Chapter 10 - Matteo’s Confession
Gio stared.
“Where have you been?”
“Keeping Marco alive.”
Marco stepped forward.
“He helped me escape Carlo.”
Matteo nodded.
“Three weeks ago.”
Isadora looked between them.
“Then why disappear?”
“Because Carlo thinks I’m working for him.”
Gio’s expression hardened.
“Are you?”
“Only enough to stay useful.”
“You could have told me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because there is another traitor.”
Gio’s jaw tightened.
“Who?”
Matteo looked at the ledger.
“Someone close enough to hear every plan.”
Luca stared.
“You thought it was me.”
“For years.”
“And now?”
Matteo shook his head.
“No.”
Marco picked up the ledger carefully after Matteo disconnected the alarm.
Inside were hundreds of handwritten entries.
Names.
Companies.
Payments.
Judges.
Ministers.
Contractors.
But several pages had been removed.
“Carlo took them,” Marco said.
Matteo shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
A voice answered from the shadows.
“I did.”
Emilio stepped into the cellar.
Isadora stared.
“The chef?”
Emilio looked almost ashamed.
“I’m sorry.”
Gio’s expression became lethal.
“You have thirty seconds.”
Emilio raised both hands.
“I served your father before I served you.”
“Twenty-five.”
“He asked me to hide the missing pages.”
“Twenty.”
“Because the pages didn’t contain Carlo’s crimes.”
Gio stopped counting.
“What did they contain?”
Emilio looked at Isadora.
“Vittorio’s.”
Silence.
Marco closed the ledger.
Emilio continued.
“Your father wanted Carlo stopped, but he knew exposing the entire ledger would destroy innocent people too.”
“Who?”
“Families whose businesses had been used without their knowledge. Employees. Witnesses. Your mother.”
Gio’s face tightened.
“Sofia?”
Emilio nodded.
“One removed page contains her current identity.”
Gio stepped closer.
“Where is it?”
“I burned it.”
Gio grabbed him.
Isadora intervened.
“Giovanni.”
“He destroyed the only clue to my mother.”
Emilio shook his head.
“No.”
He pulled a small envelope from his pocket.
“I destroyed the ledger page.”
Inside was a train ticket.
Paris.
Two days from now.
A handwritten name appeared on the back.
Sofia Bellini.
Gio stared.
“Your mother wants to see you,” Emilio said.
“How do you know?”
“She contacted me yesterday.”
“Why now?”
May you like
“Because Carlo knows where she is.”
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