Chapter 10 - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AMBUSH
The investigation lasted weeks.
Marco denied involvement in the original ambush.
But investigators uncovered communications and financial records linking him to people involved in the attack.
Several witnesses came forward.
The evidence suggested that Marco had helped finance the operation that targeted Alessandro's convoy.
The motive was control.
Not simply of the family's criminal operations.
But of its legitimate businesses, trusts, and real estate holdings.
Alessandro's disability had made Marco's plan easier.
He'd used his brother's medical condition as an excuse to isolate him.
Cancel appointments.
Restrict visitors.
Control staff.
And present himself as the only person capable of managing the family empire.
The tracking device had helped monitor Alessandro's movements.
The suspicious object Emma found in the office was later identified as part of an unauthorized surveillance system.
Bianca had been pressured into retrieving it.
She eventually contacted investigators through an attorney and provided information about Marco's instructions.
The case grew larger.
Marco faced charges connected to the conspiracy and other alleged offenses.
Several members of the organization were also investigated.
Alessandro cooperated with authorities concerning the attack and began addressing his own involvement in criminal enterprises.
It wasn't simple.
It wasn't painless.
And it didn't erase his past.
But he made a decision.
He would no longer protect people simply because they shared his name.
One evening, I found him sitting beside the library window.
Emma was asleep upstairs.
The mansion was quiet.
I approached.
"How are you?"
He smiled bitterly.
"That's a dangerous question."
I sat opposite him.
"Try answering it."
He looked down.
"I spent two years believing I survived because I was too stubborn to die."
I waited.
"Now I know my own brother wanted me dead."
My chest tightened.
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head.
"I should have seen it."
"No."
He looked up.
I continued.
"You shouldn't have had to suspect your own family of trying to kill you."
His eyes filled.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he whispered:
"I don't know who I am without all this."
I looked around the mansion.
The expensive furniture.
The guards.
The silent hallways.
Then I smiled softly.
"Emma thinks you're the man who likes butter cookies."
He laughed through tears.
"And what do you think?"
My heart began racing.
May you like
I looked at him.
"I think you're someone who's finally getting a chance to choose."
