Chapter 11 - The Monster Beneath the Family NameCarlo stared at the screens.
His recorded voice continued pouring through the speakers, describing payments, threats, and the warehouse fire that had supposedly killed Michael.
Every sentence was a nail hammered into the coffin of his empire.
“You arranged this,” Carlo snarled.
Dominic stood between him and his family.
“You arranged your own downfall.”
Carlo raised his gun.
Dominic's guards immediately brought their weapons up.
“Put it down,” Dominic said.
“Do you think you can replace me? Do you think those recordings will make you king?”
“No.”
Dominic's voice remained quiet.
“They'll make you answer for what you've done.”
Carlo laughed bitterly.
“You're a fool. Everything you have was built by men like me.”
“Then perhaps it deserves to end with men like you.”
I watched Dominic carefully.
There was fury in his face, but something else, too.
Disgust.
As if he had finally seen the family legacy for what it really was.
Carlo turned his gun toward Michael.
“Give me the original ledger, or I kill him here.”
Michael stepped forward.
“Dominic, don't.”
Rosie suddenly broke free from my hand.
“Stop hurting my daddy!”
Everything happened at once.
A guard lunged to pull her away from Carlo.
Michael moved toward her.
Carlo fired.
The shot struck a display cabinet, shattering glass across the floor.
Dominic tackled Carlo before he could fire again.
The two men crashed into the edge of the Christmas tree.
Ornaments shattered.
The tree toppled.
Bruno shouted for everyone to get down.
I pulled Rosie into my arms and covered her head as guards rushed forward.
Carlo fought viciously, but Dominic pinned his gun arm against the floor.
For a moment, I thought Dominic would kill him.
He had every reason to.
Carlo had framed Michael, threatened Rosie, held Isabella hostage, and ordered the attack that nearly killed Dominic himself.
But Dominic slowly released his grip.
“Take him,” he ordered.
Two guards dragged Carlo to his feet.
Carlo spat at him.
“You'll regret this.”
Dominic looked at his uncle with an expression I couldn't decipher.
“I already regret trusting you.”
Then he turned toward Rosie.
She was crying silently against my chest.
Dominic crouched in front of her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Did you catch the bad man?”
“Yes.”
“Will he come back?”
Dominic looked at the guards escorting Carlo away.
“No.”
Rosie studied him for several seconds.
Then she whispered, “You look sad again.”
Dominic's mouth tightened.
“I suppose I do.”
She wiped her eyes.
“Mommy says people can be sad even when they win.”
He looked at me.
I didn't know what to say.
The store manager approached, looking terrified.
“Mr. Moretti, the police are outside. They say they need to speak with you about the recordings.”
Dominic nodded.
“They can speak with me.”
Bruno moved closer.
“Boss, the evidence is secure. Carlo's financial network is exposed, and several of his associates have already been identified.”
“Good.”
“But there's another issue.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“What now?”
Bruno lowered his voice.
“The man who sent the original threat to your phone hasn't been found.”
“Carlo?”
“No.”
Bruno handed him a printed message.
It had been recovered from a secured server minutes earlier.
The message contained only one sentence.
Carlo was never the one in charge.
Dominic read it twice.
Then his gaze shifted toward the store's main entrance.
A man stood outside, watching through the glass.
He wore a dark coat and carried a black umbrella.
His face was unfamiliar.
But when he saw Dominic looking at him, he smiled.
Then he raised one hand in greeting and disappeared into the crowd.
Bruno turned toward the doors.
“Should I follow him?”
Dominic shook his head slowly.
“No.”
He looked down at Rosie, who had fallen asleep in my arms.
“Not tonight.”
For the first time in his life, Dominic Moretti had something more important than revenge.
May you like
A little girl who believed he could still choose to be good.
And he wasn't prepared to let her faith become another casualty of his family's darkness.
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