Chapter 5 - THE BROTHER IN THE SHADOWS
The kitchen walls felt like they were closing in.
I stared at Maria, my pulse pounding in my ears.
"What do you mean I know where he is?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Maria looked at me with eyes full of profound sorrow.
"Twenty-five years ago, Elena hired a private investigator to track the orphanage where Arthur abandoned her baby," Maria explained softly. "The boy had already been placed in foster care. His name had been changed."
She pointed to the receipt in Luca's hand.
"Look at the name of the foster family, Emma."
Luca handed me the paper.
The ink was faded, but the typed words were legible:
Subject transferred to the custody of Richard and Helen Sullivan. Renamed: Leo Sullivan.
The paper slipped from my fingers and fluttered to the floor.
"Leo," I breathed.
My brother.
Leo was twenty-eight. He was brilliant, kind, and currently working two jobs to pay his way through law school. I had spent the last three years working in this mansion, saving every penny, just to help him pay his tuition.
Answer one: My adopted brother was the lost Moretti heir.
Open two: Did Arthur Bellini know Leo’s true identity? Was that why my family had been plagued by sudden, mysterious financial ruins for the last decade?
"My parents adopted him," I said, my voice shaking. "They told me they found him in a terrible state. Malnourished. Terrified."
I looked up at Luca.
The billionaire standing in front of me wasn't just my boss. He was my brother’s blood.
"I have a brother," Luca whispered, a tear finally escaping his eye.
But the moment of awe shattered instantly.
My phone buzzed in my apron pocket.
I pulled it out.
It was Leo.
"Answer it," Luca ordered. "Put it on speaker."
I hit the green button. "Leo?"
"Emma," Leo's voice was tight, breathless. "Don't come home."
"Leo, what's wrong? Where are you?"
"There are men at the apartment," he said rapidly. "They kicked the door in. I managed to get out the fire escape, but they're looking for me. They said... they said Arthur Bellini wants to talk."
My blood ran cold.
"Where are you right now?" I demanded.
"I'm at the diner on 4th Street. Hiding in the back alley."
"Stay exactly there. Do not move. I'm coming."
I hung up.
Arthur didn't just want the key. He was tying up loose ends. He was going to kill the true heir.
"He knows," I said to Luca. "Arthur knows who Leo is."
"We need to split up," Luca said, his mind shifting into tactical mode. He looked at his watch. 10:45 PM. "I need to get into the bank vault and get the proof to destroy Arthur. You need to get Leo."
"And Paul?" Maria asked, panicked. "They have Paul in a trunk!"
Luca looked torn. He couldn't be in three places at once.
"I know where Paul is," a quiet voice said from the doorway.
We all turned.
Vanessa was standing there.
Her mascara was running down her cheeks, staining her expensive gown. She looked broken.
"Vanessa," Luca said, his voice hard.
"I didn't know he was going to kill people, Luca," she sobbed, stepping into the kitchen. "I swear to God. My father told me he just needed to secure my future. I thought he was just paying people off."
"Where is Paul?" Luca demanded, stepping toward her.
"The old shipyard on the river," Vanessa cried. "Pier 44. I heard his men talking in the hallway."
"Why should I believe you?" Luca asked.
Vanessa reached into her clutch purse and pulled out a heavy black pistol.
Maria gasped.
Vanessa didn't aim it at us. She flipped it around and held it out to Luca by the barrel.
"Because I'm giving you my father's gun," she said. "He left it in the coatroom. Please, Luca. Stop him before he ruins everything."
A massive reversal. The spoiled, cruel fiancée was handing over the weapon to take down her own father.
Luca took the gun. He checked the magazine. It was loaded.
He looked at me.
"Take my car," Luca said, tossing me the keys to his matte black Porsche. "It's armored. Go get Leo. Bring him to the bank. Do not stop for anyone."
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
"I'm going to Pier 44. I'm getting Paul. Then I'll meet you at the bank."
"Luciano, it's a trap," Maria warned, clutching his arm. "Arthur expects you to go after the gardener."
"I know," Luca said. He looked at the silver key in his hand. "But Arthur doesn't know I still have the key. And he doesn't know you have the gun."
He turned to leave, but stopped and looked at me.
"Emma."
"Yes?"
"Protect my brother."
"I always have."
I grabbed the car keys and sprinted for the garage.
When I reached the Porsche, I fired the engine.
As I pulled out of the driveway, a black SUV slammed into the side of the gates, blocking my exit.
Two men stepped out.
May you like
Arthur Bellini’s men.
And they were dragging Leo between them.
