Chapter 9
Marcus finally admitted locking Lucy in the garden.
Not because he wanted to.
Because Dominic ordered him to remove her from the house until the box was gone.
That was Marcus’s version.
Rachel did not let him hide behind it.
“You carried a three-year-old outside at night.”
“Yes.”
“You locked the gate.”
“Yes.”
“You left her there.”
“I gave her a blanket.”
Vittorio almost stood.
Rachel placed one hand on his arm.
Marcus continued quickly.
“I gave her water.”
“As if that improves it?”
“I was going back.”
“When?”
“After Dominic left.”
“But you didn’t.”
Marcus looked away.
Vittorio’s voice stayed low.
“Why?”
“Bianca told me Emma was moving around.”
“So?”
“I couldn’t risk being seen.”
Lucy had spent hours alone because Marcus did not want a maid seeing him retrieve her.
The simplicity of it was monstrous.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Convenience.
“What about breakfast?”
Marcus glanced toward the door.
“Bianca’s idea.”
Vittorio stared.
“She said Lucy needed to stop talking.”
“How?”
“By making her afraid of saying anything.”
“The dog bowl?”
Marcus nodded.
“And you watched?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you grab Emma’s phone?”
Marcus looked annoyed.
“Because she recorded everything.”
Rachel leaned forward.
“Did Bianca know Emma was recording before Vittorio arrived?”
“No.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
That explained the panic.
Marcus had expected humiliation without evidence.
Emma changed everything.
But the missing box remained.
“Where is it?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Dominic has it.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“You met him.”
“In the garage.”
“After Lucy saw you.”
“Yes.”
“What did he do with the box?”
“Put it in his car.”
“What car?”
“Black Escalade.”
Daniel immediately checked traffic-camera requests.
The vehicle left the area at 1:14 a.m.
Then vanished from normal toll records.
Dominic had likely changed vehicles.
Rachel stood.
“We have enough to move against Marcus on what happened to Lucy.”
Vittorio nodded.
“What about Bianca?”
“Her role is different. We’ll let investigators determine it.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“You still don’t understand.”
Vittorio turned.
“Understand what?”
“Dominic didn’t come back for revenge.”
“Then why?”
Marcus leaned against the chair.
“To make sure you never learn who actually owned half of Romano Freight.”
Vittorio stared.
Marcus smiled.
“Your father didn’t build all of it.”
There was the first real crack in the family mythology.
But not the biggest.
That came the following morning.
Michael Grant found a second ledger.
And one name appeared beside Antonio Romano’s on the original incorporation financing.
Not Dominic Moretti.
A woman.
May you like
Evelyn Romano.
Vittorio’s mother.
