Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN BEHIND THE FAMILYLucia Romano returned to New York before them.
By the time Alessia, Valerio, Veronica, and Bianca landed, she had already accessed the private museum vault.
Forty-eight million had begun moving.
But she needed one final authorization.
Salvatore’s.
They found him in the Romano mansion.
Not kidnapped.
Waiting.
Veronica walked into his study.
“You knew.”
Salvatore looked at her.
“About what?”
“My father.”
He went still.
That was enough.
Veronica’s face broke.
“You knew Antonio was my father.”
Salvatore poured himself a drink.
“Yes.”
Bianca gasped.
Alessia felt sick.
Veronica whispered:
“Why did you raise me?”
Salvatore looked offended.
“Because I was your father.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You hated him.”
“Yes.”
“You helped steal from his company.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Mom was involved in his death?”
Silence.
“Dad.”
Salvatore finally looked away.
“I learned later.”
“And did nothing.”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Anything!”
He slammed the glass down.
“I had already spent fifteen years raising another man’s child!”
Veronica recoiled.
There it was.
The resentment she had grown up breathing without understanding.
“You punished me for him.”
Salvatore said nothing.
She began crying.
“You made me think I was never enough because every time you looked at me you saw him.”
Still silence.
Valerio stepped forward.
“Where is Lucia?”
Salvatore laughed bitterly.
“You think I know?”
“You signed transfers.”
“She forged them.”
Alessia looked at him.
“Not all.”
He met her eyes.
She placed the records down.
“Three signatures are yours.”
Salvatore’s shoulders collapsed.
“What did she promise?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why?”
He looked toward Veronica.
“Because once Antonio died, Lucia owned me.”
“How?”
“She had proof I had hired someone to follow Antonio.”
Alessia froze.
“Why?”
“I thought he was sleeping with her again.”
Veronica shut her eyes.
Salvatore continued.
“I wanted evidence for divorce. Instead, the investigator found Antonio’s financial research.”
“And you gave it to Lucia.”
“Yes.”
“Which told her exactly what he knew.”
“Yes.”
Alessia stared.
“So you didn’t order his death.”
“No.”
“But you handed his killers the information they needed.”
Salvatore whispered:
“Yes.”
No one spoke.
Then his phone rang.
Lucia.
He answered on speaker.
“Salvatore.”
Her voice was calm.
“You have visitors.”
Everyone looked around.
She had cameras.
Valerio’s men searched.
Lucia continued.
“Alessia, still limping?”
Alessia’s jaw tightened.
“Still running?”
Lucia laughed softly.
“Not anymore.”
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere appropriate.”
“Meaning?”
“Where Antonio and I first met.”
Alessia looked at Veronica.
Veronica whispered:
“The old Romano chapel.”
Lucia heard.
“Smart girl.”
Then:
“Come alone, Alessia.”
Valerio shook his head.
No.
Lucia continued:
“Or I release enough evidence to destroy both families permanently.”
Alessia laughed once.
“You think that scares me?”
Silence.
“If the families committed crimes, release it.”
Valerio looked at her.
Lucia’s voice changed.
“You are your father’s daughter.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why he died.”
The line ended.
The old Romano chapel stood on private land near Oyster Bay.
Abandoned.
Small.
Built by Veronica’s great-grandfather.
Alessia entered alone.
Technically.
Valerio’s team surrounded the property.
Lucia stood near the altar.
Lorenzo beside her.
Alive.
Real.
Older.
Valerio watched through a hidden camera.
His brother looked exactly like a future he had avoided becoming.
Lucia smiled.
“You came.”
“You knew I would.”
“Antonio always did too.”
“Don’t speak about him.”
“He loved me.”
“You helped kill him.”
Lucia’s face hardened.
“I did not.”
“You helped sabotage the boat.”
“I told Lorenzo to stop him.”
“You knew what Lorenzo was.”
“Yes.”
“Then you knew what stop meant.”
Lucia looked away.
Good.
Guilt.
Alessia moved closer.
“Why the money?”
“Freedom.”
“From what?”
“Men.”
The answer surprised her.
Lucia laughed bitterly.
“My father controlled me. Then Salvatore. Then Antonio thought love would save me.”
“You chose Salvatore.”
“I chose safety.”
“And built a criminal network.”
“I built power.”
“You kidnapped women.”
“I protected what I built.”
“You tried to have me injured.”
Lucia looked at her leg.
“That was Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo smiled.
“The chair should have collapsed.”
Alessia’s stomach tightened.
“You hired the fake server.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To keep you from Switzerland.”
“It worked.”
“Temporarily.”
Lorenzo’s smile faded.
Alessia continued:
“But then Veronica pulled it first.”
Lucia looked irritated.
“My daughter has always had poor impulse control.”
“Your daughter?”
Alessia glanced at Veronica’s hidden birth record in her bag.
“Which one?”
Lucia froze.
There.
The first real loss of control.
“You know.”
“Yes.”
“Does Veronica?”
“Yes.”
Lucia closed her eyes.
For the first time, she looked human.
Then Lorenzo pulled a gun.
“Enough.”
Valerio’s voice exploded from behind the chapel doors.
“Drop it.”
Lorenzo turned.
Valerio stood there.
Gun raised.
Brothers facing each other after fifteen years.
Lorenzo smiled.
“Little brother.”
Valerio’s expression never changed.
“You killed our father.”
“He chose you.”
“He chose right.”
The smile vanished.
Lorenzo fired.
Valerio moved.
Gunfire echoed.
Alessia dropped behind a pew.
Lucia screamed.
Then silence.
Lorenzo lay on the floor.
Alive.
Shot in the shoulder.
Valerio stood over him.
“You don’t die today.”
Lorenzo laughed weakly.
“Merciful?”
“No.”
Valerio looked toward approaching federal agents.
“You answer questions.”
May you like
Lucia sank beside the altar.
For the first time, the woman behind the entire family network had nowhere left to move.
