Chapter 5 - The Man Who Stole My Father’s Last Secret
The man stepped into the chapel light.
I raised my weapon.
Then he smiled.
"Still protecting this family after everything they did to you, Alessandro?"
I knew that voice.
I knew that face.
Because twelve years ago, I watched his coffin being lowered into the ground.
Victor Bellini was supposed to be dead.
But he was standing in front of me.
Alive.
Holding my father’s notebook.
And suddenly, every lie I had ever believed became a weapon pointed directly at me.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Not me.
Not my mother.
Not Victor.
The old chapel felt frozen in time.
The man who had disappeared from my family’s history stood only a few feet away, completely calm.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
Like he knew I would eventually find him.
Victor Bellini looked exactly like the photographs from my father’s office.
Older, of course.
His dark hair had turned gray at the sides.
A scar crossed his left eyebrow.
But his eyes were the same.
Cold.
Patient.
Calculating.
The eyes of a man who survived because he knew when to hide.
"You’re dead," I said.
Victor smiled slightly.
"So is your mother."
My grip tightened around the gun.
"Don't mention her."
He looked at Maria.
Then back at me.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"You still protect the people you love."
His voice carried something strange.
Almost disappointment.
"Your father was the same."
My finger moved closer to the trigger.
"Tell me why you were in my father's notebook."
Victor looked down at the black leather cover.
Then slowly placed it on the table.
"Because your father trusted me."
My expression hardened.
"My father wrote your name as a traitor."
Victor laughed quietly.
"Did he?"
I said nothing.
Because suddenly I realized something.
Victor wasn't surprised.
He wasn't defending himself.
He was waiting.
Waiting for me to ask the right question.
My mother stepped forward.
"Don't listen to him."
Victor looked at her.
"Maria."
The way he said her name made my stomach tighten.
Not because it sounded threatening.
Because it sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
"You should have stayed hidden."
My mother’s expression changed.
"I stayed hidden to protect my son."
Victor looked at me.
"No."
He shook his head.
"You stayed hidden because you were afraid he would learn what happened."
I turned toward my mother.
"What is he talking about?"
She didn't answer.
That silence hurt.
More than Victor's words.
I had spent my entire life searching for enemies outside my family.
But every secret I uncovered led back home.
Victor walked closer to the table.
"Your father knew someone was planning to destroy the Moretti family."
I watched him carefully.
"And he trusted you?"
Victor nodded.
"He trusted me more than anyone."
My mother laughed bitterly.
"Until he discovered what you did."
Victor looked at her.
"Did he?"
The question hung between them.
Something was wrong.
They weren't talking like enemies.
They were talking like two people who knew the same truth from different sides.
I looked at the notebook.
"Open it."
Victor looked at me.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because once you read it, there is no going back."
I stepped closer.
"I already lost everything I thought I knew."
My voice became colder.
"So open it."
For several seconds, Victor studied me.
Then he opened the notebook.
The first pages were normal.
Business notes.
Meetings.
Names.
Numbers.
Then he turned further.
The writing changed.
My father's handwriting became more rushed.
More desperate.
I saw a sentence written across one page.
Someone inside the family is controlling the enemy.
My eyes moved lower.
There were several names.
Victor Bellini.
Maria Moretti.
Luca Moretti.
Isabella Romano.
I stared.
Everyone.
Everyone was connected.
"What is this?"
Victor answered quietly.
"Your father’s investigation."
"Into who?"
"Into the person who was manipulating all of us."
I looked at him.
"Who?"
Victor closed the notebook.
"Not here."
My anger rose.
"You brought me here."
"No."
Victor looked toward the chapel entrance.
"They brought you here."
A chill moved through me.
"What does that mean?"
Before he answered, my phone vibrated.
A message.
From Luca.
I opened it.
Alessandro, leave the chapel now.
My eyes narrowed.
Another message appeared.
Don't trust anyone inside.
I looked up.
Victor saw the expression on my face.
"Your brother?"
I didn't answer.
"He's finally realizing the truth."
"What truth?"
Victor looked at Maria.
Then at me.
"That he was never the one your father feared."
A sound came from outside.
A car door closing.
My mother immediately went pale.
"No."
I turned.
"Who is that?"
She didn't answer.
Victor did.
"The person who has been controlling everything."
The chapel door shook.
Once.
Twice.
Someone was trying to enter.
I moved in front of my mother.
Victor didn't move.
That bothered me.
A person facing danger should react.
Unless they knew exactly what was coming.
The lock broke.
The door slowly opened.
A figure stood outside.
I couldn't see the face.
Only the silhouette.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
"Alessandro."
My entire body froze.
Because I knew that voice.
I had heard it every morning.
Every night.
At every family dinner.
The person who raised me.
The person I trusted.
The person I never imagined standing against me.
May you like
The figure stepped forward.
And Luca Moretti walked into the chapel holding a gun.
