Chapter 6 - The Death That Split Both Families

Adrian looked at Thomas.

“Your brother?”

Thomas nodded.

“Daniel Moretti.”

Bianca started crying.

Adrian frowned.

“I have never heard that name.”

“That was deliberate.”

Thomas looked at Vincent.

“Daniel was twenty-eight.”

Vincent’s face looked older now.

Adrian’s voice was cold.

“What happened?”

Vincent answered.

“Daniel worked for Gabriel.”

Thomas shook his head.

“At first.”

Vincent ignored him.

“He was moving account information.”

“Then?”

“He came to me.”

“Why?”

“He wanted out.”

Thomas looked at Adrian.

“He wanted to testify.”

Adrian’s eyes shifted back to his father.

“And you killed him?”

Vincent’s jaw tightened.

“I ordered him detained.”

Margaret spoke.

“You ordered men who had already killed for you to take him off the road.”

“I told them to bring him to me.”

“They shot him.”

Vincent looked at her.

“Yes.”

Adrian stared.

“And you covered it up.”

Vincent nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because if the police investigated Daniel, they would find Gabriel.”

“That sounds useful.”

“They would also find me.”

Silence.

Adrian looked at his mother.

“You were going to turn him in.”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

Margaret’s face tightened.

“Because Gabriel took Adrian from school.”

Adrian stopped breathing.

“I was taken?”

“For forty-three minutes.”

His face changed.

A memory.

A strange car.

A man giving him juice.

His mother crying later.

He had been told it was a security drill.

Adrian whispered:

“I remember.”

Margaret nodded.

“Gabriel sent me a photograph of you in the car.”

Vincent looked down.

Margaret continued.

“He told me if I testified, the next time would not last forty-three minutes.”

Adrian’s eyes became cold.

“So you ran.”

“Yes.”

“And Father?”

“He ran because I had evidence against him too.”

Vincent said quietly:

“I ran because Gabriel wanted me dead.”

Margaret looked at him.

“Both can be true.”

Adrian turned toward Thomas.

“What did you do after Daniel died?”

Thomas swallowed.

“I joined Gabriel.”

Bianca stared at him.

Adrian did too.

Thomas continued.

“I told myself it was temporary.”

“You worked with the man who got your brother killed?”

“I wanted proof.”

“For how long?”

Thomas looked ashamed.

“Four years.”

Adrian laughed once.

“That is a very long investigation.”

Thomas said nothing.

Bianca looked at her father.

“You told me you were forced.”

“I was.”

“At first?”

Thomas flinched.

The same phrase again.

Adrian noticed.

Everyone had used it.

At first.

As if choices stopped counting after enough years.

Thomas looked at his daughter.

“Later, I stayed because the money was enormous.”

Bianca stepped backward.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“You told me everything.”

“I told you enough.”

Her face emptied.

Adrian watched her.

For the first time that night, Bianca looked exactly the way he had looked earlier.

Betrayed.

Thomas continued.

“I left seven years ago.”

“Why?”

“Because Gabriel asked me to involve Bianca.”

Adrian’s expression changed.

“How?”

Thomas looked at him.

“He knew she had met you.”

Adrian frowned.

Bianca whispered:

“We met at a charity auction.”

Thomas nodded.

“Gabriel arranged the invitation.”

Bianca stared.

“You told me the invitation came from Aunt Lucia.”

“It did.”

“Because you asked her?”

“Yes.”

Adrian’s voice went quiet.

“So even the first time we met was arranged.”

Thomas looked at the floor.

“Yes.”

Bianca covered her mouth.

Adrian watched her carefully.

“You didn’t know?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

Thomas continued.

“Gabriel wanted Bianca close to Adrian.”

“For the trust.”

“Yes.”

“Did Bianca ever work for him?”

“No.”

“Did you?”

Thomas closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

Bianca slapped him.

Hard.

Thomas did not move.

She whispered:

“You used me.”

“I tried to stop it later.”

“You let me fall in love with him.”

“I know.”

Adrian looked at Thomas.

“When did you stop working for Gabriel?”

“The day Bianca told me she loved you.”

Adrian laughed bitterly.

“How romantic.”

Thomas accepted it.

“I deserve that.”

Adrian looked at Bianca.

“When did you learn your father arranged our meeting?”

“Tonight.”

He studied her face.

He believed that part.

Then the ballroom doors opened.

A security guard entered.

Bleeding from the forehead.

“Mr. Vale.”

Adrian turned.

“The chapel.”

“What happened?”

“Someone broke in.”

Adrian looked at Bianca.

“The ledger?”

She shook her head.

“It isn’t there.”

The guard continued.

“They weren’t looking for the ledger.”

“What were they looking for?”

He held up the music box.

The bottom panel was broken.

The small brass key was gone.

Adrian stared.

Eleanor whispered:

“Oh, God.”

Adrian looked at her.

“What?”

The old housekeeper’s face had gone white.

“That key did not only open the chapel box.”

Adrian stepped toward her.

“What else?”

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Eleanor swallowed.

“Your mother’s safe deposit box.”