Chapter 9 - The Child Nobody Was Supposed to Find
Alessandro stared at Marco.
“Say that again.”
Marco stood perfectly still.
“Lucia has a son.”
“I heard you.”
“His name is Matteo.”
Alessandro's jaw tightened.
“And Romano is listed as the father?”
“Yes.”
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was Lily humming quietly to her stuffed rabbit.
Rosa looked between the two men.
“Alessandro?”
He did not answer.
His mind was moving backward through years of memories.
Lucia at eighteen, arguing with their father over breakfast.
Lucia at twenty-one, announcing that she would leave the family business forever.
Lucia at twenty-five, disappearing after a violent confrontation behind closed doors.
And Vincent Romano.
A man nearly thirty years older than Lucia.
A man Vittorio had treated first as an enemy, then as an ally.
Something about the situation was horribly wrong.
“Get the car,” Alessandro said.
Marco nodded.
“Immediately.”
Rosa stepped forward.
“Are you going after her?”
“Yes.”
“Then be careful.”
He looked at Lily.
“I'll come back.”
The little girl tilted her head.
“Promise?”
Alessandro felt a pressure in his chest.
He crouched.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
Lily held out her pinky.
“Pinky promise.”
He stared at her tiny finger.
Then hooked his own around it.
“Pinky promise.”
She smiled.
“Okay.”
He looked toward Rosa.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he left.
The drive to Philadelphia took almost two hours.
Alessandro sat in the rear of the SUV, reading the limited records Marco's investigator had obtained through lawful requests and an attorney retained for the family.
Lucia had entered a private treatment program four years earlier.
Her stated reason for admission was severe anxiety and trauma.
Her records showed that she had continued receiving residential support after giving birth.
But the facility had refused to release further medical details without her permission.
Alessandro understood.
Lucia was an adult.
Being her brother gave him no right to invade her privacy.
Still, someone had concealed her location from him.
And he needed to know why.
They arrived at a low brick building surrounded by maple trees.
The property looked peaceful.
There were flower beds beside the entrance and a children's playground near the rear garden.
Nothing about it suggested the secrets hidden behind its walls.
A receptionist greeted them.
“Can I help you?”
Alessandro removed his sunglasses.
“My name is Alessandro Moretti.”
Her expression changed.
“I'd like to speak with my sister.”
“I'm sorry, sir, but we can't confirm whether someone is receiving treatment here.”
“I understand.”
He placed his attorney's card on the desk.
“I don't want her records.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to tell Lucia that her brother is here.”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Please.”
For the first time that day, Alessandro heard himself use the word without calculation.
“Just tell her I'm here.”
The woman looked at him for several seconds.
Then she picked up the telephone.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Alessandro waited in a small sitting room.
Marco remained by the door.
Finally, footsteps sounded in the corridor.
A woman appeared.
She was thin.
Her dark hair was shorter than Alessandro remembered.
She wore a blue sweater and plain black pants.
For a moment, he did not recognize her.
Then she lifted her face.
“Alessandro?”
His throat closed.
“Lucia.”
She stared at him.
Then covered her mouth.
“Oh, my God.”
He crossed the room.
She stepped into his arms.
And suddenly, he was twenty-six again, holding his younger sister after their mother's funeral.
Lucia began sobbing.
“I thought you'd never find me.”
Alessandro held her tightly.
“I looked.”
“I know.”
“I looked everywhere.”
She nodded against his chest.
“I know.”
He pulled back.
“Why didn't you tell me where you were?”
Lucia's expression changed.
She glanced toward Marco.
Alessandro understood.
“Marco, outside.”
The security chief left.
Lucia sat on the couch.
Alessandro took the chair opposite.
“Tell me.”
She stared at her hands.
“Father sent me away.”
“I know.”
“No.”
She looked up.
“You don't.”
His expression tightened.
“Then explain.”
Lucia took a trembling breath.
“Four years ago, I discovered something about Vincent Romano.”
Alessandro remained silent.
“He had been using charities and legitimate companies to hide money.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
“I found evidence connecting those companies to organized exploitation.”
Alessandro's face darkened.
“What kind?”
“Workers brought into the country with false promises.”
She wiped her cheeks.
“People whose passports were taken.”
Alessandro felt sick.
“Did Father know?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He told me to stay out of it.”
“Lucia—”
“I refused.”
She looked directly at him.
“I threatened to go to federal investigators.”
Alessandro leaned forward.
“What happened?”
“Vincent found out.”
Her hands began shaking.
“He arranged a meeting.”
“With you?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
Lucia nodded.
Alessandro's expression went cold.
She stared at him.
“There are parts of that night I still can't talk about.”
He immediately softened.
“You don't have to.”
She swallowed.
“Thank you.”
He waited.
After a long silence, she continued.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I told Father.”
Alessandro looked down.
“I can imagine what he said.”
“No.”
Lucia shook her head.
“He cried.”
Alessandro looked up sharply.
“Father?”
“Yes.”
“He never told me.”
“He said he'd failed us both.”
Both.
Alessandro understood.
His father had known about Rosa's pregnancy.
And Lucia's.
Two children.
Two women whose safety depended upon a man who had spent his life believing power could solve every problem.
“Did he bring you here?”
Lucia nodded.
“He arranged everything.”
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because Vincent threatened to destroy you if anyone exposed him.”
Alessandro stared at her.
Lucia continued.
“Father thought he could protect us by keeping us apart.”
“He was wrong.”
“I know.”
“Lucia, he was wrong.”
She began crying again.
Alessandro moved beside her.
“You should have been able to call me.”
“I wanted to.”
“Why didn't you?”
“Because Father told me you were negotiating a truce.”
She looked up.
“And I thought if I came home, you'd choose the family over me.”
The accusation landed like a blow.
Alessandro could not deny that the younger version of himself might have done exactly that.
He had spent years defending his father's decisions.
He had called cruelty discipline.
He had called intimidation business.
He had convinced himself that protecting the family justified almost anything.
Lucia watched him.
“Did you know about your daughter?”
Alessandro froze.
She nodded sadly.
“I thought not.”
“How did you know?”
“Father told me.”
“About Rosa?”
“Yes.”
“He kept us apart.”
“He did.”
Alessandro looked away.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then a child's laughter sounded outside.
Lucia turned toward the window.
Her expression softened.
“Matteo.”
Alessandro followed her gaze.
A little boy was chasing bubbles across the grass.
He had thick dark hair, round cheeks, and bright brown eyes.
A caregiver watched nearby.
Lucia smiled.
“He likes dinosaurs.”
Alessandro looked at her.
“Does he know about Vincent?”
Her smile disappeared.
“No.”
“Good.”
She stared at her son.
“He thinks his father's name is nobody.”
Alessandro felt his heart tighten.
Lucia turned back.
“Please don't make him another part of this war.”
“I won't.”
“Promise me.”
He looked at the boy.
Then at his sister.
“I promise.”
Lucia studied his face.
Finally, she reached into her sweater pocket.
She removed a small brass key.
Alessandro frowned.
“What's that?”
“Father gave it to me before he died.”
“What does it open?”
“A safe-deposit box.”
“Where?”
“Manhattan.”
Alessandro took the key.
Lucia leaned closer.
“There are recordings inside.”
His expression changed.
“What recordings?”
“Conversations between Father and Vincent Romano.”
Alessandro stared at her.
“About the money?”
“About everything.”
He felt the weight of the key against his palm.
Lucia's voice dropped.
“There's one more thing.”
“What?”
“When Father gave me the key, he said something strange.”
Alessandro waited.
“He said Vincent would eventually destroy himself.”
“Why?”
Lucia looked toward Matteo.
Then she whispered.
“Because the man Vincent trusts most has been collecting evidence against him for years.”
Alessandro's eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Lucia shook her head.
“I never knew his name.”
May you like
A pause.
“But Father said he was inside Vincent's own family.”
