Every Mafia's Favorite Girl

Chapter 75: "Four Hours Ago"

Caio lifted the black coffee cup to his lips.

He blew across the surface once, then again, before taking a measured sip and setting it back onto the table with a quiet click.

Before him, a thick pane of reinforced one-way glass separated the observation deck from the interrogation room.

He leaned back slightly into the leather chair, watching as Leo conducted what was likely his final round of interviews — this time with the three maids assigned to the estate’s central laundry facility.

"So," Leo began evenly, folding his hands atop the table, "you’re saying the three of you were on duty during the morning shift last Sunday?"

The maid seated in the middle answered first. Judging by her posture, she was clearly the senior among them.

"Yes, sir. I supervised that shift. Only the three of us were assigned to the laundry room that morning."

Leo gave a slow nod.

"Your records are remarkable," he observed, glancing briefly through the personnel file before looking back up. "Eight years of service. Excellent performance."

He shifted his gaze toward the woman on the left.

"And you?"

"I’ve worked here for five years, sir."

"And you?"

The youngest maid on the right answered promptly.

"Four years, sir."

"Yes." Leo closed the file with deliberate calm. "That’s consistent with what’s in your records."

Rather than pressing immediately, he eased the conversation into something more casual, carefully lowering their guard while fishing for inconsistencies.

"So," he said conversationally, "how has work been in the laundry room lately? Everything running smoothly?"

"Very smoothly, sir," the senior replied. "We follow a rotation schedule, perform regular equipment inspections..." She hesitated before asking, "Was there some sort of problem that required us to come here?"

"Just a small incident around the estate," Leo lied smoothly. "Someone reported that several amenities went missing last Sunday. Pillowcases. Duvets. Towels. We’re trying to determine where they disappeared."

The three women exchanged surprised glances.

"That couldn’t have happened inside the laundry room," the senior answered firmly. "We count everything at the beginning and end of every shift. Every duvet, every pillowcase, every towel, every napkin. If anything was stolen, it would’ve had to happen during transportation."

"I understand." Leo nodded reassuringly. "You’ve all been here for years. I know you’re diligent. This is simply procedure."

He paused just long enough for the tension to ease before continuing.

"Try to think back to that morning. Did anyone enter the laundry room? Even briefly? Perhaps someone stopping by to chat?"

The three maids fell silent, each searching her memory.

Finally, the youngest spoke.

"I can’t be certain about the times I left to deliver linens or use the restroom, but whenever I was inside, no one entered except the three of us. Not until much later in the afternoon."

The maid on the left nodded.

"Whenever she was delivering supplies, I stayed with our senior. We always took turns leaving. We never leave the room unattended."

"Excellent discipline," Leo said, making another note. "You followed protocol perfectly."

He tapped his pen thoughtfully.

"Now let’s widen the timeframe a little. Not just last Sunday. What about the days before that? On ordinary days, did anyone visit the laundry room?"

"Oh, certainly," the senior answered. "Several maids come and go throughout the week. Some bring us tea or snacks. Some help when we’re particularly busy. Others simply stop by during breaks to chat."

"You remember who they were?"

She smiled apologetically. "Quite a few of them, sir. Most are assigned to the laundry section anyway. If necessary, they could confirm it themselves."

"I see." Leo wrote another short note. "So primarily other laundry staff?"

"Actually..." The youngest maid frowned slightly as a memory surfaced. "If I’m remembering correctly... several days before last Sunday, a new girl came by during our shifts."

Immediately, the other two turned toward her. The maid on the left brightened in recognition.

"Oh! That’s right. The girl with the dark brown hair?"

Leo’s attention sharpened.

"Oh? Who would that be?"

"She’s only been employed here for about a year," the senior explained. "She’s assigned to smaller duties — garbage collection, cleaning around the back gardens. You may not have noticed her."

The maid on the left smiled warmly.

"She’s new, but she has an excellent attitude. Very hardworking. She always finishes her own assignments early, then goes around asking whether anyone else needs help. Not just us."

The youngest nodded in agreement.

"Sometimes she’d come into the laundry room and ask if she could help fold linens or sort towels. She always said she wanted to learn more, so we let her help."

The senior quickly added, almost defensively, "But sir, I really don’t think she’d steal anything. She’s such a sweet, diligent girl."

Leo wrote the information down anyway.

"What’s her name?"

The senior answered without hesitation.

"Daria, sir."

Behind the one-way glass, Caio’s brow lifted almost imperceptibly.

’I’ve heard that name before.’

The memory surfaced with startling clarity.

Late at night. The same night Jordan Marchetti crashed the estate. When he had gone out looking for Aren, that maid had been right by her side.

Without another thought, Caio pressed the button on the desk. A green light illuminated inside the interrogation room.

Leo caught the signal immediately. He rose from his chair, and offered the three women a polite smile.

"Excuse me for a moment, ladies. Please wait here."

He stepped out and entered the observation room only seconds later.

"Something caught your attention, Boss?"

"It did," Caio replied calmly, though his eyes never left the glass. "I’ve met that maid before. Daria was with Ariana several days ago." freewёbnoνel.com

Leo’s expression sharpened. "Do you want me to bring her in?"

"Bring her."

Leo wasted no time. One of the guards was dispatched immediately toward the mansion to retrieve the maid.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

When the door finally opened again, the soldier’s defeated expression told them everything before he even spoke.

"My apologies, Boss," he said, lowering his head. "I just spoke with Mrs. Pecora. She informed me that the maid named Daria left the estate earlier this morning."

Leo frowned. "Left the estate? Is today her scheduled day off?"

"No, sir." The soldier shook his head. "Mrs. Pecora said she accompanied Lady Ariana. She was assigned to assist Lady Ariana with her ice cream containers while accompanying her on today’s visit to her father at the Lombardi estate."

An unfamiliar unease suddenly crawled through Caio’s chest.

He couldn’t explain exactly why, but he knew he deeply disliked every word he had just heard.

"Mrs. Pecora assigned a garbage collection maid to accompany Ariana?," he asked. "Has this estate suddenly run out of proper attendants?"

"N-No, Boss." The soldier visibly faltered beneath his stare. "Mrs. Pecora said... Lady Ariana specifically requested that maid herself."

Caio stared at him. "She chose Daria?"

"Yes, Boss." The soldier hesitated before adding another detail. "Mrs. Pecora also assigned another maid alongside her. A maid named Alice."

Slowly, Caio leaned back into his chair.

The pieces refused to settle comfortably.

This supposedly cheerful, hardworking low-ranking maid had unrestricted access to the laundry room, wandered freely through multiple sections of the estate, and had somehow managed to become personally acquainted with Aren.

There were too many coincidences.

Far too many.

"Has Ariana returned yet?"

"No, Boss."

"Contact House Lombardi directly," Caio ordered without hesitation. "Ask whether Lady Ariana is still there. Ask whether she remained for lunch with Don Gian."

"Right away, Boss."

Leo immediately stepped outside, already dialing as he walked. The instant the door closed behind Leo, Caio pulled out his phone.

He dialed Aren.

The line rang out — endless, hollow rings, but no answer. He killed the call and tried again. Still nothing. By the third attempt, the ringing on the other end had become deafening.

His fingers slowly tightened around the phone.

’Come on... answer.’

’Is she just enjoying herself over there?’

’Or—’

’No.’

He cut the thought off before it could fully form, yet it lingered stubbornly at the edge of his mind, growing heavier with every unanswered ring.

Several tense moments later, the door burst open.

Leo stepped inside, but his earlier composure was entirely gone, replaced by a genuine alarm most men in the room hadn’t seen in years.

"Boss..."

Caio looked up instantly.

"House Lombardi confirmed Lady Ariana already left."

Caio’s heart skipped.

"When?"

Leo swallowed.

"She departed... four hours ago."

Silence crashed over the room.

It took barely an hour to get from the Lombardi estate back to the Sartori district. Even if Aren had stopped at a café or gotten distracted by something along the way, a four-hour delay made no sense. She should have been home long ago, or at least sent him a text by now.

Caio shot to his feet so abruptly his chair scraped violently across the floor.

"Prepare the cars," he ordered sharply. "We’re going to the Lombardi district."

"Yes, Boss."

Leo and the soldiers sprang into motion without another word. Within seconds, the observation room emptied as they hurried through the surveillance wing, boots striking loudly against the polished floors.

The urgency spread through the corridors like wildfire, but they had barely reached the mansion’s front hall when a young guard came sprinting toward them, breathing hard as he threw himself directly in their path.

"What is it?!" Caio snapped, already trying to move around him. "I’m in a hurry."

The guard’s face was deathly pale. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"B-Boss..." His voice shook. "There’s... there’s something I think you need to see immediately."

Caio’s patience was completely gone.

"What thing?!"

"It’s... it’s a package..." the guard stammered. "Someone delivered a package to the front entrance, but... but there’s something very strange about it."

Caio’s jaw clenched. The matter was barely worth bringing to his level, let alone interrupting him for.

"Then perform a security inspection! " he snarled. "Open the damn thing! Find out what’s inside!"

"We did, Boss." The guard’s face turned even paler as the memory replayed behind his eyes. "W-we were already inspecting it... b-but when we peeled away the wrapping... The box..."

He swallowed hard.

"It’s... it’s covered in blood."

A heavy frown rippled across every face in the hall.

Caio’s most of all.

"Blood?" he repeated, a cold confusion warping his anger.

The guard’s voice nearly failed him as he finished.

"And... and the delivery tag... it says it was sent by Lady Ariana."