Chapter 12 — The Betrayal
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Alessandro asked:
“Why didn't you tell me?”
My mother looked at him.
“Because Victor asked me not to.”
“He was my uncle.”
“Yes.”
“He was alive.”
“Yes.”
“And he married you under another name.”
“Yes.”
Alessandro's face tightened.
“Why?”
My mother looked at me.
“Because he wanted to protect Elizabeth.”
I stared.
“But you said he was killed.”
“He was.”
“Then how could he be alive?”
“He died later.”
“Where?”
“In a place Stefano could never find.”
Alessandro stepped closer.
“What happened to him?”
My mother hesitated.
“He was murdered.”
“By Stefano?”
“No.”
The answer chilled the room.
“By whom?”
My mother looked at me.
“Your grandmother.”
Alessandro froze.
“My grandmother killed Victor?”
“She believed he betrayed the family.”
“But he didn't.”
“No.”
My mother lowered her eyes.
“He sacrificed himself.”
“For what?”
“For the truth.”
Alessandro looked at me.
“What truth?”
My mother opened another folder.
Inside was a financial ledger.
Names.
Payments.
Dates.
Companies.
Political donations.
Judges.
Police officials.
Everything.
“This is what Victor discovered.”
Alessandro took the ledger.
His expression hardened as he read.
Stefano had been buying judges.
Police commanders.
City officials.
Business competitors.
But one name appeared repeatedly.
Catherine Vitali.
Alessandro's grandmother.
He looked at my mother.
“She was involved.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did she help you?”
“Because she regretted it.”
“Too late.”
“Yes.”
Alessandro closed the ledger.
“What does Stefano want now?”
My mother answered:
“The trust.”
“We know.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“He doesn't want the money.”
I looked at her.
“Then what?”
“The trust contains evidence that could destroy the entire Vitali empire.”
Alessandro's expression darkened.
“And the money?”
“Collateral.”
I suddenly understood.
“That's why he transferred twenty million into my account.”
“Yes.”
“He wants me blamed.”
My mother nodded.
“He wants you arrested.”
Alessandro's eyes hardened.
“For money laundering.”
“And fraud.”
“And theft.”
I felt sick.
“But I didn't do anything.”
“We know.”
“The authorities won't.”
“They don't need to.”
Alessandro stepped closer.
“I'll prove it.”
My mother looked at him.
“You can't.”
“Why?”
“Because Stefano already owns the evidence.”
Alessandro's phone rang.
He answered.
“Matteo.”
A pause.
“What?”
His expression changed.
“Repeat that.”
He listened.
Then:
“Send me everything.”
He hung up.
“What happened?”
He looked at me.
“Your bank account has been flagged.”
My heart sank.
“By whom?”
“Federal investigators.”
My mother closed her eyes.
“He moved faster than I thought.”
“What do we do?”
Alessandro looked at me.
“We disappear.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Elizabeth.”
“No more running.”
He stared.
“I've been running since I was six.”
I stepped forward.
“My entire life was built around someone else's lies.”
I held up the ledger.
“I want the truth.”
Alessandro nodded.
“Then we expose him.”
Marco entered the room.
His shoulder was bandaged.
Gabriel followed.
Both looked exhausted.
Marco stared at my mother.
“Isabella.”
She turned.
“Marco.”
He looked at me.
“Did you tell her?”
“Yes.”
“Everything?”
“Almost.”
Marco's eyes narrowed.
“Almost?”
My mother hesitated.
Marco looked at Alessandro.
“Then I will.”
I felt a cold sensation.
“What?”
Marco stepped closer.
“Your father didn't die because Stefano ordered it.”
“Then why?”
“Because he chose to die.”
I stared.
“Why would he?”
“To protect someone.”
“Who?”
Marco looked at Gabriel.
Then Alessandro.
Then me.
“Your father discovered which of us was the original heir.”
My heart raced.
“I thought that was me.”
“You are.”
“Then what changed?”
Marco shook his head.
“Nothing.”
“Then why is this important?”
“Because the original succession document wasn't written for you.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“It was written for all three of us.”
“Three heirs.”
“Yes.”
“But one condition.”
“What condition?”
Marco looked at Alessandro.
“The heirs must agree unanimously.”
Silence.
I understood.
“If one refuses?”
“The trust remains locked.”
“And Stefano can't access it.”
“Correct.”
I looked at Gabriel.
“So he needs all three of us.”
“Yes.”
Alessandro stepped forward.
“And that's why he's trying to kill us.”
Marco nodded.
“He needs one heir dead.”
“Then the trust transfers to Stefano.”
“No.”
Marco shook his head.
“If one heir dies before the final activation, the trust freezes permanently.”
I stared.
“Then why?”
“Because Stefano doesn't know that.”
Alessandro looked at him.
“Then what does he think?”
“That killing one of us gives him control.”
A silence followed.
I suddenly realized something.
“Then we can use that.”
Alessandro looked at me.
“How?”
“We let him think one of us is dead.”
Marco's eyes narrowed.
My mother stared.
Gabriel smiled faintly.
“You're your father's daughter.”
I looked at Alessandro.
“We need bait.”
His expression hardened.
“No.”
“Alessandro—”
“You're not using yourself.”
“I didn't say me.”
Everyone became silent.
I looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
“Stefano thinks Gabriel is the weakest link.”
Gabriel smiled.
“He's right.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“He thinks you're the easiest to eliminate.”
Alessandro understood.
“You want to fake Gabriel's death.”
“Yes.”
Marco nodded slowly.
“It could work.”
My mother looked terrified.
“No.”
I turned toward her.
“You spent twenty-five years protecting me.”
“Yes.”
“Now let me protect everyone else.”
Alessandro stepped closer.
“This is dangerous.”
“So is doing nothing.”
He stared at me.
Then slowly nodded.
“Fine.”
My heart pounded.
“But we do it my way.”
“What does that mean?”
“We don't just fake Gabriel's death.”
He looked toward the ledger.
“We make Stefano believe he succeeded.”
I understood.
“Then he comes after the trust.”
“Yes.”
“And that's when we catch him.”
Alessandro looked at everyone.
“No one acts alone.”
We all nodded.
For the first time, we weren't running.
We were planning.
Then Gabriel's phone buzzed.
He looked at the message.
His face went pale.
“What?”
He turned the screen toward us.
A photograph.
Me.
Leaving the farmhouse.
Taken only minutes earlier.
Below it was a message.
I know where you are.
Then another message arrived.
And I know which one of you will die first.
A second photograph appeared.
Liam.
Bound to a chair.
Blood on his face.
My heart stopped.
“Liam.”
Alessandro grabbed my arm.
“Don't.”
I was already moving.
“I'm going after him.”
“You can't.”
“He's my family.”
Alessandro stepped in front of me.
“That's exactly why Stefano chose him.”
My mother whispered:
“He wants you angry.”
I stared at the photograph.
Then noticed something.
A reflection in the background.
A red neon sign.
I recognized it.
“The old Rialto Theater.”
Alessandro looked at the photograph.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
Marco grabbed his coat.
“Then we go.”
Alessandro stopped him.
“No.”
Marco looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because that's what Stefano wants.”
He turned to me.
“He wants all three heirs in one place.”
I swallowed.
“So what do we do?”
Alessandro looked at the photograph again.
Then smiled without humor.
“We give him exactly what he wants.”
May you like
He picked up his gun.
“But we decide how the night ends.”
