Chapter 5 - The Room of NamesMatteo survived.
Barely.
By dawn, he was hidden in a private clinic controlled by one of Gabriel's contacts.
Victor returned to the Russo mansion with Elena and Daniel.
Carlo was gone.
So was Teresa.
Mrs. Bell had disappeared too.
The mansion felt wrong without them.
Too quiet.
Victor stood in the basement.
Daniel examined the brick walls.
“Here.”
He touched a section of stone.
“Behind this.”
Victor looked at Gabriel.
“Break it.”
Gabriel swung the hammer.
Once.
Twice.
The wall cracked.
A hollow space appeared.
Inside was a narrow room.
Elena stepped closer.
Shelves lined the walls.
Each shelf held metal boxes.
Each box had a name.
Daniel.
Marlows.
Russo.
Bellandi.
Costa.
Dozens of families.
Hundreds of names.
Victor pulled one out.
Inside were photographs, bank statements, police reports.
And death certificates.
Daniel's face hardened.
“They kept records.”
“For what?”
“Blackmail.”
Victor opened another box.
A family photo.
Three generations smiling at a wedding.
Beneath it was a police report describing the father's murder.
Victor stared.
“This is evidence.”
Daniel nodded.
“Carlo built his empire by collecting secrets.”
Elena opened the Marlow box.
Inside was a photograph of her mother.
The date on the back was from two years after Daniel's supposed death.
Elena went pale.
“My mother was alive.”
Daniel said nothing.
She turned to him.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“And you let me believe she was dead?”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
Elena slapped him.
Daniel accepted it.
Victor looked away.
Then Elena noticed a second photograph.
Her mother stood beside a young Matteo.
On the back:
HE KNOWS WHERE THE LEDGER IS.
Elena froze.
Matteo.
Victor saw it.
“He knew your mother.”
Daniel nodded.
“She recruited him.”
“Why?”
“Because Matteo hated Carlo.”
Victor closed his eyes.
His cousin had been trapped between them all along.
A metallic sound echoed from the corridor.
Victor raised his weapon.
A woman's voice came through the darkness.
“You finally found it.”
Elena stopped.
“Mom?”
A figure stepped into the room.
Older.
Pale.
Beautiful despite the years.
Elena's knees nearly buckled.
“Mom?”
The woman smiled through tears.
“My little girl.”
Elena ran forward.
They embraced.
Victor watched in silence.
Daniel looked like a man seeing a ghost.
“You shouldn't have come back.”
She released Elena.
“I didn't come back for you.”
Daniel flinched.
“I came back for Carlo.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Where is he?”
She looked at him.
“Not where you think.”
“What does that mean?”
“Carlo is not running.”
She picked up a metal box.
“He's waiting.”
“Where?”
“In the family chapel.”
Victor frowned.
“Why?”
She opened the box.
Inside was the master ledger.
Elena stared.
“This is it?”
Her mother nodded.
“The book that can destroy everything.”
Victor opened it.
Names filled every page.
Then he reached the final entry.
His own name.
Beside it was a date.
Tomorrow.
Victor's face changed.
“What does this mean?”
May you like
Her mother whispered:
“It means Carlo plans to kill you tomorrow night.”
Related Stories
