Chapter 13 - THE NIGHT THE MANSION WENT DARK
At 1:17 a.m., the mansion lost power.
Backup generators failed.
Security communications died.
Alessandro knew immediately.
“Carlo.”
He moved Sophia and Emma toward the safe room.
Then a voice came through the darkness.
“You always were predictable.”
Carlo.
Inside the mansion.
Alessandro pushed Sophia toward the hidden corridor.
“Go.”
Emma grabbed him.
“Come with us.”
“I will.”
“You promise?”
Alessandro looked at her.
“Yes.”
Emma refused to move.
“You promised before.”
He understood.
Promises mattered differently to children who had watched adults break them.
Alessandro crouched.
“I will come back.”
Emma touched his cheek.
“Okay.”
Sophia pulled her away.
Alessandro entered the dark hallway.
Carlo’s men had infiltrated through the old servants’ tunnels.
But Carlo had forgotten something.
Emma had already used those tunnels.
She remembered the pantry passage.
From the safe room, she told Sophia.
“There’s another door.”
Sophia found it.
They escaped.
Meanwhile, Alessandro confronted Carlo inside Vittorio’s old study.
“You destroyed everything.”
Carlo laughed.
“No.”
“You did.”
“You published the ledger.”
“You turned family against family.”
Alessandro stared at him.
“You were never family.”
Carlo raised his weapon.
Before he could fire, lights flooded the room.
Marco stepped from the doorway.
Carlo froze.
Marco had returned.
Federal agents followed.
May you like
Carlo dropped his weapon.
This time, there was nowhere left to run.
