.  "Thanks. I'll help you pack first," I suggested.We were both tired from swimming, but the least I could do in