Chapter One Hundred Seven - Hidden Agendas

Amelia squeezed his hand. "And the other part?" Alessandro sighed. "The other part of me is preparing for the worst. If this is some kind of con, it could tear the family apart." As they approached the small town Isabella had mentioned, Amelia felt a mixture of anticipation and dread. The quaint streets and charming buildings belied the potential for life-altering revelations that awaited them. Their first stop was the local records office. As Alessandro charmed the elderly clerk with his fluent Italian, Amelia scanned the room, taking in the dusty shelves and faded documents. "Any luck?" she asked as Alessandro returned to her side. He shook his head. "Nothing definitive. There's a record of a Maria Rossi living here about thirty years ago, which matches the name Isabella gave for her mother. But there's no birth record for Isabella herself." Amelia frowned. "That's odd. Even in a small town like this, there should be some record." Their next stop was a small café in the town s