Chapter 11 - THE FAMILY CARLO TRIED TO ERASE
Carlo's threat changed everything.
Lucinda refused police protection.
Thomas overruled her.
She immediately hated him.
I understood both sides.
“You don't get to control me because you discovered I'm your daughter yesterday,” she told him.
Thomas looked genuinely startled.
I almost smiled.
She had his temper.
He had no idea what to do with it.
“I am not controlling you.”
“You brought six armed men into my hospital room.”
“For security.”
“That's controlling with accessories.”
Marcus whispered to me,
“I like her.”
“So do I.”
Thomas looked at us.
“Helpful.”
Richard remained hospitalized under guard.
He agreed to cooperate.
Not because he suddenly became good.
Because Carlo had threatened Lucinda too.
And for all Richard's failures, he loved his sister.
He gave investigators everything.
Accounts.
Contacts.
Safe houses.
But one detail mattered more than the rest.
Carlo had been building something called Continuity.
“What is that?” I asked.
Richard looked exhausted.
“A plan.”
“For what?”
“To replace Thomas.”
Thomas's expression didn't change.
“With who?”
“Marcus.”
I stopped breathing.
“No.”
Richard looked at me.
“Carlo believes bloodlines matter. He sees Marcus as controllable because he's young.”
Thomas's voice became cold.
“He's eight.”
“Carlo planned long-term.”
My stomach turned.
“Why Marcus?”
Richard looked ashamed.
“Because he's Gabriel's grandson.”
Thomas frowned.
“He's also yours.”
“Yes.”
“And you let Carlo make plans around him?”
Richard looked away.
I wanted to hate him.
Part of me did.
But I also understood he had spent years afraid of men more powerful than him.
Fear didn't excuse him.
But it explained him.
Lucinda crossed her arms.
“What exactly is Continuity?”
Richard hesitated.
“A list of children connected to the old families.”
The room went silent.
Thomas looked at him.
“What children?”
“Potential heirs.”
My stomach turned.
“Potential targets.”
Richard nodded.
Elena whispered,
“Carlo never stopped.”
Thomas's expression became terrifyingly calm.
“Where is the list?”
Richard looked toward me.
“In the vault.”
We returned to the restaurant basement.
After hours of searching, Vincent found a sealed compartment beneath the main cabinet.
Inside were files.
Photographs.
School schedules.
Medical histories.
Children.
Dozens.
Some now adults.
Some still young.
Thomas looked sick.
“This ends.”
Detective Monroe stood beside him.
“If these records connect Carlo to current threats, we can move.”
Thomas looked at her.
“You already have enough.”
“We need him alive.”
“I know.”
The words sounded difficult.
But he meant them.
That mattered.
Then I found Marcus's file.
Age eight.
School.
Teacher.
Favorite park.
Allergies.
My hands shook.
Then I saw one handwritten note.
Mother unaware of biological lineage.
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Elena stepped closer.
Her face changed.
“Jean.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
She read the note twice.
Then looked toward Richard.
“When Marcus was born, did anyone perform a paternity test?”
“No.”
I turned.
“What are you saying?”
Richard's face went pale.
Elena whispered,
“Carlo may not believe Richard is Marcus's father.”
My heart stopped.
“Then who?”
Elena opened another file.
Inside was a photograph.
Me.
Eight years earlier.
Standing outside a clinic.
Beside me was a man I barely remembered.
A doctor who had treated me during pregnancy.
Thomas looked at the name.
His jaw tightened.
“Dr. Aaron Vale.”
Vincent swore.
I stared.
“Who is he?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Gabriel's son.”
The room went silent.
I could barely breathe.
“If Marcus is his…”
Elena nodded slowly.
“Then Marcus may be Gabriel Dinaro's grandson twice over.”
My stomach twisted.
Before I could process it, Vincent's phone rang.
He answered.
Then looked at Thomas.
“Carlo has Aaron Vale.”
May you like
My blood went cold.
“And he's demanding Jean.”
