Chapter 12 - Nobody moved.Emma looked at Vincent.
Then Julian.
Then Isabella.
“Mom?”
Isabella was crying.
“I was nineteen.”
Vincent looked devastated.
“I didn't know.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“That's the problem.”
Vincent stepped toward him.
“I would never have abandoned you.”
“You didn't know I existed.”
“Your mother told me the child died.”
Julian's expression cracked.
“She lied.”
Emma looked at Isabella.
“Why?”
Isabella couldn't answer.
Daniel did.
“Because Elias forced her.”
Julian stared.
“So you knew?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Elias would have killed you.”
Julian's gun shook.
“He already destroyed my life.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Listen to me.”
“No.”
Julian pointed at Vincent.
“He took everything.”
“He tried to find you.”
“Too late.”
Vincent lowered his weapon.
“I spent twenty years believing you were dead.”
Julian swallowed.
“So did I.”
For one moment, the rage in the room softened.
Then the vault door exploded inward.
Elias entered with armed men.
He clapped slowly.
“What a touching reunion.”
Vincent raised his gun.
Elias laughed.
“Put it down.”
Moretti security was surrounded.
Elias looked at Julian.
“You were always my favorite pawn.”
Julian stared.
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
Elias turned toward Emma.
“And she was always the prize.”
Emma tightened her grip on the ledger.
“You won't get it.”
Elias smiled.
“You still don't understand what it contains.”
He looked at Daniel.
“It contains the truth about Isabella.”
Daniel went pale.
Emma looked at her mother.
“What truth?”
Isabella whispered,
“I killed Matthias.”
Silence.
Julian froze.
“You?”
Isabella nodded.
“He tried to kill Vincent.”
She looked at Emma.
“He tried to kill you.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“I helped her hide the body.”
Vincent looked stunned.
“You killed my uncle?”
“Yes.”
Elias smiled.
“Except Matthias wasn't dead.”
Everyone turned.
A man stepped behind Elias.
Older.
Scarred.
But unmistakably Matthias Moretti.
Julian's face drained of color.
“Father.”
Matthias looked at him.
“You finally know.”
Emma stared.
“So you survived?”
Matthias nodded.
“I was shot.”
He touched the scar on his neck.
“Then Elias buried me alive.”
Elias laughed.
“Because you deserved it.”
Matthias looked at him.
“You took my name.”
“You lost everything.”
“You killed your own brother.”
“You betrayed me.”
The two men stared at each other.
Emma realized something.
This wasn't about money anymore.
It was a war that had started before she was born.
Matthias turned toward Emma.
“You are my daughter.”
Emma didn't answer.
“You own Daniel's shares.”
“Yes.”
“Then give them to me.”
“No.”
Matthias smiled.
“I didn't expect you to.”
He lifted his hand.
Someone stepped behind Emma.
A gun pressed against her back.
Emma froze.
Vincent shouted,
“Don't!”
Matthias smiled.
“Now.”
Emma looked at the person holding the gun.
Her mother.
Isabella.
Emma stared.
“Mom?”
Isabella's eyes filled with tears.
“I'm sorry.”
She whispered,
“I have one last thing to do.”
Emma's heart broke.
Her mother pulled the trigger.
But the gun clicked.
Empty.
Isabella lowered it.
“I never betrayed you.”
She looked at Matthias.
Then slammed the gun into his face.
Vincent fired.
Chaos erupted.
Bullets struck the walls.
Daniel tackled Elias.
Julian shot one of the guards.
Victoria grabbed Emma and dragged her behind a shelf.
“Stay down!”
Emma heard Vincent shouting.
Then Matthias screamed.
A fire alarm began ringing.
Smoke filled the vault.
Victoria looked at Emma.
“The building is burning.”
“Where's Vincent?”
“I don't know.”
Emma crawled through the smoke.
She found him beside a fallen beam.
Blood covered his shoulder.
“Vincent!”
He looked at her.
“You're alive.”
“So are you.”
He smiled weakly.
Then his eyes widened.
“Emma.”
“What?”
He pointed behind her.
A flame had caught the old ledger.
The book containing every secret was burning.
Emma reached for it.
But someone stepped into the flames.
They picked it up.
It was Julian.
His face was illuminated by fire.
He looked at Emma.
May you like
“I know who started this.”
Then the ceiling collapsed between them.
