Chapter 10 - The Letter Anthony Never SentVictor could barely speak.
“My father?”
Elena's mother nodded.
“Anthony knew Carlo was out of control.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“When?”
“Years before the warehouse.”
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he knew you'd die.”
Victor stared at her.
“Then why did he betray you?”
“Because Carlo was watching him.”
She handed Victor a second envelope.
“This was supposed to reach you eight years ago.”
Victor took it.
The handwriting was Anthony's.
Victor opened it.
My son,
If you're reading this, Carlo has probably told you that Daniel Marlow was the enemy. He was not.
Neither was Elena.
The enemy is the person who convinced all of us that survival required betrayal.
Victor stopped.
Daniel read over his shoulder.
The final lines said:
Carlo will come after Elena because she carries something neither of you knows about.
Your mother left it with her the night she disappeared.
Victor looked at Elena.
“What did your mother leave with you?”
Elena shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Her mother stepped forward.
“I do.”
She pointed to Elena's necklace.
The small silver pendant Elena had worn since childhood.
“Open it.”
Elena frowned.
She twisted the pendant.
It opened.
Inside was a tiny memory card.
Victor stared.
“That was hidden inside me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Carlo never knew.”
Gabriel took the card.
They inserted it into a laptop.
One file appeared.
Video.
The screen showed Anthony Russo sitting behind his desk.
He looked exhausted.
“Victor, I don't have much time.”
Victor leaned closer.
Anthony continued.
“Carlo is planning to kill Daniel.”
The video flickered.
“I can't stop him directly.”
Anthony reached toward the camera.
“So I hid the evidence where Carlo would never look.”
The video paused.
Then resumed.
“Inside my own son.”
Victor's face went pale.
“What?”
Anthony continued.
“I'm sorry.”
He looked straight into the camera.
“I made you part of this without your knowledge.”
Victor couldn't breathe.
“What did he put in me?”
Anthony answered:
“The location of the Marlow ledger.”
Victor touched his chest.
Daniel whispered:
“Your father encoded it.”
“How?”
“Not physically.”
Anthony's recording explained.
“You've carried the key phrase since childhood. A phrase I repeated every birthday.”
Victor remembered.
One sentence.
Every year.
The river remembers what the city forgets.
He had thought it was simply something his father liked to say.
Gabriel looked at the city map.
“The river.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“The old storage tunnels.”
Victor nodded.
“The warehouse wasn't the real location.”
Elena stared.
“Then where is it?”
Victor looked at her.
“The river.”
Before they could leave, a gunshot shattered the laptop.
The screen exploded.
Teresa stood behind them.
She had a gun.
Victor turned.
“Drop it.”
She smiled.
“Your father was always too sentimental.”
Elena stared at her.
“You killed him?”
Teresa's smile vanished.
“No.”
She lowered the weapon.
“Carlo did.”
Victor froze.
Teresa continued:
“And tomorrow night, Carlo plans to finish what he started.”
“Where is he?”
Teresa looked toward the river.
“Under the city.”
She walked backward.
Victor shouted:
“Teresa!”
She smiled.
Then she shot herself.
Elena screamed.
Victor rushed forward.
But Teresa was already dead.
In her hand was a final note.
Victor opened it.
Only four words were written.
Matteo is not his.
Victor slowly looked at Matteo.
Matteo stared back.
“Then whose son am I?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Elena's mother did.
May you like
She whispered:
“Anthony Russo's.”
