Ella sat on the edge of her bed wondering how did she fell asleep on Diego's shoulder and why didn't he wake her up. It was an awkward moment when she woke up realising she had slept after draining all her energy in thinking about the letter last night.

Nevertheless, Diego's company did help her to some extent. The sleep though short it was a peaceful one.

She had left him to have the couch all by himself after Diego refused to leave home. It was two in the morning, that calls for a sleep over on the couch. So, she fetched him a pillow and blanket before she settled in her room.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was two-thirty in the morning. Ella sat on the edge of her bed wide awake.

She held the letter in her hand, the brown and almost worn out letter that somehow shows this must have been two-decade-old letter. She kept reading again and again.

Trying to find a fault in the letter but found none.

She only left her heart beat heavily as she kept reading it.

"This have been written so well that I can't find a single point that will tell otherwise.

How is it even possible? I'm Ella Falco the daughter of Armino and Laura Falco. I have all the necessary documents to prove it. Then how can I be Ara Agosti?" Ella tried to give reasons and proof to deny the letter's claim.

"If Thiyagu can imitate Mr. Moretti's signature when he was young then I'm so sure this is Thiyagu's work. I need to call him and have a talk about this in the morning"

Ella dropped herself on the bed and stretched out her hands, she felt a small box under her pillow.

A small red wooden box tied with a string and a note attached on it.

Happiest Birthday Devil! Let this day be a special one with my gifts for you. There are more, search for it!

"Chocolate?" she gave a hollow laugh at the single chocolate piece in the box.

"I'll search for the rest tomorrow" she mumbled as she continued to toss and turn to catch some sleep.

-----

The noise of utensils clanking each other grew louder every passing second. Diego stirred on the couch, yawning in the process before peeking into the kitchen. His vision caught the owner of the house, vigorously working on the dishes.

After sometime he came and sat on the counter island and watched her moving around doing practically nothing but circling the island.

"How are you?" he asked casually, fetching an apple from the nearby basket.

"Bad. Nothing is going in here" Ella said pointing to her head as she walked pass him quite frustrated.

"Whoatt izz -nat going -in dhere?" he spoke while munching the apple.

Ella spent a few seconds staring at him, processing the words he just sputtered.

"About the letter! What else?" she fumed.

"Us"

"Us?"

"About us... having breakfast" he quickly said, rolling his eyes side to side.

"Huh... No breakfast. Get out!" Ella pointed to the door and moved away.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, cara" Diego's eyes followed and studied her.

It was just a single piece of paper with words scribbled on it yet it's almost creating a chaos in her mind. The letter had her completely out of focus that she did not realise when she had walked out of the kitchen. Realising where she was, Ella groaned loudly and stomped back.

Ella let out a heavy sigh and dropped the wet towel on the counter.

She held her head tight trying to ease the pain forming in her head as if being crushed, squeezed. That the few minutes of sleep did not help her last night.

Diego noticed her discompose, he instantly jumped down from the counter and pulled her into a embrace before bringing her to the dinning table. He too took a seat opposite her.

"Ella, you need to relax. I understand, the letter had disturbed you in many ways but you have to stay calm. We aren't even sure yet, if that's really from Uncle D.

And, you. You know, you are Ella Falco, right?"

She nodded faintly. "I know and I shouldn't be overreacting but there's something that constantly disturbing me after reading the letter. "

"This could be a prank, Ella. I think you should let it go and everything will be alright" he concluded.

Ella finally felt a little relieve at least Diego now understood this could all be a prank played by someone to divert their attention or to simply do it for fun.

"I know, right? And I think this must be Thiyagu's work. He even told me he is good at replicating signatures and mimicking voices," she again stressed the fact that it could have been his brother's work.

"You are aware of it, right?" she asked.

Diego stayed silent, mulling over what Ella just said.

Her doubt slowly began to make sense to him yet he choose not to show it at the moment. Not until he gets clarification from the man himself.

"I'm going to call Thiyagu and ask him right away" she dashed to her room and came back with her phone dialing Thiyagu's number on her way.

------

Diego watched Thiyagu who got himself busied as soon as he came in to the office. He studied his brother who was at the far end in the office room. Wondering whether he should believe his brother who denied being a part of the letter earlier when Thiyagu spoke to Ella unaware of his presence with her.

As for the record, Thiyagu's list of mischievousness are even longer than the height of their office building. Hence, it won't be surprising if it was Thiyagu's work.

However, Diego wanted to know from his brother if he has something else to tell him. Something that Thiyagu doesn't want Ella to know.

"What?! Diego, even you think it's my work?" Thiyagu gasped popping his eyes out.

"Well, all your past records leads me to believe that the letter could be one of your silly games"

The young man had his eyes and mouth wide open in surprise as his brother openly declares to be doubting on him. Despite him trying to explain it wasn't him.

"Okay, I agree I did all that stuff before but I'm a changed person now. Trust me Diego!

I don't have a single idea about this letter" Thiyagu stated with confident managing to convince Diego of his non-involvement in this event.

Leaving Diego with nothing much to ask nor think.

He left the office room shortly after having a conversation with his brother. He needed some fresh air to relieve his cluttered mind.

But at some point of time, Diego had even wished the letter could be sent by his brother only to avoid Ella from getting attacked again. However, that did not happen and the possibilities of the two Ara's to be attacked had only increased.

Not to forget the accident that almost knocked the two ladies lives.

-----

"Pheww!! That was a close call" Thiyagu sighed as he plopped himself on the couch soon after Diego left.

"Sorry, bro. Please don't get mad when you find out the truth. I hope you will never find out who was the mastermind behind the letter El, got," he prayed inwardly.

Thiyagu looked back at the incident happened a day ago which made him to come up with such a plan. The series of attacks and death that followed Ara Agosti's search was definitely a turning point for him to get into action.

Soon after leaving Ella's apartment, Thiyagu locked himself in the car pondering on his further action. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel impatiently as her tried to get a plan.

A full-proof plan that can never go wrong.

However, not a proper plan popped in his even after spending almost more than an hour in the car thinking.

"There must be something that I can do. Think Thiyagu. Think" he paced back and forth in his room.

"Think.... I must be able to pull off something to stop the lawyers from declaring Luciana as Ara Agosti. We need more time and I'm so sure, we are close. Just a little more time.

What can I do?"

Thiyagu strongly believes that Luciana isn't Ara Agosti yet he has no much time to prove his statement. He wanted to do this for his brother who tirelessly trying to find Ara and for his mother who also has the same believe has him. They just wish Agosti's assets and company doesn't go to the wrong hand.

Maybe it's the repeated action of him walking back and forth or probably by him chanting to think, a sudden rewind conversation he had with Ella gave a hint.

'Something like bringing in the real Ara? Or make the situation much alive with drama?' Ella words rang loud and clear in his ears.

"That's it!

All I need is to bring Ara. A new Ara!!"

As a wily person, Thiyagu took the advantage of the closest girl he can trap as Ara Agosti. Though he knew it's wrong to play with Ella's emotion, he had no other option left.

And he believed this could be the only way to help them buy more time to find Ara Agosti.

Soon after planning out his full-proof plan, Thiyagu grabbed his mobile to convince Ella to play as the new Ara Agosti's part. However, he dropped the idea immediately and decided that an authentic emotion from Ella after receiving the letter will convince and confuse everyone over which is the real Ara Agosti.

And for the same reason, Diego was left unaware of it too.

With that, he successfully wrote a believable letter and got it sent to Ella's apartment that very day.

"Sorry, El. I had to use you" he mumbled, staring out as the bright day gets engulfed in darkness.

------

Ella stared at her reflection trying to study her exhausted self. She was both mentally and physically exhausted.

She felt completely broken when Thiyagu had denied confidently that it wasn't his plan to prank her with the letter.

She hated to be in this situation. To self doubt about her identity whenever rumors of her being said unwanted by her fellow housemates followed her everywhere when she was still new in the orphanage but soon it subsidized.

However, the constant thought about this new situation had finally converted into high body temperature. Splashing the cold water on her face, Ella fell on the bed completely ignoring the world outside.

"Ella?!" Diego yelled for the fifth time as he continued knocking the door and ringing the bell yet no one answered. Anxiousness kicked in, Diego ran down to his car, fetch the spare key and got into her house only to find her sleeping like a log.

Heaving a sigh of relieve, he let himself calm down from the running he did a few minutes ago before invading her sleep. However, he ended up noticing her perspire and realised she is down with fever.

------

"You know what..." Diego walked back in to the room after sending the doctor out.

Ella faintly opened her eyes, stared at him before closing them back. "What?"

"I want you to stay in my house until everything is resolved" he announced as he settled on the end of the bed.

"Oh! stop it, Diego!

All these while I have been taking care of myself alone. And I can do it in the future too" fumed Ella.

He gazed at the angry weak woman as bubble of thoughts begin forming on the possibilities that might happen if Ella is left alone. There is no way he would hide about the letter Ella received saying she is Ara Agosti, definitely not when the letter doesn't prove to be a prank.

He needs to think of her safety measure, hereafter.

After a long persuasion, Ella finally gave in. Understanding her own inability to fight for herself at the moment, she agreed to stay a little longer in the Moretti house.

In hope that, Chandra's presence will help Ella restore her distorted self.

**************

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