Chapter 10 - THE BRIDE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Moretti council gathered three days later.
Carlo believed Alessandro was dead.
The explosion at Saint Catherine’s had destroyed the security cameras.
No bodies had been recovered.
Isabella remained under guard.
Carlo stood before twelve captains.
“Tonight, we restore order.”
The library doors opened.
Alessandro walked in.
Every man in the room stood.
Carlo’s face changed.
Alessandro was not alone.
Lucia entered beside him.
Sophia followed.
Behind them came Agent Cole and two federal prosecutors.
Carlo recovered quickly.
“You brought federal agents into a family meeting.”
Alessandro looked around the room.
“This is no longer a family meeting.”
Sophia placed a recorder on the table.
Isabella stared at her.
The recording of Alessandro’s father filled the room.
“If Elena refuses to leave, remove her.”
Then Isabella’s voice.
“She is pregnant.”
Carlo reached for the recorder.
Agent Cole stopped him.
“Do not touch it.”
Carlo looked at the captains.
“This proves nothing.”
Lucia placed her birth certificate beside it.
“It proves I existed.”
She looked directly at Isabella.
“And that you knew.”
Isabella’s composure collapsed.
“I thought Carlo would take your mother away.”
“You sent her into a trap.”
“I was trying to protect Alessandro.”
“You protected power.”
Isabella’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
The admission shocked the room.
She looked at her son.
“I believed Elena would convince you to leave.”
“I believed the family would collapse.”
“So you chose the family.”
“Yes.”
Alessandro’s face revealed no emotion.
“Then the family can have you.”
Isabella flinched.
Carlo laughed.
“You think this council will follow a man who delivers his mother to federal agents?”
Alessandro looked at the captains.
“I am not asking anyone to follow me.”
Murmurs spread.
Carlo frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“Ending it.”
Alessandro placed ledgers on the table.
“For thirty years, Moretti businesses have hidden extortion, bribery, and murder.”
“These records identify every account.”
Every captain stared at him.
Carlo’s face turned red.
“You cannot surrender family operations.”
“They are not family operations.”
“They are crimes.”
“You are betraying your father.”
“My father murdered the woman I loved.”
“He used my daughters as assets.”
“He built nothing worth preserving.”
Carlo pulled a gun.
Agent Cole raised his weapon.
So did every federal officer.
Carlo pointed the pistol at Sophia.
“This began with the maid.”
Alessandro stepped in front of her.
“No.”
“It began with men like us believing women could be owned.”
Sophia looked at him in surprise.
Carlo laughed bitterly.
“She has weakened you.”
“She reminded me weakness is not the same as mercy.”
Carlo shifted the gun toward Lucia.
“You were mine before you were his.”
Lucia’s face became still.
“I was never yours.”
She stepped forward.
“You kept me locked in rooms.”
“You trained me to obey.”
“You told me my father chose power over me.”
“He did.”
“Yes.”
“And he admitted it.”
Lucia looked at Alessandro.
“That is more than you ever did.”
Carlo fired.
Isabella moved first.
She stepped between the gun and Lucia.
The bullet struck Isabella below the shoulder.
Alessandro shot Carlo’s weapon from his hand.
Federal agents tackled him.
Lucia dropped beside Isabella.
“Why?”
Isabella struggled to breathe.
“I failed your mother.”
“That does not answer me.”
Isabella touched Lucia’s face.
“I would not fail you twice.”
Lucia’s eyes filled with tears.
Sophia pressed cloth against the wound.
An ambulance was called.
Carlo was arrested.
The captains were taken into custody one by one.
By midnight, the Moretti criminal empire had collapsed.
But the controversy was only beginning.
News stations called Alessandro a hero.
Others called him a murderer protecting himself through cooperation.
Some claimed Sophia had seduced him.
Others accused her of planning the entire fall.
Reporters camped outside the safe house.
Ryan’s lawyer demanded custody of Emma.
Lucia refused all contact with Alessandro.
And Isabella survived surgery only to face federal charges.
One week later, Alessandro stood before the press.
Sophia watched from behind the curtain.
He read no prepared statement.
“The Moretti organization is finished.”
“I will cooperate fully with every lawful investigation.”
A reporter shouted.
“What about Sophia Bennett?”
“Is she your mistress?”
Alessandro’s expression became cold.
“No.”
Another reporter shouted.
“Then what is she?”
He looked toward the curtain.
Sophia shook her head.
Do not.
Alessandro ignored the warning.
“She is the mother of my child.”
“And the woman I intend to marry.”
The room exploded with questions.
Sophia stared at him in horror.
Emma clapped.
Lucia closed her eyes.
And somewhere in federal custody, Carlo Moretti began laughing.
May you like
Because Alessandro had just made Sophia the largest target in New York.
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