Chapter 79 - TRUTH BE TOLD

'From a Distance you look like such a sweet and innocent lady but just like your little girl, you are full of secrets" Ricardo told Signora Meta not holding in any venom in his tone of voice.

'You are such an evil man"

'At least I do not hide that I am a villain, unlike you and your daughter who hide behind smiles. What do they call it? I forgot the words, oh I think it's called ‘Wolf in sheep's clothing" Ricardo ridiculed Signora Meta whom was not fazed by Ricardo's words.

'When you think about it, it is actually you who is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I mean you have proven yourself to be an impressive liar" She reminded him.

'When have I ever lied about who I was?"

'Well, you are you walking around pretending to be Leonardo's friend but actually wanting to take his wife from him, Is that not what you would consider a wolf in sheep's clothing? I think you are acting as though you are an innocent man when you're here laundering money illegally" Signora Meta reminded Ricardo of his secret. Upon hearing those words thrown at him, Riccardo's jaw clenched. He knew that what she was saying was the truth and very few people knew about his illegal activities.

All his life Ricardo had wanted nothing other than to keep up with Leonardo and the only way he could keep the money flowing like that was to launder money.

He unlike Leonardo was not born from the wealthiest family and his only option was to go into illegal money laundering. Leonardo's family and people of such a high society would never have accepted him if Ricardo was not up to par with them and he could not afford to sink down to the bottom of the barrel.

'I know the game that you are playing so it is best that you keep away from my daughter and her loving husband" Signora Meta warned Ricardo who masked his fear with a smile like he always did.

'Okay"

'You can laugh all you want, I heard you and him speaking about shooting someone" she mentioned to Ricardo and as soon as she said that, his smile disappeared.

'I would love to tell you that my dear lady, but if I did that then it will ruin the image of your innocent son-in-law, wouldn't that?"

'If you don't tell me, I will—"

'You will what? Look, I already made you a deal that I will leave Leonardo and his wife alone if you keep the secret about my money laundering" Ricardo responded angrily before walking past her and stomping his feet as he did that.

Signora Meta stood in the garden contemplating what to do. She did not know whether she should follow Ricardo or just let it be, but what she had overheard still rang in her ears. She had to find out who it was that both Ricardo and Leonardo were conversing about.

'If he won't help you then I will" Signora Meta turned around quickly to see who it was, the voice was unfamiliar to her and there before her was a woman.

'And who are you, if I must ask?" Signora Meta asked the young woman, who was smiling.

'You don't know me but I know you and I can help you with what it is that you want to know"

'And why would I want any help from you? I mean, you are stranger after all"

'For one I know that your daughter is not truly Avena, for the second, I know who killed Aurora's mother" The young woman's response left signora Meta's blood run cold, very few people knew of how Aurora's mother actually died.

In the small area in Sicily where they lived, many people knew but very few spoke of it as it was almost a taboo. Aurora's mother was seen as nothing other than a poor woman and so very few people worried about the case. No one wanted to find because it was always rich people controlling the game.

'You are lying, who sent you?" Signora Meta asked her angrily.

'My name is not of importance but I was Leonardo's childhood friend. I am amongst his very close circle of friends when he was younger and I will tell you this, Leonardo killed your Aurora's mother. His parents had paid a few people off and the incident that had occurred in the forest that day was covered up. Ricardo took the blame for him, that is why the two of them are friends and that is also why Leonardo is forever grateful to Ricardo doesn't that make sense?"

Having no control over herself, Signora Meta's hands began to shake. Even without evidence everything made sense, she thought about how Leonardo would often praise Ricardo and never once mentioning what it was a Ricardo it done for him.

'And how can I trust you, I mean you don't have any evidence to give to me"

'Well you are right, I do not have any evidence but I do know that the poor woman wore a pink dress that day with a badge. I believe the badge had a little bear holding onto a heart"

Signora Meta's pupils grew wide, very few people knew of the state in which Aurora's mother was found. The closet and first person that was called to the scene was Signora Meta and she had seen the badge.

'I know you're shocked right? Well there was something else at the crime scene, she had a necklace. I believe it's a locket, the one in which your daughter currently carries around with her, am I right?" The woman asked whilst Signora Meta was too busy processing all that was being said to her.

'It is fine if you do not believe me, but I think it's best that you ask Leonardo to tell you the truth. Now I know Leonardo and I also know that he would not deny that he did in fact someone on that fateful day. That woman is none other than his wife's poor mother. It's funny because he smiles with his wife and acts as though he is not a murderer.



Anyways, I have to leave. I have better things to do" The woman turned on her heel and was about to walk away when she was stopped.

'Why are you telling me all these things? What is in it for you?" Signora Meta asked Rhea, not fully trusting nor understanding the motive behind the young woman wanting to help her.

'I want nothing from you, all I want is justice for the poor and innocent woman that was killed. I am sick and tired of these rich people killing people and getting away with it by simply paying people off"

'What is your name?"

'Well my name doesn't matter, but I think you should speak to your son-in-law. He is the one you should be questioning. Anyways goodbye and I wish your family all the best" She turned around and walked away, leaving signora Meta to deal with emotions that she was feeling.

Signora Meta grabbed a seat in the garden and began thinking about what the young woman had said and it all made sense. The very moment she had heard Leonardo say that he had shot someone, signora Meta had thought that she had not heard him properly. But as she analyzed it all, she could remember him clearly saying he had shot someone.

Signora Meta could not believe it, but everything the young woman said made sense. This time she would not allow her daughter to once again marry a man that had ended her childhood at such a young age. The man who had taken away a mother from her child, the same man who was the result of Aurora working for the Russo's as a maid as well as to take away her dreams. Signora Meta knew that it was her duty to stop the wedding before it was over, her actions might break Aurora's heart but the truth had to be told.

Flashback ends



'I'm sorry my dear, all I wanted was for you to be happy. I did not know that I was allowing you marry a murderer, the very same murderer who ruined your life at such a tender age"

'But why didn't you tell me that my mother was shot? All my life I believed that her illness had killed her yet all this while she was shot"

'My dear, there is so much secrets that I wanted to tell you but I could not bring myself to. It was not time yet but now it is a time and I think you must know"

**
Leonardo angrily drove to the rented house in which his parents had rented out and he parked his car and walked into the house without knocking. Upon entering, he stopped in his track, because right before his eyes was not just his parents but the Russo's as well as their daughter.

Leonardo shut the door behind himself, confused as to why all of them were seated together as though they were one big happy family.

'I thought you guys were in hiding?" He asked the Russo's.

'I believe we were on" Mrs. Russo stood up and told Leonardo. She looked proud as she saw him, as though she had been waiting all her life to meet him yet again.

'I see, is that what we're calling it now?" Leonardo asked her and the look on Mrs. Russo's face had gone from proud to furious.

'Leonardo that is not how you speak to your mother in-law!" his mother's stood from her chair and scolded him but nothing she said bothered him, seeing as his mother had turned into a woman that he could no longer remember. The woman standing before Leonardo was calculating, cruel and would do anything she wanted even if it meant getting people out of the way.

'But she's not my mother-in-law, that's the thing" He responded to his mother angrily.

'Leonardo we will not have this conversation again, she is your mother-in-law and if it were not for that harlot—"

'Mother don't you dare call my wife that!" Leonardo warned his mother, not holding back when it came down to defending his wife against his mother. His reactions to his mother calling his wife a harlot had shocked everyone who was in the room. Leonardo breathe heavily as adrenaline ran through his body and he could not piece together how such a beautiful day had turned into a nightmare.

But still there were pieces of the puzzle ever missing.

'Now, I don't know what happened but each and every one of you is going to tell me the truth. I will not walk out of this house and neither will you all walk out this house until I learn of the truth"