Chapter 13 - THE MAN BEHIND SOPHIA’S DEATH
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
The man standing in front of me was impossible.
Daniel Whitmore.
Sophia’s father.
A man I buried in my mind years ago.
A man everyone believed had disappeared after Sophia’s death.
But there he was.
Standing inside a cold warehouse.
Holding my son.
“Let him go.”
My voice was barely controlled.
Daniel looked at Leo.
Then back at me.
“You still think I’m the villain.”
I stepped forward.
“You kidnapped my child.”
His expression changed.
Pain.
Not anger.
Pain.
“I saved him.”
My jaw tightened.
“You expect me to believe that?”
He slowly lowered the gun.
“I knew the Rossi family would come after him.”
My eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about?”
Daniel looked at Hannah.
And his face changed.
“You found her.”
Hannah froze.
“What?”
“You found Antonio’s daughter.”
The warehouse became silent.
Again, another secret.
Another piece of a family puzzle built on lies.
I stepped between them.
“Explain.”
Daniel looked exhausted.
“Your father built an empire on secrets, Lorenzo.”
He looked at Leo.
“And everyone who knows those secrets becomes a target.”
I pointed my weapon at him.
“You knew about the bombing.”
Silence.
That silence was the answer.
My chest tightened.
“You knew.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The anger inside me exploded.
“You let my wife die.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“I tried to stop it.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because I failed.”
The words hit harder than an excuse.
For the first time, I saw a broken man.
Not a criminal.
A father who lost his daughter.
“Sophia discovered the truth about your family.”
He looked at me.
“She found out Isabella was planning to remove every obstacle between Leo and the Rossi fortune.”
My hands shook.
“My mother…”
“Yes.”
Daniel nodded.
“But she wasn’t working alone.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who else?”
Daniel looked at Hannah.
Then at me.
“The person who ordered the bombing.”
A long pause.
“Was Antonio Rossi.”
My heart stopped.
“My father was dead before Sophia died.”
“Not when the plan started.”
I couldn’t speak.
Everything I knew was collapsing.
Daniel continued.
“Your father wanted control of the Rossi empire forever. He created a system where anyone who threatened his plan would disappear.”
“And Sophia?”
“She found the documents.”
I looked at Leo.
My son.
The child Sophia died protecting.
“She tried to expose them.”
Daniel swallowed.
“And they tried to silence her.”
The warehouse became quiet.
Then a sound came from behind us.
Clapping.
Slow.
Mocking.
Everyone turned.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Matteo.
But this time…
he wasn’t angry.
He was smiling.
“Beautiful story.”
My expression hardened.
“What are you doing here?”
Matteo looked at Daniel.
“Because he still doesn’t know the biggest secret.”
I raised my weapon.
“Say what you came to say.”
Matteo smiled.
“Your father didn’t choose you because you were his favorite.”
He looked at Hannah.
“He chose you because you were the easiest to control.”
The words cut deep.
Then Matteo looked at Leo.
“But now the only person who can destroy everything is that baby.”
My finger tightened.
“Leave my son out of this.”
Matteo smiled.
“Too late.”
Then he pressed a button.
May you like
The warehouse doors locked.
And the lights went out.
