Chapter 3 - THE BROTHER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
Adrian Moretti had been twenty-nine when his car crashed into the Connecticut River.
The police found the vehicle three days later.
His watch was recovered from the wreckage.
His body never was.
For five years, Luca had lived with the terrible uncertainty.
He had buried an empty coffin.
Paid for investigators.
Searched hospitals.
Followed false leads across three states.
Eventually, he'd been forced to accept that his brother was gone.
Now Adrian stood in a photograph beside Bianca Romano.
Alive.
Older.
But unmistakable.
Luca gripped the tablet.
"Where was this taken?"
Emma swallowed.
"Three weeks ago."
Luca stared at Bianca.
"You knew?"
She looked away.
"You knew my brother was alive?"
"Luca—"
"ANSWER ME!"
The force of his voice made everyone flinch.
He stopped himself.
Anger wouldn't bring Adrian home.
He took a slow breath.
"Tell me where he is."
Bianca's eyes filled.
"It's complicated."
Luca laughed bitterly.
"Complicated?"
He turned the tablet toward her.
"My brother disappeared five years ago. I mourned him. I buried him. And you stood beside me on the anniversary of his death."
Bianca looked down.
"I was trying to protect you."
Emma spoke quietly.
"That's not what you said in the recording."
Luca turned.
"What?"
Emma opened another audio file.
Bianca's voice filled the room.
"Adrian stays hidden until Luca signs. After that, we won't need him anymore."
A cold silence settled over the sitting room.
Luca looked at Bianca.
"What does that mean?"
She began shaking.
"You're misunderstanding everything."
Emma stepped forward.
"Mr. Moretti, the clinic is registered under a company connected to the Bennett acquisition."
Luca felt sick.
The Bennett acquisition.
The missing money.
The forged signature.
His supposedly dead brother.
Every piece belonged to the same puzzle.
But one question remained.
Why would Adrian willingly stay hidden?
Luca looked toward Vincent.
"Contact the authorities. We need to determine whether my brother is being held against his will."
Vincent nodded.
Then Luca turned toward Emma.
"Did the recording mention why Adrian was at the clinic?"
Emma hesitated.
"Yes."
Luca felt his heart hammer.
"Tell me."
She looked toward Bianca.
"Your fiancée said he couldn't remember what happened before the crash."
Luca froze.
"Memory loss?"
Emma nodded.
"She said he'd been receiving treatment."
Bianca suddenly sat down.
Her face had lost all color.
Luca approached slowly.
"Bianca."
She looked up.
"If you know where Adrian is, this is your chance to tell the truth."
Her lips trembled.
Then she whispered, "He wasn't supposed to wake up."
The room went silent.
Luca stared.
"What did you say?"
Bianca covered her mouth.
May you like
But the words had already escaped.
And everyone in the room understood that Adrian's disappearance had never been an accident.
