Chapter 10 - THE GUEST AT THE FUNERAL
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The dead silence inside the mansion felt heavier than the body lying on the floor.
Giovanni stared at the investigator.
A man who had spent ten years protecting his family.
A man who had uncovered secrets nobody else could find.
Now he was gone.
Because of one sentence.
“Someone you invited to Elena’s funeral…”
Giovanni slowly stood.
His eyes moved across the room.
Everyone there had been at the funeral.
Everyone had seen the suitcase.
Everyone had heard Elena’s final message.
Everyone had a reason to lie.
“Lock every door,” Giovanni ordered.
The bodyguards moved immediately.
Nobody leaves.
Nobody enters.
Marco looked at him.
“You’re starting to suspect everyone?”
Giovanni turned.
“I should have done that twenty years ago.”
The words hurt.
Marco looked away.
For the first time, Giovanni saw fear in his brother’s eyes.
Not guilt.
Fear.
“Marco.”
His brother looked up.
“You know who did this.”
Marco stayed silent.
That silence was enough.
Giovanni walked closer.
“Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
Giovanni laughed bitterly.
“You can’t?”
His voice rose.
“My wife is dead. My family is falling apart. Someone is trying to kill my son.”
He grabbed Marco’s jacket.
“And you still say you can’t?”
Marco pushed him away.
“Because if I tell you, more people die.”
The room went quiet.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Who are you protecting?”
Marco looked at him.
A strange sadness appeared on his face.
“You really don’t know.”
Adrian frowned.
“Know what?”
Marco looked at Giovanni.
“Your wife wasn’t running from Maravilla.”
A pause.
“She was running from what happened there.”
Giovanni felt his anger disappear.
Replaced by confusion.
“What happened?”
Marco sat down.
For the first time in years, the powerful businessman looked old.
“Twelve years before Elena met you, she discovered something on that island.”
“What?”
“A child trafficking operation.”
Everyone froze.
Clarissa covered her mouth.
Marco continued.
“She found children being moved through Maravilla under fake identities.”
Giovanni looked at Adrian.
“And you?”
Adrian looked down.
“I was one of them.”
The room became silent.
Marco continued.
“Elena tried to expose the people behind it.”
“Who?”
Marco closed his eyes.
“The people who controlled the island.”
Giovanni stepped closer.
“Names.”
Marco hesitated.
Then whispered:
“The Valenti family.”
Giovanni froze.
Because he knew that name.
Everyone in the business world knew it.
A wealthy family.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
But they had disappeared years ago.
“They’re gone,” Giovanni said.
Marco shook his head.
“No.”
He looked toward the window.
“They just learned how to hide better.”
Suddenly, all the lights went off.
Again.
A loud sound came from outside.
A gunshot.
Everyone dropped.
May you like
When the emergency lights turned on…
Marco was gone.
