I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. "Sorry about that, I was just about to knock."
She finished buttoning her shirt. "What's up?" She said like nothing just happened. She picked up her brush and stood in front of her full-length mirror as she brushed her hair. Her back is turned from me, but that shirt is damn near sheer.
I've never met a woman so confident about her body, which she should be, it's beautiful.
"Have a seat."
I looked around, but my only option is her bed. So I took a seat.
"I was reading through the letters and found one that you should read. We need to be extremely careful about who sees this letter."
"Okay, can you read it to me?" She said, as she walked to her dresser and took off her earrings.
"Actually, you should probably sit."
"That bad?"
"I'm sorry, but it's worse," I said.
She came and sat next to me on the bed. "Should I just read it?"
I handed it to her. "It changes everything for all of us," I warned her.
I watched as she scanned over the letter. Her hand slowly raised and covered her mouth as a single tear fell.
The letter lightly falls from her fingers, and she sat there in shock. I reached up and wiped her tear away.
"Somehow, it's going to be okay." I tried to comfort her, but it's not really my strong suit.
"This explains almost everything, except how he managed to kill Diara."
I got up and grabbed the box of tissues on her dresser, handing her one before I sat next to her.
"He has to know, Asher. That's why he had Diara with you."
I nodded. "You need to get dressed so we can tell Dario."
I'm in shock over this letter, but I'm a red-blooded man whose eyes have a mind of their own. She got up and went to the closet to change, but the door wasn't shut quite all the way. Damn.
She walked out in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Let's just hope he's still downstairs."
We walked side by side and found Dario alone in the library sitting at the desk. He was on his laptop.
"Dario, we need to talk." She said, and I shut the door behind us.
"Actually we do, I just got off the phone with Grant, and he has more information."
"So do we." She handed him the letter. His eyebrows raised as he read it, then he looked at his watch.
"We need to report this to Grant."
He dialed the phone and put it on speaker.
"Boss, we've found more letters, and we've got a serious problem."
"Did you ask her about the photo yet?" Dalton asked.
"No, they just walked in the room. Listen up. I already told you Olivia was born from Diara and Maggie's grandmother and old man Calabresi. Well, here's a few more shockers.
The old man raised Jack as his own, and we knew that, but Jack's father was none other than Alfonso Bianchi, Asher's grandfather, but that's not all. I've never heard of such dysfunction.
Diara did not belong to the girls' mother. Their father married Olivia first, and together they had Diara. Olivia died shortly after childbirth in Europe.
Copella married Olivia's half-sister, and together they had Maggie. They raised the girls as full sisters." Dario finished.
" Dammit, that makes Greer the next heir of all three empires. No wonder Calabresi didn't appoint Jack as his next heir. That was Diara, and with her out of the picture, we are left with the child. Ask Maggie about the photo."
Diego turns his laptop toward Maggie, and it's a photo of her walking down the street with a man I've seen, but can't place.
"Maggie, why were you with this man?"
She looked confused. "That's my ex-boyfriend, Justin Kramer."
Dario shakes his head, but Grant spoke.
"His name isn't Justin Kramer, it's Tony Calabresi. Jack Calabresi's son."
Maggie turned as white as a ghost.
"When was the last time you saw him, and how long were you with him?"
She cleared her throat, and she's obviously uncomfortable.
"We dated off and on for five years. I broke it off permanently last year, but we still talk."
"When did you last talk to him?"
"About an hour ago. He called, but I was taking a bath and said I couldn't talk. He's a photographer and lives in L.A. When I told him I couldn't talk, he said it was okay because he will be in town Monday, and we need to talk. He said it's important." I can see her hands shaking.
"You need to meet with him. Maybe we can draw Jack out."
I jumped in. "No, absolutely not! I won't allow her to be used as bait! Set it up, and I'll meet the bastard."
Maggie looked at me like I'm crazy. "Justin wouldn't hurt me."
"That's not what you..." Shit, I'm not supposed to know that.
"What?"
"He posed as someone else." I snapped at her. "They could have anything planned."
"Why do you care? You have your daughter, and they don't want you." She's yelling at me now.
"These people killed Diara. Not a quick death, but a slow agonizing death that lasted a decade. Is that what you want? You're damn lucky that abusive son of a bitch wasn't killing you slowly. Hell, for all we know he already started!"
"Who said he was abusive?" She glared at me.
Shit!
"Like father like son!" I snapped back.
"The two of you can finish your quarrel later. Maggie, make the arrangements. Dario, find an appropriate place for the meeting." Dalton gave his orders.