Chapter 4 - THE CHILD MARCO NEVER KNEW WAS FAMILY
Marco Bellini had no idea Rose was his niece.
At least, that was what Dominic wanted to believe.
But belief had become dangerous.
They tested Daniel’s stored DNA from an old hospital file against a sealed Bellini family sample Luca could access.
The result was clear.
Daniel Bennett and Marco Bellini shared a biological father.
Enzo Bellini.
Emily stared at the report.
“Daniel never told me.”
Dominic leaned against the desk.
“Maybe he found out late.”
“Or maybe he didn’t trust me.”
“People hide things for reasons that feel noble while they’re doing it.”
Emily looked at him.
“That sounded personal.”
“It was.”
Rose sat on the carpet building a tower out of coasters.
Completely unaware that half of Chicago’s criminal history had just rearranged itself around her.
Dominic hated that.
He wanted her out of it.
He wanted Emily out of it.
That realization irritated him.
He was not supposed to care this much.
Luca entered with information from the USB drive.
“Daniel recorded meetings.”
“With Marco?”
“No.”
“Serena.”
Dominic’s face changed.
Emily stood.
“What?”
The first video showed Serena in a parking garage eight months earlier.
Daniel stood across from her.
He looked terrified.
Serena said:
“You should never have asked about Antonio Vitali.”
Daniel answered:
“My father was there the night he died.”
Dominic stopped breathing.
Serena stepped closer.
“Your father did more than watch.”
The video ended.
Second file.
Daniel sat inside his car.
Recording himself.
“If Emily ever sees this, I need her to know I never cheated.”
Emily covered her mouth.
Dominic looked away, giving her privacy.
Daniel continued.
“Serena contacted me because she knew I was Enzo Bellini’s son.”
“She said Marco had been protecting me.”
Emily whispered:
“Protecting him from what?”
The video answered.
“From Enzo.”
Dominic’s eyes hardened.
Enzo Bellini had died five years earlier.
Daniel continued.
“Marco says our father killed Antonio Vitali.”
Dominic went completely still.
“And Marco helped cover it up.”
The recording stopped.
Emily looked at Dominic.
“Did he?”
“I don’t know.”
Then Luca spoke.
“There’s one more file.”
It was audio only.
Daniel’s voice.
Marco’s voice.
Daniel:
“You told me Antonio died because Dad panicked.”
Marco:
“He did.”
Daniel:
“Then why did Serena say you ordered it?”
Silence.
Marco finally answered:
“Because Serena isn’t working for me.”
Dominic leaned forward.
Daniel asked:
“Then who is she working for?”
Marco’s reply came quietly.
“The person who actually killed Antonio.”
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A pause.
“And that person is still living inside Vitali House.”
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