Chapter 17 - Dominic Finally Told Me the Truth
Dominic came to my apartment the next morning.
No security inside.
No lawyers.
He sat across from me while Eli and Noah slept nearby.
“What haven’t you told me?”
He looked older than he had weeks earlier.
“My father knew Arthur was stealing.”
“Your father?”
“My grandfather?”
“Yes.”
“Before Daniel discovered it?”
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
“And?”
“He covered for Arthur.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Family reputation.”
Of course.
There it was again.
Appearances.
The disease running through generations.
Dominic continued.
“My father believed scandal would destroy the company.”
“So he protected Arthur.”
“Yes.”
“And that allowed everything else.”
“Yes.”
“Did Daniel know?”
“He found out shortly before he died.”
That explained some of the conflict.
Daniel wasn’t merely exposing financial crimes.
He was exposing the family itself.
“What did you know?”
Dominic’s eyes dropped.
“Enough to suspect.”
My chest tightened.
“How much?”
“I knew our father had moved money to cover unexplained losses.”
“And you said nothing.”
“Yes.”
Anger rose.
“You keep telling me you didn’t know about Arthur.”
“I didn’t know the full scheme.”
“But you knew something was wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell Daniel?”
“Because I thought I could fix it quietly.”
I stood.
“Quietly.”
The word disgusted me.
My mother stayed quiet to protect me.
Margaret stayed quiet to protect Dominic.
Dominic stayed quiet to protect the company.
Bradley stayed quiet to protect himself.
Every disaster in my life had been fed by silence.
“I’m done with people deciding silence is protection.”
Dominic nodded.
“So am I.”
“Then why tell me now?”
“Because I’m testifying.”
“At Arthur’s trial?”
“Yes.”
“And it will make you look bad.”
“Yes.”
“Could hurt the company.”
“Yes.”
I stared.
“Then do it.”
“I will.”
No excuses.
No requests for forgiveness.
That mattered.
At trial, Dominic testified for six hours.
He admitted ignoring early warning signs.
Admitted prioritizing the company.
Admitted refusing my father’s final request to meet.
News coverage was brutal.
Russo Holdings stock fell.
Board members panicked.
Dominic did not change his testimony.
Arthur’s attorneys attacked him.
Called him bitter.
Guilty.
Unreliable.
Then prosecutors played my father’s recording.
The courtroom went silent.
Thomas had already pled guilty and agreed to testify.
Vale testified.
Britney testified.
Bradley testified.
Margaret testified against her own husband.
One by one, decades of silence ended.
Arthur was convicted on multiple counts.
The judge would sentence him later.
Thomas received a long prison sentence.
Vale too.
Britney received a reduced sentence due to cooperation.
Bradley received prison time for financial crimes, fraud, and conspiracy.
Less than Arthur.
More than he hoped.
I attended only the final day.
Bradley looked at me as marshals led him away.
He did not call my name.
Did not beg.
He simply nodded.
I nodded back.
Not forgiveness.
Acknowledgment.
Two people who had once shared a bed.
Now separated by everything true.
Outside the courthouse, reporters surrounded me.
“Rachel, do you feel justice was served?”
“What will you do with the Russo fortune?”
“Will Bradley ever see his sons?”
“Are you taking control of Russo Holdings?”
I stopped.
Cameras lifted.
For years, other people had told my story.
Bradley.
My mother.
Dominic.
The press.
Now I spoke.
“My sons are healthy. That is what matters most to me.”
Questions continued.
I raised my hand.
“My father spent years trying to expose wrongdoing. My mother spent years afraid. I won’t spend my life doing either.”
The crowd quieted slightly.
“I’m not interested in revenge. I’m interested in accountability, transparency, and building something better than what was handed to me.”
Then I walked away.
No dramatic speech.
No victory pose.
Just a mother going home.
At the apartment, Dominic was holding Noah while Eli slept on his chest.
I stared.
“You look ridiculous.”
“I’m trapped.”
“You’re a billionaire.”
“Neither baby respects that.”
I laughed.
Then he looked at me.
“You did well.”
“At the courthouse?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
He hesitated.
“There’s something else.”
I groaned.
He smiled.
“Not a secret.”
“Good.”
“I bought something.”
“Dominic.”
“For myself.”
“Oh.”
“A house near Cape Cod.”
“Why?”
He looked at the twins.
“Your father loved it there.”
I waited.
“But I bought it because I like it.”
I smiled.
He had learned too.
We all had.
Then he added, “There’s a guest house.”
“No.”
“I didn’t ask anything.”
“You were going to.”
“Maybe.”
I laughed.
For the first time, the future felt larger than the past.
But there was still one person I needed to face.
Bradley.
Not as a husband.
Not as a criminal.
May you like
As the biological father of my sons.
And the decision I made would shape their childhood long after every headline disappeared.
