Chapter 5 - The Man Behind Vittorio
Carlo Moretti had taught Alessandro how to drive.
How to negotiate.
How to recognize a lie.
After Alessandro’s father died, Carlo had stood beside him at the funeral and said, You’ll never stand alone.
Apparently, it had been another lie.
Marco placed the evidence across Alessandro’s desk.
“Carlo financed Vittorio.”
“How long?”
“Almost eighteen months.”
Alessandro looked toward Vittorio, seated across the room under guard.
Vittorio smiled.
“Surprised?”
“Disappointed.”
“That’s worse?”
“Much.”
Vittorio leaned back.
“You inherited everything Carlo believed should have been his.”
“So he decided to destroy the family?”
“He decided to correct your father’s mistake.”
Alessandro picked up the stolen phone.
“And Elena?”
“Wrong place. Wrong night.”
Elena stood near the door.
She stepped forward.
“I was cleaning the east hall.”
Vittorio glanced at her.
“You should have kept walking.”
“You were discussing a betrayal in my employer’s house.”
“You recorded a private conversation.”
“You kidnapped me.”
Vittorio smirked.
“And yet here you are.”
Alessandro’s expression changed.
The room went quiet.
“Don’t speak to her again.”
Vittorio looked at him.
“Why? She’s the maid.”
Alessandro moved around the desk.
“No.”
He stopped directly in front of his former lieutenant.
“She’s the woman who outsmarted you with a stuffed rabbit.”
Marco coughed, hiding a laugh.
Even Elena almost smiled.
Alessandro continued.
“And her three-year-old daughter identified you through a window while you walked into my house thinking you were the smartest man in the room.”
Vittorio’s smile vanished.
Alessandro turned away.
“You lost to a housekeeper and a toddler.”
Marco finally laughed.
“That has to hurt.”
The door opened.
A guard entered.
“Mr. Moretti. Carlo Moretti is at the gate.”
Alessandro looked at Marco.
“He came voluntarily?”
“He’s demanding to see you.”
Alessandro smiled faintly.
“Perfect.”
Carlo entered ten minutes later.
He saw Vittorio.
Then Elena.
Then the phone.
His confidence disappeared.
“Alessandro.”
“Uncle.”
“This is not what you think.”
“Excellent. I was worried you’d say something original.”
Carlo glared at Vittorio.
“You talked?”
Vittorio laughed.
“Elena recorded us.”
Carlo turned toward her.
“You.”
Elena held his gaze.
“Yes. Me.”
Carlo looked back at Alessandro.
“We’re family.”
“So was my father.”
“I helped raise you.”
“And you tried to remove me.”
“You were destroying everything we built.”
“No. I was changing it.”
Carlo stepped closer.
“You became weak.”
Alessandro’s eyes narrowed.
“Because I stopped doing things your way?”
“Because you started caring about people who don’t matter.”
Carlo glanced toward Elena.
That was his mistake.
Alessandro moved between them.
“You still don’t understand.”
“What?”
“The people you think don’t matter are the reason you lost.”
Carlo looked toward Vittorio.
Then Marco.
Then the evidence.
For the first time, the older man had nothing to say.
Alessandro turned to his security chief.
“Take them out of my house.”
Carlo stared at him.
“That’s it?”
“No revenge?”
Alessandro looked toward the staircase.
Mia was standing there beside Rosa.
Watching.
“No.”
His voice remained level.
“You’ll answer for what you did through every lawful piece of evidence Elena collected and every financial record Marco found.”
Carlo scoffed.
“You’ve changed.”
Alessandro looked at Mia.
“Yes.”
Then back at Carlo.
May you like
“Fortunately.”
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