Chapter 9 - THE FAMILY THAT WAS BUILT ON LIES
Giovanni stared at the message.
His blood turned cold.
His son.
Emilio.
Someone was threatening to kill him.
“Give me the phone.”
Adrian grabbed it.
Giovanni didn’t stop him.
Everyone watched as Adrian studied the picture.
“This was taken tonight.”
Marco looked confused.
“How do you know?”
“Because of the clock.”
Adrian pointed.
The time in the photo was only five minutes earlier.
Someone had been inside the house.
Watching them.
Waiting.
Giovanni looked around.
Every door.
Every window.
Every shadow.
“Find them.”
The bodyguards immediately moved.
But Adrian stopped them.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“You don’t understand.”
Adrian’s voice became serious.
“The person doing this wants you to chase.”
“What?”
“They want you angry.”
A pause.
“Because angry people make mistakes.”
Giovanni stared.
“And what do you suggest?”
Adrian looked at the suitcase.
“Finish what Elena started.”
They returned to the documents.
The camera.
The files.
The secrets.
Emilio picked up one document.
His face changed.
“Dad…”
Giovanni looked at him.
“What?”
Emilio handed him the paper.
It was a property record.
For an island house.
On Maravilla.
Giovanni frowned.
“Elena owned this?”
“No.”
Emilio pointed at the name.
The owner wasn’t Elena.
It wasn’t Adrian.
It wasn’t Marco.
It was Giovanni.
His own name.
The room went silent.
“I never bought property there.”
Adrian looked shocked.
“That’s impossible.”
Giovanni grabbed the paper.
The signature.
The date.
Everything was real.
Someone had purchased the house under his name.
Twenty years ago.
The same year he met Elena.
Then Clarissa suddenly spoke.
“I remember that place.”
Everyone turned.
Giovanni looked at her.
“You’ve been there?”
Clarissa nodded slowly.
“When I was little.”
Giovanni felt his stomach drop.
“What?”
“I thought it was a dream.”
She wiped her tears.
“I remember Mom crying.”
A pause.
“She was holding a baby.”
Nobody moved.
Giovanni stared.
“A baby?”
Clarissa nodded.
“She looked at me and said…”
Her voice broke.
“She said, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect both of you.’”
Adrian stepped back.
“No…”
Giovanni looked at him.
“What?”
Adrian’s face turned pale.
“That means…”
He couldn’t finish.
Then the front door exploded open.
Everyone jumped.
A man rushed inside.
Blood covered his shirt.
He collapsed onto the floor.
Giovanni recognized him.
One of his private investigators.
“Mr. Giovanni…”
He struggled to speak.
“They found me.”
Giovanni dropped beside him.
“Who?”
The investigator grabbed his arm.
His eyes were full of fear.
“The person behind everything…”
He coughed.
Then whispered:
“It’s someone you invited to Elena’s funeral.”
Everyone froze.
Giovanni slowly looked around the room.
At Marco.
At Adrian.
At his children.
Then the investigator said the final words:
“Your wife didn’t die because someone wanted her secret hidden…”
A pause.
“She died because she was about to reveal who really owns Maravilla.”
The investigator closed his eyes.
May you like
And stopped moving.
TO BE CONTINUED…
