Chapter 9 - Marco Chose Her Over His Empire
Marco could have run.
Everyone expected him to.
Men with his reputation rarely trusted courtrooms.
Instead he placed both hands on the kitchen counter while federal agents entered.
Alina stood beside him.
“Marco Castalano?”
“Yes.”
“You are being detained pending questioning.”
Marco looked toward Alina.
“Call the attorney on the number I gave you.”
One agent stepped toward her.
“Ms. Vasquez, we need you as well.”
Marco’s expression changed.
“She’s a witness.”
“We’ll decide that.”
Within an hour, news helicopters hovered above the road.
By noon, Marco’s face dominated television.
CHICAGO BUSINESSMAN LINKED TO DECADES-OLD IDENTITY FRAUD INVESTIGATION.
By afternoon, headlines grew worse.
FEMALE EMPLOYEE MAY HAVE BEEN TARGET OF SURVEILLANCE.
Someone leaked the photographs planted in Marco’s study.
Images of Alina walking alone.
Shopping.
Entering her apartment.
To the public, it looked horrifying.
To Alina, it was horrifying.
But Marco had not taken them.
She knew that.
Investigators separated them.
A federal prosecutor named Claire Bennett questioned Alina.
“Did Mr. Castalano ever prevent you from leaving his residence?”
“No.”
“Did he monitor you?”
“Not that I knew.”
“Did he hire you under false pretenses?”
Alina hesitated.
That answer was complicated.
“Yes.”
Claire leaned forward.
“Explain.”
“He knew who my parents were.”
“And did you?”
“No.”
“Would you describe him as controlling?”
Alina almost laughed.
“Yes.”
Claire waited.
“But controlling isn’t the same as criminal.”
“Did he ever frighten you?”
“Frequently.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“No.”
“Did you see violence inside the estate?”
Alina understood the trap.
“He runs a world I don’t approve of.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“No. I did not see him assault anyone.”
Claire studied her.
“You care about him.”
Alina’s silence became an answer.
Across the building, Marco was asked different questions.
He denied involvement in Starlight.
Denied planting surveillance equipment.
Denied ordering the estate attack.
Then prosecutors offered him a deal.
Turn over every surviving business connection associated with his father.
Admit financial conspiracy.
They would guarantee Alina’s immunity and protective custody.
Marco’s attorney objected.
Marco asked only one question.
“She walks free?”
“Yes.”
He signed.
When Alina learned, she exploded.
She pushed into the conference room where Marco sat.
“You confessed?”
“To financial violations.”
“Were they yours?”
“Some.”
“Which?”
“Enough.”
“You did this for me.”
His eyes met hers.
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t your decision.”
“It became my decision the moment you became leverage.”
“Stop deciding my life!”
“I’m trying to give you one.”
“I had one!”
Marco flinched.
She hated herself for seeing it.
But she continued.
“I had an apartment. A job. Friends. I knew who my mother was. I knew how my father died. Then you pulled me into a twenty-four-year nightmare because you decided I needed protection.”
“I did.”
“And now you’re destroying yourself because you think that’s protection too.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Trust me!”
The words echoed.
Marco stopped.
Alina’s breathing shook.
“You keep saying you’re protecting me, but you never trust me enough to stand beside you.”
Something changed in his face.
“You should not stand beside men like me.”
“Then stop pretending this is about what’s good for me.”
Silence.
Marco looked away.
“You deserve ordinary.”
Alina laughed sadly.
“Ordinary left three days ago.”
She walked out.
That evening, federal officials released Marco pending further proceedings after his attorney secured bail.
Outside, hundreds of reporters waited.
Questions screamed from every direction.
“Did you stalk your employee?”
“Did Castalano companies fund Starlight?”
“Where is Alina Vasquez?”
One reporter shouted:
“Are you romantically involved with her?”
Marco stopped.
His attorney whispered, “Keep walking.”
Marco did.
But cameras captured the fraction of a second when his face changed.
The internet noticed.
Within hours, millions watched the clip.
People argued.
Some called Marco a monster.
Others said his expression looked like love.
Alina refused to watch.
She was busy examining her father’s ledger.
A transaction stood out.
Twenty-four years earlier.
A payment from Starlight to Briar Holdings.
Authorized by:
S. CASTALANO.
Sebastian.
Alive or dead, Marco’s uncle had been involved.
Then Alina noticed another detail.
The destination bank.
Zurich.
Same account number.
A recent transfer had occurred seven days earlier.
Someone had moved seventeen million dollars.
The old network was still active.
She called Marco.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
Then a message arrived.
Unknown sender.
If you want to know who really killed Diego, come without Marco.
Below it was a photograph.
A man sat in a wheelchair beside a window.
Older.
White hair.
But Alina recognized the eyes from family photographs.
May you like
Sebastian Castalano.
Alive.
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