Chapter 10 - THE BUILDING VICTOR TOOK WITHOUT KNOWING MY NAME
“Yes.”
Victor did not lie.
That almost made it worse.
Five years earlier, DeLuca Development purchased a six-building block in Queens.
One property contained the restaurant where my mother worked.
The owner had offered employees a chance to form a cooperative and buy the building.
My mother planned to invest her savings.
Then DeLuca made a higher cash offer.
Sale closed in nine days.
The cooperative died.
My mother never recovered financially from the lost deposit and legal fees.
She died two years later.
I stared at Victor.
“You did that.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know who she was?”
“No.”
“Does that matter?”
He thought carefully.
“No.”
Good answer.
It did not erase the harm.
Victor had not targeted my mother.
But his business model had crushed people like her without requiring him to know their names.
That truth mattered.
“I was twenty-nine,” he said. “I was expanding aggressively.”
“Don’t make age an excuse.”
“I’m not.”
He looked sick.
“The building became luxury rentals.”
“I know.”
My mother used to point at it from the bus.
Say:
That could have been ours.
I never knew the buyer’s name.
Now I did.
Victor sat across from me.
“What do you want me to do?”
I laughed bitterly.
“That’s the first problem. You think every harm has a transaction attached.”
His expression changed.
“You can’t give my mother back the restaurant.”
“No.”
“You can’t refund the last five years.”
“No.”
“You can’t buy forgiveness.”
“No.”
Then he said:
“But I can stop doing business that way.”
That was different.
“What does that mean?”
Victor had already begun separating legitimate DeLuca companies from criminal operations.
Now he proposed something further.
Properties acquired through coercive or predatory practices would be independently reviewed.
Where prior tenants or owners had been unfairly displaced, restitution or equity opportunities would be offered.
Not charity.
Repair.
“It will cost you millions.”
“Yes.”
“Your investors will hate you.”
“Some.”
“Your family?”
“Definitely.”
I watched him.
“Why now?”
“Because Richard wanted that video to make you hate me.”
“Do you think I don’t?”
His eyes held mine.
“I think you have reasons to.”
No demand.
No defense.
Then Julia entered.
Federal prosecutors had enough evidence to freeze the offshore accounts.
Richard and Salvatore could not access the ninety million.
They were trapped financially.
But still missing.
Then Lena found them.
Not through violence.
Through a property record.
Salvatore owned an old country club in Westchester under a shell company.
Richard’s helicopter had landed nearby.
Authorities prepared warrants.
Ethan gave additional testimony.
Everything was closing.
Then a call came from Salvatore.
Directly to Victor.
Victor put it on speaker.
“Godson.”
Salvatore’s voice sounded almost affectionate.
Victor said nothing.
“You think giving Anna the truth makes you clean?”
“No.”
Good.
Salvatore laughed.
“Then come hear the rest.”
“Where?”
“You know.”
Victor looked at the warrant team.
Salvatore continued.
“Bring Anna if she wants the answer to the question her father died without solving.”
I leaned forward.
“What question?”
Salvatore answered me.
“Who actually hired the car that killed Mateo?”
My skin went cold.
“We already know you did.”
“No.”
His voice became almost amused.
“I arranged it.”
May you like
Then:
“But someone else paid me.”
