Chapter 15 - The House Where Giovanni Became Afraid
Carlo’s message led to the abandoned Rossi family estate.
Gio had not entered it since childhood.
His mother’s piano still stood in the drawing room.
Dust covered photographs.
Isadora touched one.
Young Gio sat on Vittorio’s shoulders.
He was laughing.
“You were cute.”
“Destroy that photograph.”
“Never.”
Despite everything, he smiled.
Then they heard Sofia.
“Giovanni!”
They followed her voice upstairs.
Carlo stood beside her.
No dramatic weapons.
No army.
Just an old man with nothing left except resentment.
Sofia’s wrists were tied to a chair.
Carlo looked exhausted.
“You ruined everything.”
Gio stepped forward.
“No.”
He looked around the decaying house.
“You did.”
Carlo laughed.
“Your father stole my life.”
“Your father gave you businesses, homes, money—”
“He gave Vittorio respect.”
Carlo’s face twisted.
“That was the one thing money could not buy.”
Isadora finally understood.
This was never only greed.
Carlo hated being second.
Vittorio had been loved.
Carlo had been feared.
And Carlo had spent decades confusing the two.
“You killed Antonio because Vittorio trusted him,” Isadora said.
Carlo looked at her.
“Yes.”
The admission stunned the room.
Marco’s phone, hidden inside his coat, streamed everything to investigators waiting outside.
Carlo continued, unaware.
“Antonio reminded Vittorio of the man he had been before power.”
Isadora fought tears.
“You killed my father for that?”
“For what he knew.”
“You destroyed my family.”
Carlo smiled bitterly.
“So did Vittorio.”
“No.”
Gio stepped forward.
“My father made terrible choices.”
He looked at Sofia.
“He lied.”
At Marco.
“He hid people.”
At Isadora.
“He let fear control him.”
Then back to Carlo.
“But you chose cruelty every time another choice existed.”
Carlo’s face changed.
For the first time, the accusation seemed to hurt.
Sirens sounded.
He understood.
“You recorded me.”
Isadora held up Marco’s phone.
“Actually, the whole country heard you.”
Carlo rushed toward the window.
Luca intercepted him.
No dramatic fight.
No gunfire.
Just an aging man realizing the world had finally become too small to hide inside.
Police entered moments later.
As they led him away, Carlo looked back at Gio.
“You think this makes you different from us?”
Gio answered quietly:
“No.”
Then he took Isadora’s hand.
May you like
“What I do next will.”
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