Chapter 5 - THE RED NOTEBOOK
The notebook was found inside the conservatory's largest orchid planter.
It was wrapped in clear plastic.
Its cover was dark red.
The pages were filled with dates, initials, and short handwritten notes.
Dante handed it to his attorney and the investigators.
He did not attempt to hide it.
He did not order anyone to destroy it.
For once, he wanted the truth more than control.
The notebook contained entries connecting Victor Romano to several questionable financial transactions.
Some involved security contracts.
Others involved properties owned by companies connected to Isabella's family.
But one entry stood out.
L.M. — final settlement — June 14.
Dante stared at the initials.
L.M.
Lorenzo Moretti.
His brother.
Lorenzo had died six months earlier after suffering a sudden medical emergency.
The family had accepted the explanation.
Dante had accepted it.
Or tried to.
Now he looked at the date.
June 14.
The day before Lorenzo died.
His attorney, Thomas Greer, studied the entry.
“This may be relevant.”
Dante nodded.
“Find out what it means.”
That evening, Dante visited his mother's old bedroom.
It had remained untouched since her death.
A silk scarf lay over the dressing table.
A photograph of Lorenzo stood beside the window.
Dante picked it up.
His brother smiled back at him.
For years, they had fought over business.
Power.
Responsibility.
The future of the family.
But Lorenzo had also been the boy who taught Dante to swim.
The teenager who protected him from their father's temper.
The man who once promised that no matter what happened, they would always remain brothers.
Dante sat on the edge of the bed.
“What happened to you?” he whispered.
Then his phone rang.
Thomas.
“We found something.”
Dante stood.
“What?”
“The notebook references a private medical consultation arranged shortly before Lorenzo's death.”
Dante's pulse quickened.
Thomas continued.
“The physician's name appears to have been entered under an alias.”
Dante stared at the photograph.
“And Dante?”
May you like
“Yes?”
“The consultation was paid for through a company controlled by Victor Romano.”
