Chapter 9 - The Betrayer Beside Me
The name appeared on the screen.
I stared at it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Hoping my eyes had made a mistake.
But they hadn't.
The message was still there.
The person who betrayed you first.
Luca Bianchi.
The room became completely silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone knew what that name meant.
Luca had been beside me for twenty years.
Before the empire.
Before the money.
Before people feared the Moretti name.
He was there when I was a child.
He was there when my father disappeared.
He was there when Isabella vanished.
He was the man I trusted when I trusted almost nobody.
And now a damaged phone inside a dog's collar was telling me he was the reason everything happened.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Then I looked at Luca.
He didn't look angry.
He didn't look surprised.
That was the worst part.
He looked tired.
Like someone who had been waiting for this moment.
"Say something."
My voice was quiet.
Luca looked at me.
"Alessandro..."
"No."
I shook my head.
"Don't start with my name."
The room felt smaller.
"Tell me I'm wrong."
Nobody spoke.
Luca looked down.
And that was the answer.
Giovanni stepped forward.
"Alessandro, listen to me."
I turned toward him.
"You knew."
My father stopped.
A terrible silence followed.
"You knew something was wrong with Luca."
Giovanni's expression changed.
"Not everything."
I laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because every person I loved had the same excuse.
Not everything.
Enough to hide.
Not enough to tell.
I looked back at Luca.
"How long?"
His eyes remained on mine.
"Longer than you think."
The words felt like a knife.
"Explain."
Luca took a breath.
Then he did something I never expected.
He removed his weapon.
Placed it on the table.
And stepped away from it.
"I never wanted this."
I stared at him.
"Then why?"
His face tightened.
"Because your father asked me."
Everyone froze.
I looked at Giovanni.
My father didn't deny it.
That hurt more.
"What?"
Luca looked at him.
"Tell him."
Giovanni closed his eyes.
"Alessandro..."
"No."
My voice became sharper.
"Not another secret."
I stepped closer.
"Tell me why the man I trusted most betrayed me."
Luca looked at the floor.
"Because I didn't betray you."
A pause.
"I protected you."
I almost couldn't believe it.
"From what?"
"The truth."
I shook my head.
"Everyone says that."
Luca looked at me.
"But this time it's true."
He walked toward the table.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like he knew one wrong movement could destroy everything.
"Your father didn't disappear because of Victor."
My expression changed.
"What?"
"Victor was only one part of it."
He looked at Giovanni.
"The real danger was inside the organization."
My eyes narrowed.
"Inside?"
Luca nodded.
"There was someone who had access to everything."
"Who?"
He looked at the phone.
Then at me.
"Someone who knew about Daniel Russo."
Elena's expression changed.
"Daniel?"
Luca nodded.
"Your biological father."
The room became silent again.
"Daniel wasn't killed by the Order."
My father looked at Luca.
"Enough."
But Luca continued.
"He was betrayed by someone he trusted."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
Luca looked at Giovanni.
My father's face changed.
And I understood.
The answer was not simple.
It was worse.
"Father."
He looked away.
"Tell me."
Giovanni finally spoke.
"Your biological father had a partner."
"Who?"
A long silence.
Then:
"Me."
The room froze.
I looked at Giovanni.
"You knew Daniel?"
He nodded.
"We were brothers."
Not by blood.
By loyalty.
By war.
By secrets.
"He asked me to protect you."
I stared at him.
"From who?"
My father looked at Luca.
And Luca answered.
"From the person who was actually controlling everything."
My heart tightened.
"Who?"
Nobody answered.
Then Shadow suddenly stood.
The dog moved toward the center of the room.
He looked at Elena.
Then at Giovanni.
Then at Luca.
Then he barked.
Once.
A sharp sound.
Like he was confirming something.
Elena covered her mouth.
"Oh no."
I turned toward her.
"What?"
She looked terrified.
"The messages."
"What about them?"
She stepped closer.
"That phone."
She looked at Shadow.
"It wasn't sending warnings."
I frowned.
"Then what was it doing?"
Her voice became a whisper.
"It was counting."
Nobody moved.
"Counting what?"
She looked at the phone.
"How many people were still alive."
A cold feeling moved through me.
Before I could ask another question, the phone vibrated again.
Everyone looked.
Another message.
I opened it.
This time, it wasn't text.
It was a video.
A small video file.
Recorded minutes ago.
I pressed play.
The screen showed a room.
Dark.
Empty.
Then the camera moved.
Slowly.
Someone stepped into view.
A man.
Older.
Wearing a black suit.
My breathing stopped.
Because I knew him.
Everyone knew him.
He was standing beside Luca in old family photographs.
He was standing beside my father in old records.
He was the person who trained me when I was young.
The person who taught me how to survive.
The person I never suspected.
The video continued.
The man looked directly into the camera.
Then he spoke.
"Alessandro."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"I know you're watching this."
A pause.
"I know Luca told you everything."
Luca's face changed.
The man smiled.
"Good."
Then he said the words that made my father's expression collapse.
"Now you finally know why I had to kill your family."
The video ended.
Nobody breathed.
I looked at Luca.
Then at Giovanni.
Then at Elena.
"Who was that?"
No one answered.
Until Luca whispered the name.
May you like
And the name made Shadow suddenly turn toward the hallway.
Because someone was standing outside the door.
