Chapter 7 - The Man Who Helped Build the Bomb

Valentina slapped her father.

Hard.

Henry accepted it.

Matteo did not move.

Sofia stared at Henry.

Antonio looked like he wanted to kill him.

Frank stepped between them.

“Not here.”

Antonio laughed bitterly.

“Convenient.”

Henry looked at Matteo.

“I did not know they planned to kill Antonio.”

“Then what did you think the explosives were for?”

Henry closed his eyes.

“To destroy the duplicate car.”

Matteo stared.

“Why?”

“To create proof of death.”

Silence.

Antonio frowned.

“You helped Paul fake my death?”

Henry nodded.

“Paul came to me first.”

Sofia whispered:

“Before Antonio?”

“Yes.”

Henry explained.

Paul said Antonio wanted out.

Needed a duplicate car.

Needed an explosion.

Needed Henry to source parts.

Henry believed the staged death was Antonio’s plan.

Then Antonio approached Henry separately.

Asked for the duplicate because he feared Paul.

Two brothers using the same man.

Neither knew.

Henry realized too late.

Matteo looked at Antonio.

“When did you understand?”

“Three hours before the explosion.”

“Then why continue?”

“Because by then Paul had men everywhere.”

Sofia added:

“And I had returned.”

Antonio nodded.

“We used his plan against him.”

Matteo frowned.

“You let him blow up the fake car.”

“Yes.”

“And escaped in the original.”

“Yes.”

“With Mom.”

“Yes.”

Henry looked at the floor.

“I helped switch the vehicles.”

Matteo stared.

“So you saved them.”

Henry nodded.

“And also helped create the lie that destroyed my life.”

Henry’s face broke.

“Yes.”

Valentina looked sick.

Matteo turned to Agent Cole.

“Can he be charged?”

She answered:

“Probably.”

Henry nodded.

“I will testify.”

Valentina looked at him.

“Against Paul?”

“Yes.”

“Victor?”

“Yes.”

“Yourself?”

Henry hesitated.

Then:

“Yes.”

That mattered.

Matteo looked at Valentina.

She was crying.

Not asking him to protect Henry.

That mattered too.

Agent Cole continued.

“We also found messages from Paul.”

Recent.

One week.

One phrase repeated:

CLOSE BEFORE MATTEO LEARNS THE SECOND BENEFICIARY.

Matteo frowned.

“Second beneficiary?”

Sofia looked confused.

Antonio too.

Agent Cole opened the trust file.

There.

Buried in an appendix.

If Matteo died or became incapacitated before age thirty-five, control transferred to—

A child.

Name:

LUCA ROMANO.

Matteo stared.

“I do not have a child.”

Silence.

Antonio’s face changed.

Sofia looked at him.

“Antonio.”

He closed his eyes.

Matteo noticed.

“Who is Luca?”

Antonio did not answer.

Matteo stepped closer.

“Who?”

Antonio whispered:

“My son.”

Silence.

Matteo stared.

“Your son.”

“Yes.”

“With who?”

Antonio looked at Sofia.

She already knew.

Her expression was pain.

Old pain.

Matteo saw that too.

Antonio continued.

“After I disappeared.”

Matteo laughed once.

“You said you never built another family.”

“I didn’t.”

“You had another son.”

“Yes.”

“That sounds like a family.”

Antonio looked ashamed.

“His mother died when he was three.”

Matteo stared.

“How old is he?”

“Thirteen.”

Silence.

Matteo calculated.

Born one year after the explosion.

Antonio continued.

“I had a relationship.

Brief.

She became pregnant.

I did not know until later.”

Sofia looked away.

Matteo stared.

“Why is he in my trust?”

Antonio answered:

“Your grandfather added all direct Romano descendants.”

Matteo frowned.

“Then Paul knows.”

“Yes.”

Agent Cole nodded.

“And if Matteo dies before thirty-five, Paul could petition to control Luca’s shares as family guardian.”

Matteo’s face hardened.

“I turn thirty-five in six months.”

“Yes.”

Paul had a deadline.

The sale.

Matteo.

Luca.

Everything connected.

Matteo looked at Antonio.

“Where is Luca?”

Antonio went pale.

“Boarding school.”

“Where?”

“Pennsylvania.”

Agent Cole checked her phone.

Then looked up.

“Not anymore.”

Silence.

Antonio stared.

“What?”

“The school reported him taken by an authorized family representative yesterday.”

Matteo’s stomach dropped.

“Who?”

Agent Cole showed the name.

PAUL ROMANO.

Matteo’s face changed completely.

Valentina whispered:

“Oh my God.”

Matteo looked at Antonio.

“You let him know Luca existed.”

Antonio shook his head.

“No.”

Agent Cole said:

“The trust did.”

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Paul had found the second beneficiary.

And now he had the boy.