Chapter 10 - The Man Standing Beside Him
The darkness lasted less than three seconds.
Emergency power activated.
Red security lights flooded the study.
Adrian drew his weapon.
Daniel did the same.
Isabella stood.
“Emily.”
Adrian opened the door.
The hallway was empty.
Too empty.
“Marco!”
No answer.
Daniel looked toward the security cameras.
All dead.
Adrian’s stomach tightened.
He ran.
They reached Sofia’s room.
The door was open.
Sofia stood beside the bed.
Emily was there.
Safe.
Adrian exhaled.
Then saw the blood.
A guard lay in the hallway.
Unconscious.
Maybe dead.
Sofia held Emily behind her.
“What happened?”
“A man came in.”
“Who?”
“I couldn’t see.”
Daniel checked the guard’s pulse.
“Alive.”
Adrian heard a footstep downstairs.
He moved toward it.
Daniel followed.
“Stay with them,” Adrian told Isabella.
She nodded.
The brothers descended together.
The main hall was empty.
Front doors locked.
Windows intact.
Then a voice came from the library.
“Adrian.”
Marco.
Adrian entered.
Marco stood beside the fireplace.
His gun lay on the table.
Hands visible.
Daniel aimed at him.
Marco did not react.
Adrian looked at him.
“Did you steal eighty million dollars from my father?”
Marco’s face changed.
“So she told you.”
“That is not an answer.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“You son of a—”
Adrian stopped him.
“Why?”
Marco looked at Adrian.
“Because it wasn’t Vittorio’s money.”
“Whose was it?”
“Yours.”
Adrian frowned.
Marco continued.
“Your father was moving assets out of companies you controlled.”
“To where?”
“Carlo.”
Adrian went still.
“I redirected the transfers.”
“You stole them.”
“I protected them.”
“Where are they?”
“Still protected.”
Adrian almost laughed.
“Fifteen years beside me and this is when you tell me?”
“You never asked the right question.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“I have one.”
Marco looked at him.
“Did you help Carlo take Emily?”
“No.”
“Did you cut the cameras?”
“Yes.”
Daniel raised his gun.
Adrian stopped him again.
“Why?”
Marco looked toward the ceiling.
“Because Carlo has access to your security system.”
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“How?”
“He installed the backbone.”
“Pierce?”
“No.”
Marco shook his head.
“Before Pierce.”
“When?”
“When the estate was renovated.”
Adrian remembered.
Seven years ago.
Carlo had recommended the contractor.
Of course.
Marco continued.
“The cameras are compromised.”
“So you cut them.”
“To remove his eyes.”
Adrian stared at him.
“Then why is a guard unconscious upstairs?”
Marco’s face changed.
“What?”
Adrian saw genuine confusion.
That meant one thing.
Someone else was inside.
A gunshot exploded upstairs.
Daniel ran first.
Adrian followed.
They reached the east corridor.
Sofia screamed.
A man dragged her from the room by the arm.
Another held Emily.
Adrian recognized both.
Household security.
His own men.
Bought.
Compromised.
One pressed a pistol against Emily’s back.
“Drop it.”
Adrian stopped.
Daniel froze beside him.
Emily cried.
“Daddy.”
Daniel’s face twisted.
“Don’t touch her.”
The guard smiled.
“Then listen.”
Marco approached from behind.
The second man aimed at him.
“Stay back.”
Adrian lowered his weapon.
Daniel did not.
“Daniel.”
“No.”
“Lower it.”
“He has my daughter.”
“And if you fire, he may kill her.”
Daniel shook with rage.
Then lowered the gun.
The guard holding Emily smiled.
“Smart.”
A phone rang in Adrian’s pocket.
He already knew who it was.
Carlo.
He answered.
“You seem to be having staffing problems.”
Adrian looked at the guard.
“Let them go.”
“No.”
“What do you want?”
“Your mother.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
Carlo continued.
“Bring Isabella to the chapel.”
“Why?”
“She has something to sign.”
“You think I’ll hand her over?”
“No.”
Carlo laughed.
“I think you’ll trade one old woman for one little girl.”
Adrian’s face became stone.
Emily whimpered.
Sofia struggled.
The guard hit her.
Daniel surged forward.
Adrian grabbed him.
“Don’t.”
Daniel looked ready to kill him too.
Carlo spoke through the phone.
“Ten minutes.”
“If you are late, Emily loses a finger.”
Daniel went white.
Adrian’s voice changed.
Low.
Deadly.
“If you touch her—”
“Ten minutes.”
The call ended.
Adrian looked at Marco.
“Chapel.”
Marco understood.
“The archive.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared.
“He wants Mother to open it.”
“No.”
Adrian looked toward the guard holding Emily.
“He wants all of us there.”
“Why?”
“Because once the vault opens, he can eliminate every beneficiary in one room.”
Silence.
Marco looked at Adrian.
“So what do we do?”
Adrian looked at Daniel.
Then toward the chapel.
For years, people had feared Adrian Moretti because they believed he was willing to do anything.
Tonight, Carlo was going to discover the difference between a man willing to do anything for power…
and a man willing to do anything for family.
Adrian raised his hands.
“Tell Carlo we accept.”
Daniel stared at him.
“What?”
Adrian looked directly at his brother.
“Trust me.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“That worked out well last time.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“For once in your life, don’t disappear.”
Daniel held his gaze.
Then slowly nodded.
The guards began moving Sofia and Emily toward the west wing.
Isabella appeared at the end of the corridor.
She understood immediately.
“No.”
Adrian approached her.
“Mother.”
“I will not give Carlo the archive.”
“You won’t.”
“He’ll kill her.”
“No.”
Adrian took her hand.
“For nineteen years, Father made all of us believe survival meant running, hiding, lying, and sacrificing someone else.”
He looked toward Emily.
“That ends tonight.”
Isabella stared at him.
Then nodded.
They walked toward the chapel.
The old wooden doors opened.
Carlo stood beneath the altar.
Six armed men surrounded him.
Behind the altar was a stone panel Adrian had never noticed.
Carlo smiled.
“Family reunion.”
Adrian entered first.
Daniel followed.
Isabella came next.
Emily and Sofia were forced inside last.
Carlo looked around the room.
Three generations of Morettis.
All exactly where he wanted them.
“Beautiful,” he said.
Then he pointed toward the altar.
“Open the vault.”
Adrian looked at Daniel.
Daniel looked at Isabella.
Carlo raised his pistol toward Emily.
“Now.”
Adrian placed his hand against the hidden biometric plate.
Daniel did the same.
Isabella entered a code.
Deep beneath the chapel, machinery began to move.
Stone scraped against stone.
A section of floor slowly opened.
Cold air rose from below.
Carlo smiled.
“There it is.”
The Moretti archive.
The secret that had destroyed their family before Emily was ever born.
And as the vault door opened completely, Adrian saw something Carlo did not.
A tiny green light beneath the altar.
Marco’s signal.
The entire archive was already being copied.
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Carlo had finally walked into Adrian’s trap.
Mình có thể tiếp tục Chapter 11–15 để đi thẳng vào cao trào cuối: Carlo phản công, sự thật cuối cùng về Vittorio, số phận của Daniel–Sofia, và cái kết hoàn chỉnh cho Adrian, Emily và gia đình Moretti.
