Chapter 13 - THE BROTHER WHO WANTED HIM TO BREAK

The warehouse stood abandoned at the edge of the city.

No lights.

No movement.

No sound.

But Adrian Moretti knew better.

Silence was never empty.

Silence was usually a warning.

He stepped out of the car with Vincent beside him.

“You’re sure he’s here?”

Vincent nodded.

“Positive.”

Adrian looked at the building.

For fifteen years, he believed Matteo Moretti was dead.

A ghost from the past.

A name buried with his father’s secrets.

Now he was about to face the man who had spent years hiding in the shadows.

“Do you want backup?”

Vincent asked.

Adrian shook his head.

“No.”

Vincent looked surprised.

“That’s not like you.”

Adrian glanced at him.

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

The old Adrian would have brought an army.

The old Adrian would have destroyed everything before asking questions.

But Lily had changed something inside him.

She had shown him that winning wasn't always about making people afraid.

Sometimes winning meant having something worth coming home to.

The warehouse door opened before they touched it.

A voice echoed from inside.

“I knew you would come alone.”

Adrian entered.

And there he was.

Matteo Moretti.

Older.

Scarred.

Alive.

The man who had haunted his dreams without a face.

Adrian stopped.

“You look disappointed.”

Matteo smiled.

“I expected anger.”

“You wanted anger.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Matteo walked closer.

“Because anger is what made our family powerful.”

Adrian stared at him.

“No.”

Matteo tilted his head.

“No?”

“It’s what destroyed us.”

For the first time, Matteo’s smile faded.

“You sound like him.”

“My father?”

“Yes.”

A bitter laugh escaped Matteo.

“The man who chose you.”

Adrian finally understood.

This was never about money.

Never about power.

It was about a wound that never healed.

“You think he loved me more.”

Matteo looked away.

“He gave you everything.”

“And he gave you nothing.”

The silence confirmed it.

Adrian continued.

“You weren’t trying to hurt Lily.”

Matteo looked back.

“No.”

“Then why?”

Matteo’s expression changed.

“Because I wanted you to feel what I felt.”

A pause.

“Watching someone you love from a distance.”

Adrian froze.

Matteo stepped closer.

“I watched this family choose you.”

His voice cracked.

“I watched my own father erase me.”

Adrian lowered his weapon.

For the first time, he didn't see an enemy.

He saw a broken man.

“You could have come to me.”

Matteo laughed.

“Would you have listened?”

Adrian had no answer.

Because maybe he wouldn't have.

Then Matteo reached into his coat.

Vincent immediately raised his weapon.

But Adrian stopped him.

Matteo pulled out a small envelope.

“You want the truth?”

Adrian took it.

Inside was a letter.

From their father.

And one sentence changed everything.

Adrian was never supposed to inherit the empire.

Adrian looked up.

“What is this?”

Matteo smiled sadly.

“The truth you were never allowed to know.”

Before Adrian could read more—

The warehouse exploded with gunfire.

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