Chapter 5 - The Brother Who Came Back From The Dead
The man on the screen leaned closer.
"Brother."
Nobody moved.
The word stayed in the archive room like a weapon.
Dominic stared at the monitor.
He had spent his entire life hearing that he was the last Valente heir.
The only son.
The only child.
The only person capable of carrying the family name.
But now someone was looking directly into his eyes and calling him something that should have been impossible.
Brother.
"Turn it off."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Adrian looked at him.
"Dominic..."
"I said turn it off."
No one moved.
Dominic grabbed the remote from the table and shut down the screen himself.
The room became silent again.
But the silence was different now.
Before, it was filled with questions.
Now it was filled with fear.
Dominic looked at his father.
Lorenzo Valente.
The man who had been dead for fifteen years.
The man who had allowed Dominic to grow up believing a lie.
"Tell me everything."
Lorenzo didn't answer.
Dominic stepped closer.
"Not another secret."
His voice hardened.
"Not another half-truth."
Lorenzo looked at his son.
And for the first time, Dominic saw something he had never seen before.
Regret.
"When you were born, I thought I had finally escaped."
Dominic frowned.
"Escaped from what?"
"My family."
The answer surprised him.
Lorenzo walked slowly toward the old wooden table.
"When I was young, I believed the Valente name meant power."
He looked at the shelves filled with old records.
"Then I learned it meant a lifetime of debts."
Dominic listened.
Because despite everything...
he needed to know.
"The people controlling this family were not interested in money."
Lorenzo said.
"They wanted loyalty."
A pause.
"They wanted obedience."
Dominic looked at the photograph again.
The hidden child.
"Who was he?"
Lorenzo closed his eyes.
"His name was Marco."
The name sounded unfamiliar.
But somehow...
Dominic felt like he had heard it before.
"Marco Valente?"
"No."
Lorenzo shook his head.
"Marco Rossi."
Dominic froze.
His eyes moved slowly toward Elena.
She looked down.
The reaction was immediate.
"You knew."
Elena didn't deny it.
Dominic felt anger rise.
"Your daughter."
He pointed toward Lia.
"Your entire life has been connected to this."
Elena held Lia tighter.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Because she knew that answer would change everything.
She whispered:
"Because Marco was my brother."
The room went silent.
Dominic looked at her.
"No."
Elena nodded.
"Your father hid him under another name."
Dominic turned toward Lorenzo.
"Why?"
The old man looked broken.
"Because your grandfather ordered me to."
Dominic stared.
"My grandfather?"
Lorenzo nodded.
"He believed the family needed a stronger heir."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"So when my first son was born..."
He looked at the photograph.
"They decided he was the perfect replacement."
Dominic's expression changed.
"Replacement for me?"
"No."
Lorenzo looked directly at him.
"Replacement for the family itself."
The words confused him.
Until he understood.
Marco wasn't meant to replace Dominic.
He was meant to replace the Valente bloodline.
Someone wanted a different future.
A different heir.
A different family.
"Where is Marco now?"
Nobody answered.
Dominic looked around.
"Where is he?"
Elena finally spoke.
"He's alive."
The room went completely still.
Dominic looked at her.
"You know where he is?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
Elena hesitated.
"Because he found me."
Dominic felt his jaw tighten.
"When?"
"Six years ago."
"And you didn't tell me."
Elena looked away.
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
Her voice became softer.
"Because he told me what happened to your mother."
Dominic stopped.
His mother.
Another wound.
Another hidden story.
"What about my mother?"
Elena looked at Lorenzo.
The old man said nothing.
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Father."
Lorenzo looked down.
"Your mother discovered the truth."
"And?"
"She tried to expose them."
"Who?"
Lorenzo didn't answer.
Dominic already knew.
Someone inside.
Someone close.
Someone with power.
"Did they kill her?"
The question was quiet.
Nobody wanted to answer.
Finally, Lorenzo whispered:
"No."
Dominic stared.
"No?"
"She survived."
The room changed.
The world changed.
Because Dominic had spent his whole life believing his mother was gone.
But now his father was telling him something impossible.
"My mother is alive?"
Lorenzo looked away.
"I don't know."
Dominic stepped back.
For years, he had carried grief.
A wound he believed would never close.
And now that wound had become a question.
A horrible, impossible question.
"Where did she go?"
Lorenzo didn't answer.
Instead, he reached into his jacket.
He removed a small envelope.
Old.
Damaged.
Folded many times.
Dominic recognized the handwriting immediately.
His mother's handwriting.
His fingers froze.
"No."
Lorenzo placed it on the table.
"She left this for you."
Dominic stared.
"Why didn't you give it to me?"
Lorenzo looked at him.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of what?"
Lorenzo's voice became almost a whisper.
"Of what you would become after reading it."
Dominic opened the envelope.
Inside was a single page.
Only a few sentences.
Dominic read them silently.
My son,
If you are reading this, then they failed to keep the truth buried.
Do not trust the person closest to you.
The person who destroyed our family has been beside you since the beginning.
Dominic's eyes stopped.
A cold feeling moved through him.
He read the final line.
I am sorry I couldn't save you from him.
Dominic looked up.
"Who is she talking about?"
Nobody answered.
His eyes moved from Lorenzo.
To Matteo.
To Adrian.
Three men.
Three possibilities.
Three people who had lied to him.
Then the archive door suddenly unlocked.
Everyone turned.
A guard entered quickly.
His face was pale.
"Sir."
Dominic looked at him.
"What happened?"
The guard held out a phone.
"We found this outside the east gate."
Dominic took it.
The screen was already open.
A video message.
No name.
No number.
Only one word.
PLAY.
Dominic pressed it.
The screen showed a dark room.
A chair.
A man sitting with his back turned.
Then the man spoke.
"Dominic."
The voice was familiar.
Too familiar.
The man slowly turned toward the camera.
And Dominic saw the face of the person who had been watching him his entire life.
The person who had always stood closest.
The person his mother had warned him about.
May you like
And then the man smiled and said...
"I was the one who raised you."
