Chapter 2 - Shadows of BetrayalThe subterranean basement of the Duca mansion was soundproof, built with thick reinforced concrete walls and heavy iron doors. It was a place reserved for those who broke the solemn oath of loyalty to the family.
Renata was tied to a wooden chair beneath a harsh, unblinking spotlight. Her polished appearance was gone; her hair was disheveled, and sweat trickled down her wrinkled face. She looked at me as I walked down the concrete steps, accompanied by Marco and Nero. The Doberman's nails clicked softly against the stone floor, a slow, rhythmic death knell.
"Lorenzo, please!" Renata sobbed, her voice echoing off the cold walls. "You have known me since you were a boy! I raised you after your mother passed! I would never betray you!"
"You didn't betray me tonight, Renata," I said calmly, pulling up a chair and sitting directly in front of her. "You betrayed my father fifteen years ago. And tonight, you tried to murder the woman who protected his final legacy."
"I was forced!" she wailed. "Victor Valenti has my son! He's held him in Europe for years! If I didn't follow his instructions, he promised to send me my boy piece by piece!"
I tilted my head, examining her expression. "Victor ordered you to frame Clara?"
"Victor recognized her from a photograph taken by one of the estate guards last month," Renata admitted, tears streaming down her face. "He knew Clara had the pendant. He told me to get her out of the mansion so his hit squad could kidnap her on the road. The jeweled clock was just a pretext to get her fired and handed over to corrupt officers on Victor's payroll!"
"Who else inside my organization is working for Victor?" I asked softly.
Renata hesitated, her eyes darting toward the shadows of the room. "I... I don't know names! I only dealt with Victor's courier!"
I nodded to Marco. Marco stepped forward, placing a thick dossier on the small metal table beside Renata. He opened it to reveal detailed bank statements showing monthly deposits into an offshore account in Renata's maiden name dating back twelve years—long before any alleged threat against her son.
"You weren't being blackmailed, Renata," I said coldly. "You were being paid. You sold my father out for five percent of Victor's logistics revenue."
Renata's face turned completely white. The tears stopped, replaced by a bitter, hateful snarl. "Your father was weak! He was going to turn the family business legitimate! He was going to destroy everything we built! Victor offered us a future!"
"My father built an empire based on honor," I stood up, adjusting my cufflinks. "Victor built a kingdom of sand on the bodies of my family."
I turned my back on her. "Marco, secure her. Keep her alive until we settle this with Victor. She will be our primary witness when the council meets."
As I stepped out of the basement and returned to the main level, I found Clara standing near the entrance of the grand library. She hadn't slept. She was wrapped in a cashmere shawl, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Is it over?" she asked quietly.
"It has only just begun," I replied. "Victor Valenti knows you are here. He knows the frame-up failed. He will not wait for me to strike first. By tomorrow morning, he will mobilize his men."
"Then let me take Nicolette and leave," Clara pleaded, stepping toward me, her eyes filled with desperate maternal terror. "You have the pendant now. You can open the safe in Zurich yourself. You don't need us involved in your war."
"You are already involved, Clara," I said softly, reaching out to gently touch her shoulder. "Fifteen years ago, you took a risk to save my father's secret. You spent fifteen years in the dark, suffering for a family that wasn't even yours. I will not let you run anymore. You and Nicolette stay here, under my personal protection."
May you like
She looked into my eyes, searching for the boy she used to know beneath the hard, scarred exterior of the Duca boss. "Can you really protect us, Lorenzo? Victor has police chiefs, judges, and half the city council in his pocket."
"He has politicians," I said, a dark smile touching my lips. "I have the truth. And tomorrow, we take the flight to Zurich."
