Chapter 11 - The Mother and the Son
Paris was gray when Giovanni met his mother.
She waited in a quiet chapel.
Sofia Rossi stood when he entered.
Neither spoke.
Then she whispered:
“You grew taller than your father.”
Gio stopped.
Twenty-two years.
Thousands of questions.
Only one came out.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
Sofia began crying.
“Because Carlo promised he would kill you.”
Gio looked away.
“I was twelve.”
“I know.”
“You let me think you were dead.”
“I know.”
“Everyone in this family seems very comfortable saying those words.”
Isadora, waiting near the entrance, heard pain beneath the anger.
Sofia stepped closer.
“Your father and I fought about it until the day I left.”
“He chose to send you away.”
“He chose you.”
“No.”
Gio shook his head.
“He chose secrets.”
Sofia lowered her eyes.
“Yes.”
That answer disarmed him.
She didn’t defend Vittorio.
She told the truth.
“I hated him for years.”
Gio looked at her.
“Then why protect his secrets?”
“Because some of them were meant to protect you.”
She removed a small recorder from her handbag.
“Your father sent this six years ago.”
Vittorio’s voice filled the chapel.
“Giovanni will hate me when he learns the truth.”
Gio shut his eyes.
“He should.”
Isadora watched.
“I built an empire believing power could protect the people I loved. Instead, power taught me to hide them.”
Sofia cried quietly.
“If my son hears this, tell him to do what I could not.”
A pause.
“Choose people before power.”
The recording ended.
Gio stood motionless.
Sofia reached for his hand.
This time he allowed it.
Then she turned toward Isadora.
“So you’re the waitress.”
Isadora blinked.
“You heard about that?”
“My son getting ice poured down his trousers made French television.”
For the first time all day, Gio looked embarrassed.
Sofia smiled.
“I liked you immediately.”
“Mother.”
“Twenty-two years, Giovanni. I have earned the right to embarrass you.”
Isadora laughed.
Gio stared at both women.
Something inside the chapel changed.
Not healed.
But opened.
Then Sofia became serious.
“Carlo is planning something bigger than destroying your reputation.”
“What?”
“He intends to force control of the Rossi companies.”
“How?”
“By proving Giovanni unfit to lead.”
Gio almost laughed.
“He’ll need more than fake documents.”
“He has something else.”
Sofia looked toward Isadora.
“He has a recording of Vittorio discussing Antonio Marino’s death.”
Isadora went still.
“What does it say?”
“I don’t know.”
Sofia’s voice shook.
May you like
“But Carlo claims it proves Vittorio ordered it.”
---
