Chapter 9 - THE MARINA
Julian moved before anyone could stop him.
Elena grabbed his arm.
“No.”
“He has my son.”
“That’s why you cannot go alone.”
“He said alone.”
“He wants the card.”
“I’ll give it to him.”
Vittorio snapped,
“No.”
Julian turned.
“You don’t get a vote.”
“If Luca gets that card, every piece of evidence disappears.”
“I don’t care.”
Vittorio stared at him.
Julian stepped closer.
“Did you hear me?”
“I don’t care.”
“That boy is my son.”
Vittorio’s face changed.
Julian saw something there.
Regret.
Maybe shame.
It no longer mattered.
Claudia said,
“We can copy the card.”
Julian looked at her.
“How fast?”
“Three minutes.”
“Do it.”
She sat at the terminal.
Vittorio said,
“Luca will check.”
“Let him.”
Julian looked at the screen.
“We give him the original.”
Claudia stopped.
Vittorio frowned.
“Then what?”
“We keep copies.”
Claudia nodded.
“That can work.”
Elena stepped closer.
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“Julian.”
“No.”
She stared at him.
“You think I’m staying here while Luca has my nephew?”
“He’s my son.”
“And my sister’s child.”
That stopped him.
Elena’s voice softened.
“He belongs to both of us.”
Julian looked at her.
The complicated truth hung between them.
Adrian was his son.
Elena was his aunt.
Sofia was Adrian’s half-sister and cousin through Elena.
Their family had become a maze built by secrets.
Julian rubbed his face.
“You can’t be near Luca.”
“Neither can you.”
“I’m going.”
“So am I.”
Vittorio said,
“You’re both making this easy for him.”
Julian turned.
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Let me go.”
Everyone stared at him.
Julian laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
“Luca wants me more than he wants you.”
“He hates me.”
“He blames me.”
“If I walk into that marina, he’ll focus on me.”
Julian looked at his father.
“Why would I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Vittorio’s answer surprised him.
“Then why?”
“Because I created him.”
Julian frowned.
Vittorio continued.
“Maybe not biologically.”
“But I created the man he became.”
“I ignored him.”
“Used him.”
“Prepared to sacrifice him.”
“I taught him that family was leverage.”
His voice dropped.
“And now he’s using the lesson.”
Julian said nothing.
Claudia finished copying the card.
“Done.”
She handed Julian the original.
“What about police?”
“No.”
Vittorio and Julian said it at the same time.
Elena stared at them.
Julian explained.
“Luca has people inside security.”
Vittorio nodded.
“And probably inside local police.”
Claudia said,
“I know someone else.”
“Who?”
“A financial crimes prosecutor.”
Julian looked at her.
“You trust him?”
“Yes.”
“Call him.”
Vittorio snapped,
“No.”
Claudia looked at him.
“I wasn’t asking.”
She sent the copied files.
Julian checked the time.
11:29.
They left through a rear loading exit.
The fire had been mostly contained.
Smoke still drifted around the upper floors.
Emergency vehicles surrounded the hotel.
Julian drove.
Elena sat beside him.
Vittorio and Claudia followed in another car.
Julian said nothing for several minutes.
Then Elena whispered,
“Did you love her?”
He knew who she meant.
Lucia.
“No.”
Elena looked out the window.
“I barely knew her.”
“That doesn’t make Adrian less real.”
“I know.”
“I was drunk.”
“That doesn’t make him less real either.”
“I know.”
Elena looked at him.
Julian kept his eyes on the road.
“If I had known…”
“You didn’t.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“No.”
Julian almost smiled sadly.
“You really don’t let me hide.”
“I spent eight months being forced to hide.”
“I’m done helping anyone else do it.”
He nodded.
Fair.
They reached the old Valmont Marina at 11:54.
It was abandoned for the season.
Cold wind moved across the water.
Empty boats knocked softly against the docks.
Julian parked.
Elena looked around.
“No lights.”
“There.”
A single warehouse glowed at the far end.
Julian opened his door.
Elena did too.
He looked at her.
“Stay behind me.”
She stared.
“Don’t start.”
For the first time that night, he almost laughed.
They walked toward the warehouse.
Vittorio and Claudia remained farther back.
Julian reached the door.
It opened before he touched it.
Luca stood inside.
He looked different.
Not wild.
Not angry.
That was what frightened Julian.
Luca looked calm.
Perfectly calm.
He wore a navy coat and gloves.
“Brother.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
“Where is Adrian?”
Luca smiled.
“So you finally learned his name.”
Elena stepped forward.
“Where is he?”
Luca looked at her.
“Elena.”
His smile faded slightly.
“You were always the difficult one.”
Julian moved in front of her.
“Where is my son?”
Luca glanced at his pocket.
“The card.”
Julian held it up.
“Boy first.”
Luca laughed.
“No.”
Julian stared.
“You hurt him and nothing on this card matters.”
Luca’s expression changed.
“You really mean that.”
“Yes.”
“That’s your problem.”
“What?”
“You care about people.”
Luca shook his head.
“Father always hated that about you.”
A door opened behind him.
A man led Adrian forward.
The boy’s wrists were bound in front of him.
Julian stopped breathing.
Adrian stared at him.
Confused.
Terrified.
Julian’s voice broke.
“Adrian.”
The boy did not answer.
Luca crouched beside him.
“You know who this is?”
Adrian shook his head.
Luca smiled.
“This is Julian Rossi.”
The boy stared.
“The man your mother tried to find before she died.”
Julian’s eyes burned.
Adrian looked at him.
“You’re him?”
Julian nodded.
“I am.”
“My father?”
Julian could barely speak.
“Yes.”
Adrian’s face crumpled.
Not with relief.
With anger.
“You never came.”
Julian closed his eyes for half a second.
Luca smiled.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Julian looked at his son.
“I didn’t know.”
Adrian looked away.
“That’s what everyone says.”
Julian’s chest broke.
Elena stepped forward.
“Adrian.”
The boy looked at her.
She was crying.
“I’m Elena.”
He stared.
“Your mother was my sister.”
Adrian’s eyes widened.
“You’re Aunt Elena?”
Elena stopped.
“You know me?”
“My mother had pictures.”
She covered her mouth.
Luca looked bored.
“Enough.”
He held out his hand.
“The card.”
Julian raised it.
“Release him.”
“Put it on the floor.”
Julian did.
“Kick it over.”
He did.
Luca picked it up.
He handed it to the man beside him.
“Check it.”
The man inserted it into a laptop.
Seconds passed.
“It’s real.”
Luca smiled.
“Good.”
Julian looked at Adrian.
“Now let him go.”
Luca nodded.
The man cut the boy’s restraints.
Adrian ran.
Julian opened his arms.
But Adrian ran past him.
Straight into Elena.
She dropped to her knees despite the pain.
She wrapped both arms around him.
Adrian buried his face against her shoulder.
Julian stood frozen.
It hurt.
But he understood.
Elena was his mother’s sister.
A connection to the woman he lost.
Julian had only just become real.
Luca watched him.
“That must sting.”
Julian looked at him.
“No.”
Luca frowned.
Julian said,
“He’s safe.”
“That’s enough.”
Luca’s smile disappeared.
Then a voice came from behind.
“Not quite.”
Vittorio entered.
Luca’s entire face changed.
“Father.”
Vittorio looked at him.
“I am not your father.”
The cruelty of the sentence stunned everyone.
Luca’s expression cracked.
Only briefly.
Then he laughed.
“There he is.”
“The great Vittorio Rossi.”
“Still knows exactly where to cut.”
Vittorio stepped closer.
“This ends tonight.”
“No.”
Luca held up the card.
“It ends when I decide.”
Vittorio looked at him.
“You already lost.”
Luca smiled.
“You think I care about the company now?”
Julian frowned.
“What do you care about?”
Luca looked at Elena.
Then Adrian.
Then Julian.
“Truth.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“You kidnapped a child to get truth?”
Luca’s eyes hardened.
“You still don’t understand.”
He pointed at Vittorio.
“This man framed me for twenty years.”
“He stole money.”
“He built accounts in my name.”
“He planned to throw me to prosecutors if the company collapsed.”
“And all of you still think I’m the villain because I refused to die quietly.”
Elena said,
“You drugged me.”
Luca looked at her.
“Yes.”
“You had me locked in a clinic.”
“Yes.”
“You threatened my baby.”
His expression changed.
“I threatened the inheritance.”
“That’s not what they told me.”
Luca looked toward Vittorio.
“Then ask him who ordered the termination.”
Silence.
Julian’s body went cold.
“What?”
Elena froze.
Luca stared at Vittorio.
“Tell them.”
Vittorio said nothing.
“Tell Elena who told Dr. Moreau the baby could not be born.”
Julian moved toward his father.
“Was it you?”
Vittorio’s face was unreadable.
Luca smiled.
“See?”
“He still can’t say it.”
Julian grabbed Vittorio’s coat.
“Was it you?”
Vittorio looked at Elena.
“No.”
Julian loosened his grip.
Then Vittorio added,
“It was Isabella.”
Everyone went silent.
Luca laughed.
“Finally.”
Elena looked like she had been struck.
Julian whispered,
“My mother ordered it.”
“Yes.”
Luca nodded.
“She wanted Sofia gone.”
“She wanted Adrian hidden.”
“She wanted me in control.”
“Why?”
Julian asked.
Luca stared at him.
“Because she knew one day Vittorio’s fraud would surface.”
“And she needed a son she could control.”
Julian looked at Vittorio.
“Did you know?”
“Not until later.”
Luca laughed again.
“Always later.”
Then the warehouse doors slammed shut.
Claudia turned.
Men appeared along the upper catwalk.
Three.
Then five.
Then seven.
All armed.
Luca looked surprised.
Julian noticed.
“You didn’t bring them.”
“No.”
A slow clap echoed from the catwalk.
Everyone looked up.
Isabella Rossi stepped into the light.
Elegant.
Perfectly calm.
Julian stared at his mother.
She looked down at the family beneath her.
May you like
Then smiled.
“None of you were ever very good at following instructions.”
